CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 14years 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.
Imagine if there was a little change in level every time a side road joined a main road. Cars usually have good suspension - but imagine the complaints if this was 'normal' -
Of course it's normal for people with bikes (usually lacking suspension) buggies, wheelchairs etc.
This is of course the south end of Middle Meadow Walk - very well used main cycle route.
Any other 'good' examples?
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Yes. Turning left off Melville Drive to join the westernmost end of North Meadow Walk. Streetview - hopefully.
This kerb (just to the east of the railings) is worse than at Middle Meadow Walk, and in heavy rain the drain overflows and hides the drop. It caused me to have an accident on my upright bike a while ago leaving a huge bump on my knee.
Of course, that area is very poorly designed because most cyclists heading east will cut the corner using the lowered kerb at Lonsdale Terrace, but it's not accessible if a motor vehicle is emerging. With thin tyres you can't ride up that big a 'lowered' kerb without taking the lane to approach it like a tram rail.
Yeah that's pretty similar - though not as heavily used as MMW@MD.
As of yesterday the kerbstones I photographed and posted above are suspiciously surrounded by traffic cones, with the nearside foot or so of tarmac removed. One could even imagine that CEC is reading this thread.
"One could even imagine that CEC is reading this thread."
Oh they do, got this the other day -
"Arellcat's dropped kerb has just been fixed as part of the Meadow Place/Melville Drive work."
Didn't post because I hadn't had time to look.
Seems "fixed" was an exaggeration.
Obviously this must have been planned for a while, but I'm really pleased that someone is actually dealing with a few details - obviously not (so far) with the one at AP/MMW used by LOTS of people!
"Middle Meadow Walk would be picked up as part of any work at Argyll Place although I would also suggest that a city-wide dropped kerb programme is undertaken to treat all locations that either need a dropped kerb or that should have the 'upstand' removed."
THAT means that it's 'planned' as part of redevelopment of that bizarre junction - but no date yet.
At least I've learned a new word - 'upstand' - "To stand up; to be erected; to rise."
Perhaps we should talk about poor/lack of dropped kerbs as outstanding upstands(?)
I recognise the orange recumbant chdot - you work same place as me (Perth St?) or is that someone else cycling?
I will have to take a photo of the lovely "get to the Roseburn path from Russell Road" kerb then
not to mention the risk taken turning right across the road to get to it (or am I meant to go on the pavement under the bridge as everybody else does?)
"Seems 'fixed' was an exaggeration."
I had a look on my way home today. The cones are still there, the tarmac is still absent. Perhaps it's 'fixed' in the sense that they've just prevented anyone from using it!
The thing is, North Meadow Walk comes out in (strictly speaking) three places: onto Lonsdale Terr, onto Melville Dr before the traffic lights when heading east, and onto Melville Dr at the toucan crossing itself. I've never been quite sure how an eastbound cyclist legally gets onto NWW from Melville Dr, without going through a red light or entering a road marked 'no entry'. The kerb at the toucan crossing is difficult to negotiate at a shallow angle too - in fact it's bad enough when using the crossing as intended! On a bike without suspension and on which one cannot unweight oneself, thoughts turn to the potential damage to the headset and wheel rims.
"...or am I meant to go on the pavement under the bridge as everybody else does?"
That right turn can be pretty tricky. Most do use the pavement by the railway bridge (in both directions, too) but it can make the sharp turn into the Roseburn Path access path more difficult. It may become better when that area is developed for the tram route, because the cycle/pedestrian access is to be realigned as a single straight route in a northerly direction.
As I bumped my way up and down the toucan crossing from Valleyfield St to the Meadows this evening, I glanced to my left and noticed the lovely new black tarmac and re-set kerbstones at the end of NWW. I'm so excited now, I have to try it out!
We've seen this kerb get fixed, the bollards have been revised, the white lines have been realigned, the canal path has lovely new tarmac...I hope CEC can keep up this new level of action.
Can we have the huge series of potholes at Gilmore Place/Home Street/Leven Street junction mended? And have the ASL box repainted too? :-D
"Can we have the huge series of potholes at Gilmore Place/Home Street/Leven Street junction mended? And have the ASL box repainted too?"
