CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Canal towpath use

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  1. gembo
    Member

    I came in the towpath today from Hermiston, as I have been doing all this week. Traffic is very snarled on the roads just now. No real bother at all. Certainly seldom any conflict until the aqueduct.

    THe Craiglockhart familes today had one dad cycling and pushing child on scooter, one child pushing his mum's bike anbd one mum pushing bike alongside children. All good.

    Lot of good bell ringing at the bridges no real hassle at any of the pinch points.

    So my point is that some days the towpath is Ok.

    Gaggles of S2a at Boroughmuir all contained to left of the towpath. No rowers causing bother. Sometimes the coach can be in the way on their bike.

    Sometimes cyclists go too fast and tell you to F off if you point this out. But not today. It was baltic but I enjoyed it.

    Coming on to the road to Kings Theatre the cars were bad. I was possibly slowing a younger person down on their bicycle as the eventually undertook me on the pedestrian side of the meadows path. However, as I anticpated they had not quite factored in the easterly wind so I was able to scalp 'em back. All in the best possible taste..

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. jdanielp
    Member

    My colleague was at the back of a three bicycle train heading west along the towpath this morning. Due to a combination of unfortunate timing and the wet weather causing bells not to function and ineffective braking, the leading cyclist collided with another exiting from under the main road bridge at Wester Hailes and suffered a nasty fall into the water. Luckily, the still upright cyclists, including the other one involved in collision, were able to pull the faller inner and bike out quickly. The unfortunate cyclist was collected and taken to minor injuries due to having cuts and swallowed canal water...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. SRD
    Moderator

    "main road bridge at Wester Hailes" aka the widest under bridge path on the canal?! or the one with the dodgy angle and bumps just before/after?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. jdanielp
    Member

    Wester Hailes Road. It doesn't help that the east end of the bridge features two drain covers next to one another.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    swallowed canal water

    Yikes. Blecht. Aaaargh.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. bill
    Member

    @jdanielp that's really unfortunate! Hope the person is OK.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. jdanielp
    Member

    @bill my colleague administered some basic first aid - it sounds like they were broadly ok but needed to be checked.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. HankChief
    Member

    I rode the canal towpath last night, in bound at rush hour.

    All quiet in the dark western reaches apart from a rider pushing their bike as their front light failed. I offered my spare but she declined as was nearly home.

    Further in and the number of other users steadily increased.

    Some pedestrians with lights (which was helpful) and some without (which is fair enough).

    Difficult to judge the lighting concept required as I wanted my light pointing up the path to see what was there but conscious not to blind people.

    I felt one rider has the balance wrong so said "too bright" and hoped they'd take heed. However, the very next rider I passed said something similar back to me!

    Not sure I could do it everyday...

    Posted 5 years ago #

  9. gembo
    Member

    @hankchief, either I am sleeping in or you are up earlier? You missed out on seeing the rowers with their little lanterns and their sometimes annoying coaches on their bikes. The goosander, mergansers, the kingsknowe rat, big John et cetera.

    It is a struggle the old canal towpath, especially around the Equinox. Now that blinding cheap lights widely available. I found a compromise of running super bright and back up and covering the super bright one when oncoming traffic approaches. This had some thank you and some copying this Autumn,.

    I gave up many years ago trying to get people to dip their lights down to the left. That boat has sailed. ( many users just want to be safe and not fall in the water and are less concerned about the retinas of others)

    Posted 5 years ago #

  10. HankChief
    Member

    Oh. I take it all back. I did have a wildlife treat in that I saw the Merchiston rat. ;-)

    Posted 5 years ago #

  11. gembo
    Member

    @hankchief, this is what makes the towpath worthwhile. Also four beehives to spot in daylight, Bridge 8 floating bikes and next to them, the mini scorpion tanks. It is all happening

    Posted 5 years ago #

  12. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I miss the Rat and Big John and Maximum Space Man and the cormorant and 2Kool4Skool and the Dark Talker and the unhinged but joyful Wester Hailes family days out and the shoals of roach crossing the bypass. All at exactly 72 metres above sea level.

    People talk about communities but for almost all of my life I have lived in flats and houses, not communities. But the canal was a community. There was definite - even if ill-defined - fellowship.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  13. HankChief
    Member

    I get that there is a community when you can see what you are passing. For an occasional visitor in the dark it was a fairly myopic experience.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  14. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    The person responsible for the canal lights is very proud of them. I had not the heart to express my ire in this regard. It should of course be lit like any street, not a French resistance landing strip.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  15. unhurt
    Member

    I'm not sure it should be - it's a tricky one. Bright lights at night are, it turns out, not good for the insects and wee beasties that we are losing at a great rate. I'm torn, as I want lighting at night so I feel safe but I also love and appreciate the proper darkness that winter nights bring.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  16. acsimpson
    Member

    I don't use the canal often but feel that it should be left as a wildlife corridor into the centre of town. However that isn't a reason not to have a proper traffic free route from the south-west into the city centre. Space needs to be taken from the already lit routes to create such a route.

    It's the cars not the wildlife which should be loosing space.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  17. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I'm all in for an equivalent cycle route and having the canal go wild.

    But there will never be such a route in my lifetime.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  18. unhurt
    Member

    (delayed double post)

    Posted 5 years ago #

  19. neddie
    Member

    It's the cars not the wildlife which should be loosing space

    ^^^ This. A million times.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  20. acsimpson
    Member

    When IWRATS is in charge I will be pushing for lights on the canal and all parallel roads being turned into Urban wildlife corridors. Anyone wishing to drive can use the bypass and take the park and ride from Sherrifhall.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  21. Greenroofer
    Member

    Rode along the towpath for the first time for ages last week, and found it a bit cramped. There's not been the usual vegetation control, so it's a bit narrow.

    Came across this today, which might be the answer: https://www.shuttlebike.com/en/

    Posted 4 years ago #

  22. gembo
    Member

    Verges where being mown today but the bushes need well pruned

    Was mobbed at 3pm this afternoon

    Posted 4 years ago #

  23. Dave
    Member

    Changed up my route so no chance of guerrilla hedge trimming any more. But I did happen to go along the canal a week or so ago and was quite taken aback by the overgrowth. Citizens unite!

    Posted 4 years ago #

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