There are public toilets just past the new fangled kids' playground, east end of Meadows. Otherwise various cafes around the place...
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Pedal on Parliament manifesto - revised
(89 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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"Cafés + public north and east of Meds."
Yes, but not so much capacity at Parl, and I would have thought inadequate in any event for 1000...
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I would have thought inadequate in any event for 1000..."
'Cyclists' are resourceful.
Web site should list cafés etc.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'm sure people will cope (easier for some).
But wondering if there was any requirement that organizers make provision for such things.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Sally - the latest version is really good. I know you'll hate me for this, but I still think the footnotes need a consistent style as they still look a bit messy.
Super pedantic point - I would use 12 point Arial as the typeface to mirror what is used in most Government departments, gives it that official look.
As to toilets - anyone who has organised an event will tell you that these are the bane of an organisers life. There are toilets in the Scottish Parliament, but you need to pass through security to use them. The Historic Scotland website says there are toilets behind the Education Centre.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Yes, there are toilets next to the education centre in Holyrood Park, which is past the car park and past the approach to Croft-An-Righ.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'm sure they can be all pinpointed using http://edinburgh.cyclestreets.net
Posted 13 years ago # -
"these are the bane of an organisers life"
why i thought it better to mention now....presumably short duration of rally should be okay...
"there are toilets next to the education centre"
not very many
"12 point Arial"
Arial should never be used for anything this long. YUCK!
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Arial should never be used for anything this long. YUCK!"
Are you saying it's hard to read?
Is that why 'officials' use it??
Posted 13 years ago # -
When there's a poster for this, it would be nice to be able to tell cafés they will be listed on web site if they display one.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'm no expert, but follow convention that sans serif fonts should be used for notices, but not for when you need to follow the text along a line.
Posted 13 years ago # -
SRD - I have been told that a typeface needs to be at least 12 point for it to be legible to people with poorer eyesight and that sans serif fonts are more legible, so Arial is a good choice on accessibility grounds. I'm not claiming it is a thing of beauty or even the best choice - just that it will help make the manifesto look "official".
Posted 13 years ago # -
"But wondering if there was any requirement that organizers make provision for such things."
In short. No.
"When there's a poster for this, it would be nice to be able to tell cafés they will be listed on web site if they display one."
Emails this morning going about to that very effect.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I did my dissertation in Arial as well...
Got a first....
:P
Posted 13 years ago # -
"sans serif fonts are more legible" YES. that's why you use them for 'exit' and 'apples for sale' etc. But if you need to read a long text, serifs are designed to help the eye move across. Sans serif fonts very bad at this, thus not good practice to use for longer texts. Who-ever imposed this policy for all text regardless of length/audience is either up on newer theories than me (v. possible) or an idiot.
12 point = good.
'looking official' I thought you made a very good point and it makes perfect sense, if we want to look 'official'. There might be something to be said for not looking 'official' as well. and even more said for encouraging people to actually read what is in the manifesto!!
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I did my dissertation in Arial as well...Got a first...."
Our students learn about fonts (and other things) when they write their dissertations. "Transferable skills."
Posted 13 years ago # -
I've a mind to reformat the whole thing in comic sans now...
Toilets ... we have zero budget for this so portapotties are out. If we gather at 1-ish, set off at 2-ish and be picnicking (optionally) by 3 can most people not hang on? I suppose those coming with kids may not have that option.
Alternatively maybe just a map of likely loos on the website.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I can see the point in serifs, but personally I've always found it easier to read long bits of text in sans serif, just less tiring for some reason. Sorry for being an idiot! We were only a few years into using computers (Mel was four years before me and her dissertation was handwritten) so there was definitely nothing about fonts taught to us!
That all said, I've had no input into the actual font used (I could if I wanted to, but I thought the words were maybe more important and, as mentioned, I find sans serif easier to read so it simply didn't occur to me that it would be wrong!).
Posted 13 years ago # -
However, Sally, if you put it into Comic Sans I'm afraid I'll have to resign... :P
Posted 13 years ago # -
Just a wee nit pick on layout.
The pagination seems to have gone awry. Point 1 of the manifesto detail starts at the foot of the first page, that can't be how it was intended? Also the footnotes should start on a separate page: inserting a page break should sort it out.
Font size/weight. The title at the top of the first page should probably be in a larger sized font: 14 or bigger. The 8 points of the manifesto at the foot of the page should be in bold for consistency with the following detail pages.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Sally, there is in point 4 a "to" missed out and that is where it says "Each local authority should be required to produce....". 12pt is the accepted font size now in business for those visually impaired. I think Ariel is a clean typeface, and the most accepted serif font is Times Roman which is regarded as old-fashioned, we used to use Stempel Garamond, a font that I still rather like, and possibly it does have more gravitas, and is, interestingly one of the oldest typefaces.
The footnotes also start with the links or sources in blue italic and then change to blue standard. I think that they should perhaps be and appendix or appendices to the main document and on a separate page. Only a couple of suggestions.
Posted 13 years ago # -
On a lighter note...
Do you think we could carry a portaloo on the back of a trailer? Chdot's 8 freight maybe?
Would show the load carrying potential of bikes....(!)
Type legibility... as long as line spacing is not squashed up and 12 point if possible. Serifs were designed to lead the eye on but there are other factors that help make something readable...
Posted 13 years ago # -
" those coming with kids may not have that option."
imhe its the mums that are the problem, not the kids...
anyway, I wasn't suggesting that we _should_ organise loos (obvious financial etc problems), just making sure it had been thought about, and that there was no requirement.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Really looking forward to the launch tomorrow!
Posted 13 years ago # -
In his book 'Just My Type' Simon Garfield concludes his brief summary of the science of legibility with, "serif and sans serif faces are also equally legible, as long as the serif's aren't too heavy and thick".
Liz might be interested to know that Garamond has been shown to be one of the easiest typefaces to read, along with other old typefaces like Bembo and Bodoni.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I wrote *my* dissertation(s) in Garamond :)
wish TNR & garamond weren't considered 'old-fashioned looking'
Will have to read above-mentioned book!
Posted 13 years ago # -
I wrote my dissertation in Times, although it was the slightly nicer looking Postscript version contained within an ageing HP Laserjet 4 that my hard copy used. I always used Garamond Narrow for front cover text.
I'm quite partial to Georgia and Hoefler Text, though, for the text figures that remind me of the Thomas the Tank Engine books' typeface.
Posted 13 years ago # -
And it's here:
I'm afraid tweaking the fonts and footnotes ended up being abandoned for writing a press release and generally running around in circles. I hope you'll forgive us and show up on the day anyway...
Start spreading the news
Posted 13 years ago # -
fabby dabby! looks great (although I hope the 'childseat' poster makes a come back? I loved its jaunty look.
Quick edit needed on the 'get in touch' page : 'RSVP on Facebook [event page on Facebook if we have one?]' and the 'sign up ' link on the news page.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Yeah, great job. Need to fix that FB link though before I 'share' the site...
Posted 13 years ago #
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