CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Decided to go for it and cycle from Leith to Tollcross this evening (I had previously said I was going to bus it instead). Absolutely FLEW up Leith Walk in a record time I am sure! Didn't see any other cyclists apart from a couple of guys leaving my work at the same time. Quite bizarre to see town so quiet on a work day rush hour.
Hardly a heroic thing to do but still felt quite chuffed!
I had to go down to Waverley Court this afternoon and decided to walk rather than bike because I don't like cycling when it's so windy. I have a fear of being blown under a lorry. Walking wasn't exactly easy either, and I went via Cranston Street and narrowly (by several hours) avoided this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8595846.stm
I decided not to go to my evening class tonight because the transport options were 10 minute bike ride in the foul weather or a 30 minute walk in the foul weather, and I just couldn't be bothered.
I always think to my self this is Gunga Din weather, if your riding in it your a braver man than me ;)
"Brunstane Primary School will be closed today.
Council staff have been working through the night to clear roads and deal with localised flooding.
The city’s ‘category 1′ roads have been cleared and work began in the very early hours on ‘category 2′ roads and priority footpaths. Monitoring for flooding from rivers has been going on through the night but its not thought that any watercourses have burst their banks. Gullies and culverts have been cleared but there has been some localised flooding leading to road closures at points on the following roads:
A70
Silverknowes Road
Russell Road
Freelands Rd.
"
http://edinburghcouncil.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/latest-weather-response-information/
http://www.mybustracker.co.uk seems to be missing and there's been a powercut here since the middle of the night!
The lights in my house did flicker several times yesterday evening, just like the lights did in the old days when they 'switched' onto off peak power stations (or so I was told).
Much easier riding to work today without all that wind. A big thank you (not) to the car driver who overtook me at great speed, taking his tyres straight through the big piles of slush which went all over me and froze my ankles.
Yup, we had flickers yesterday too.
I notice that the Dunbar to Berwick line's been closed, with a bus replacement. Does anyone know what happens to cycles travelling on trains when that happens? Do they get left on the train, and if so, how do they get retrieved/treated?
Have wondered this for a while, but luckily not had to experience it first-hand!
I suspect not the slightest bit of thought has gone into buses and rail replacement. Ride today was much better, although my slicks not so good on the slush around the airport.
Also had the joy of an HGV driver overtaking me in my lane at the very narrow junction then stopping just round the corner. He had a 'How's my driving' number, but no back licence plate. Loon.
I rode home (west to east, straight into the headwind) last night after a meal at the end of a corporate strategy day at work. I was soaked within 2 minutes and it was the least fun ride I've had in years.
Grateful for the lesser wind rain and hail this morning. Though the bike is likely being left in the office as I'm getting picked up to go to a funeral this afternoon and going straight home from there... So expect it to get worse again tomorrow for me going home.
"Does anyone know what happens to cycles travelling on trains when that happens?"
'Normally' bus replacements don't carry bikes. I would hope that anyone with a bike on a train affected by unforeseen landslide would be accomodated. ECML bus replacements tend to be coaches with large luggage compartments.
Bus replacements at weekends are increasingly common because of the way they organise engineering work these days.
When England was flooded a couple of years ago and I knew there would be a bus between York and Doncaster, I took a Brompton.
"This statement was prepared on 31 March 2010 at 3:14 am.
A FLOOD WATCH has been issued for Edinburgh and Lothian rivers.
The River Almond, Water of Leith, Braid Burn, and River Tyne have peaked overnight but are still high. The potential for flooding remains especially with small watercourses and surface water.
This FLOOD WATCH is now in force until further notice."
"Min, your bus comment just got tweeted by @on_lothianbuses"
Ye gads! I hope they have been taking note of all the nice stuff we say about them.
"I hope they have been taking note of all the nice stuff we say about them."
Think they've seen some of it.
I gestured to a driver that I was letting out into the traffic at the bottom of Lothian Road (southbound) yesterday.
He immediately responded by sticking his hand out through the side window with his thumb up.
Makes up for the (few) idiots who 'chase' you when they are close to a bus stop.
FirstBus are something else. One came inches away from me on Princes Street last week with his wheels clearly in the cycle lane.
Impressive flood at Ratho pic - http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Busiest-rail-and-road-routes.6192933.jp
I don't know why it is that almost all Lothian bus drivers are so good, and yet the First ones are so bad (although I'm not sure they're worse than Stagecoach, if you have the misfortune to ride in Fife!)
Yesterday coming up North Bridge (in the car) I saw a cyclist on the white line of the bus lane being undertaken at speed by a First bus while cars simultaneously passed on the right. No idea what they were doing there but you'd think whichever way you cut it that the bus driver would have been better to let them in and then pass normally. Of course the cyclist got past again not that long after...
Re. the buses: My Dad used to be a bus driver for LRT as Lothian Buses was then known. He used to say that the drivers for First (then Eastern Scottish) were the ones who couldn't get a job for LRT. There might still an element of that to this day.
I believe they get paid less and have little or no union support, so maybe they've got a less satisfying working environment and it's reflected in their occasional poor driving. No excuses though, don't get me wrong!
My wife and I used a Lothian Bus out to Dalkeith and back last night. Both directions were fine although one bus got stuck on Minto St for five mins.
I realise at times like this how good the service is and appreciate that the drivers manage to keep going. The wind and the snow up at Gilmerton was pretty bad. Plenty of people using too.
So thank you LRT. £2.40 well spent. (Well £4.80)
I had a good Lothian experience yesterday too. Got on, put in my £3 and asked for a 'daysaver'. Put ticket in pocket and didn't look at it until I was about to get on next bus -- and discovered it was a £1.20. My first bus having just pulled away, I bounded onto the next and told my tale and the nice driver gave me a daysaver. Phew! Hope it didn't throw off his tally at the end of shift.
Complaints about First Bus drivers should sent to Paul Thomas, Carmuirs House, 300 Stirling Road, Larbert, FK5 3NJ. Along with full details of the incident, if you have photographic or video evidence it helps. I know that drives in Glasgow have been give extra training on the risk cyclist face from buses, maybe it is time that did the same thing in Edinburgh.
There is a snowman on Arthur's Seat...
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