Agreed, this one should be on immediate list for repairs, but the Strathearn junction as discussed here and here is worse in terms of potholes directly in line of cycles trying to navigate.
And Merchiston Avenue is terrible too, particularly at the Colinton Road end where south bound cyclists have a choice of:
1) Cycle too close to parked cars on the left
2) Cycle over 20m or so of horrendous potholes
3) Cycle on the other side of the road
I always go for 3), unless or until a car coming the other way forces me to go for 1).
cb: COULD NOT AGREE MORE. and they just keep doing work on the pavements! (and road surface issues not helped by number of starbucks visitors, parents dropping off kids etc who open doors without looking).
we really should try 'fix my street' for this, but have never been able to figure out to identify 'nearest streetlight'. maybe i'll try reporting the entire stretch.
SRD - take a photo with lamp posts visible (graffitt helps here) so they can't miss what you are looking at
cb, yes, that stretch of road has always been awful. But my theory is that by allowing so-called rat runs (1) to fall into disrepair, car drivers will be encouraged to stick to the main roads rather than risk damaging their suspension.
The problem is those same routes are often well used by cyclists, for whom potholes and unnecessary wasting of energy are big factors.
(1) Conversely, those routes can help to alleviate congestion by reducing traffic density. That variability of routing is why Milton Keynes tends to have little congestion. But those routes also tend to be residential, and so suffer increased air and noise pollution. Whatever way you look at it, walking, bicycles and motorbikes are the solution, along with more roads closed by narrow vehicle-friendly bollards, and with greater attention to maintaining tarmac quality.
Another place a lowered kerb would help is on Seafield Road, heading for Portobello just after the bridge and just before the Cat and Dog Home so you don't have to stop and lift the bike up onto the pavement in order to join the cycle path along the shore.
"I'm so excited now, I have to try it out!"
It's terribly bad form, of course, to reply to one's own posts, but I tested the new kerb and access yesterday. It's a hundred times better now and presents a lovely smooth transition from road to path. Fingers crossed that it withstands next winter!
Mmmm, quality..
ooh is that the bottom on MMW @Melville Drive? nice!
There was a discussion on this thread about road condition on Merchiston Ave.
One useful bit of info from the community council meeting is that Merchiston Ave is being covered under the Capital resurfacing programme 2010-2011.
"One useful bit of info from the community council meeting is that Merchiston Ave is being covered under the Capital resurfacing programme 2010-2011"
There were no waiting restrictions in place on the east side of the north end of Merchiston Ave this morning.
Is it too much to hope that some resurfacing is about to happen?
The last few days I've found myself crossing the canal at Leamington bridge and then heading to the Meadows via the eastern section of Gilmore Place. I like to think I've cycled a lot of roads across the city, but jingsey me, this one has to have the roughest cycle lane I've ever seen.
Yesterday as I headed for Tollcross one of the impacts actually sent my teeth chattering. I don't want a dental bill on top of building a new bicycle wheel!
(The western access to NMW is still a joy to cycle, however.)
Those are my two alternate routes (Merchiston Ave or Gilmore Place). I'll take Gilmore Place any day.
(actually I think the segment before leamington place is rougher than the subsequent bit!)
It's some kind of utility work that's going on in Merchiston Av, not resurfacing, sadly.
The potholes remain.
Three things I've been meaning to mention:
1. The bottom end of Merchiston ave (between Granville terrace and yeaman Place) is being totally redone - don't know if this means anything will happen further up or not.
2. Last time I cycled Beaufort/Grange some of the worst bumps seemed to have been patched. Doubtless the patches will recede into bumpiness, but for the moment, it seemed quite nice.
3. Chdot - any chance of some dropped kerbs on the entrances into Harrison Park on the Harrison Rd side? There are two there, one also basically an entrance to the canal path, which would be much improved for bikes, as well as buggies etc.
"Chdot - any chance of some dropped kerbs on the entrances into Harrison Park on the Harrison Rd side?"
Er probably, perhaps your new friends at the Community Council could campaign...
CEC is "currently pulling together a list focusing on dropping kerbs or making dropped kerbs flush where the upstand (as it is technically known!) is too great (i.e. causes discomfort/potential damage)."
And is "happy to receive suggestions - cycling@edinburgh.gov.uk"
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