CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"Council reviews flood works as cash well runs dry"
(11 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
-
I look down on to this when I take the relevant branch of the path and wonder whether the wide level area being established on the banks will get a paved cycle path.
Posted 13 years ago # -
As I understand it the banks have to be 'returned' to the state they were in beforehand for wildlife habitat. So likely to be covered in foliage once all the works are done. Which on one hand is a shame, but on the other I'm not a fan of taking away natural habitat for our convenience (it's basically akin to building on green belt).
There's already a lot of worry about how these works are affecting the likes of Kingfishers and Otters - it's a credit to Edinburgh that we have both in the city centre, and we should be trying to keep hold of them!
Posted 13 years ago # -
That said - it would make a FAB path. ;)
Posted 13 years ago # -
I know this doesn't devalue the principle, but I can't be the only one who finds it immensely ironic that we worry about habitat loss when we've built concrete over the surrounding 263 million square meters...
Posted 13 years ago # -
I think that's why it's even more important to retain it. One of the joys of Edinburgh is that it is a very green city with parks all over the place, and a really nice river running through it (compare to, say, the Clyde or the Tyne or the Mersey).
If we were to save ourselves from any ironic conclusions by tarmaccing over the rest of of the city I'd personally be moving away.
Posted 13 years ago # -
There must be a good argument to have the old railways left to go natural (corridor for animals, for instance, as well as bringing unmanaged habitat closer to many areas of the city)?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Actually, I guess the old railways show that walking and cycling routes can co-exist with nature - given there are badgers on the Trinity Path for instance. Tarmaccing where the rails were isn't really changing the nature completely in the way a narrowing and deepening of the river for the flood works does. Tough balancing act.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Riverbanks are like headgerows (only more so) in their potential for being diverse little ecological niches.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Council reviews flood works as cash well runs dry"
is there not some law against mixed metaphors in newspaper headlines?
floods running dry?
THe picture is The Colonies at Glenogle - there is a fairly decent straight path already on the other side of the WoL that comes out at Inverleith Row
Posted 13 years ago # -
Actually that's a good point (anth) - the construction of the defences and related dredging, clear felling etc. has basically done almost all the damage it's possible to do?
To be fair, I can't really visualise what the utility of turning the vehicle access into public access would be, since you'd just get to meander ferociously (perhaps a nice environment for families or something?)
Posted 13 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
