CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Very annoying to have the cycle along narrow footpath, with various pedstrians and other cyclists, while russell road blocked off but ENTIRELY clear of any construction work, vehicles etc.
(sorry i know this was discussed on another thread somewhere).
Yes I went past yesterday and noticed all the construction works complete, all the portacabins etc. gone, but all still fenced off completely...
Is it just Heras fencing? I hear it's quite easy to shove out of the way, unless the bases have been strengthened by dumping a pile of gravel on top of them like they've done beside the playing fields on the bit between Warrison Crescent and the WoL access.
It's getting on my nerves too, so much so I'm re routing along Fountainbridge instead
I use this section as well everyday, it appears this morning that they have re routed the path again since yesterday morning
Yes, when I went along it during the past 48 hours, they had re-routed the path, but had not changed the sign which therefore took my down a dead-end, followed by the workmen shouting at me that I was an idiot. Class.
Was still like that 9am Saturday. Bike just coming round the corner wondered why I was doubling back until I told her the usual route was blocked by fencing. Of course, by that time she was past the new turn-off onto the left hand pavement too, so she had to about-turn as well.
Some workies were about tidying up the last of their debris, but essentially the route is clear and I don't know why the road isn't fully open now. All part of the master plan, I'm sure.
Edit - thinking back, the gap in the fencing was directly opposite the driveway/opening to the builder's yard on the left, and I just took that gap as I was heading over to the old bevel up to the pavement on the opposite corner. Hmmm, old habits die hard and it looks like the workies were right-ish. They'd probably given up shouting at folk by the time I'd got there!
It looked to me like they've been doing some resurfacing, on the main road surface, as the cycle route through has been moving most day; although I've not been through since Tuesday.
It was due to open in September; but really can't be long now until it's open.
Went through it yesterday one direction about 1230. Came back about 8PM and it had already been rerouted to other side. I don't know why this keeps happening seeing as there is now nothing in the "compound" and they were doing no work on the weekend (it's not like they're in any hurry or anything).
Finding which side the diversion is running along is very easy as they have a big yellow sign up at the entrance with an arrow pointing to the right, next to a similar sign in red with the arrow pointing to the left...
I went along Russell Road this past Thursday, and the road was empty but still fenced off. I think the reason was that they were still using the road for vehicles and because the pavement under the bridge was being relaid.
They had also knocked-up a wooden ramp from pavement to road under the bridge. A tarmac ramp would've been preferable though, but it lay about ten metres further on under the bridge and that part was fenced off!
I went through on Sunday and agree with others that it does look as though they are getting ready to open the road. There's some nice new pavement under the bridge which is good as the old pavement was soft...
There's probably some rule that says you can't open a road before you said you would or the World Will Come To An End.
There's one thing missing, of course. The access to the cycle path. I meant to look from the train this morning but forgot. The last time I did look, the path was still blocked by a big pile of earth which had been undisturbed for so long that there were well-established plants in it.
They'll probably say that they still need the access to the tram works. This may well be true, but it would be nice to know that it will be reinstated at the end of all this...
@fimm, I think the cycle path access is getting a new alignment (through the gate an up to the left). I think Arellcat has more information on her recent Flickr pics.
I think Arellcat has more information on her recent Flickr pics.
@cb she does, thank you for that. I'll do my best to remember to have a look out of the train this evening...
I meant to ask this last night! Thanks for update guys. (I think this is the link referred to or maybe its [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/beqi/7800918666/in/photostream]this one [/url] - hope its okay to post it)
The trams schematic of interest for Russell Roaders is ULE90130-02-PLG-00023 which you can view on CEC's planning portal:
under 'General Arrangement Sheet 2 of 2'. It shows the proposal for the realigned Roseburn to Granton path, and the flight of steps. Those steps are detailed in a secondary schematic, ULE90130-SW-CND-00005, which is available from:
under 'Construction details and step details'. You can see that there is also provision in there for two 75mm channels for wheeling bikes up the steps.
Meanwhile, further back by Roseburn Maltings:
...they have a big yellow sign up at the entrance with an arrow pointing to the right, next to a similar sign in red with the arrow pointing to the left...
I saw this today and was so surprised that I stopped to work out where I was meant to go! Pedestrian diversion to the right, cycles and pedestrians to the left. Half the time we cyclists never know when to be a vehicle and when to be a person. In the end, I went left like I did last week. The pavement under the railway bridge is now less fenced off and we can ride off the kerb using the tarmac ramp. I would've done that today but I couldn't cycle along the path because it was full of men wearing orange hi-viz.
Cheers, Arellcat
You can see that there is also provision in there for two 75mm channels for wheeling bikes up the steps.
That'll be me continuing to go via Corstorphine Road, then.
Edit: I've now looked at the pictures, and the interesting thing is that the relocation of the pedestrian access is to allow them to put tram tracks along the cycle path. Now I know this was in the original plan, but surely that part is deader than a dead thing? So are they going to put in the pedestrian access there anyway?
That's just it, fimm, I don't know. The drawings were done in 2006, approved to planning in 2007, and by and large haven't been tinkered with since then. The Russell Road junction was to be constructed such that later works would be reduced if the line to Granton was built. On that basis they might still build the steps, but given the direction of the project it would seem better to focus on re-establishing the cycle path.
I had another look today and it's impossible to tell, from the distance behind the fencing, what is actually being built there. If the line to Granton is ever a possibility, they'll want to have the pilings and other ground works done now, even if they end up covered over for a while.
So from the official documentation it's hard to tell if there's going to be anything apart from steps and a wheelramp here?
The wheelramp is a nice-to-have, but the switchback path is expected to be reconstructed as a single long ramp facing north from the corner of Russell Road. You can see that on the schematic.
Council says -
"
As it is no longer planned to build the delta junction it is proposed
that the existing path is retained with a short replacement link between
the two ramp sections where they have been severed by the tram bridge.
"
Presume delta means the tram tracks that were due to point to Granton.
Wonder how steep the "short replacement link" will be.
About 1 in 3, I reckon!
(And I wonder how (un)tight they'll make the curve, and how wide the pathway ...)>
That's a bit of a confusing statement from the council - not really sure what this will look like; but it sounds like the "single long ramp facing north" that Arellcat referred to will not be getting built.
Hope it won't be steps, otherwise NEPN no longer accessible to the less able without crossing the A8. Not that that would have been a concern with the tram track in place, evidently (small truths?)
If they aren't following their original plans that were made, is there a way to get the plans for what they are intending to do? The old path up the embankment, from what I can see, has been pretty much demolished
"Hope it won't be steps, otherwise NEPN no longer accessible to the less able without crossing the A8"
There's always the go-all-the-way-round-the-corner-and-under-the-bridge-then-join-the-path-from-Balbirnie-Place option, though I'd assume the steepness of that slope makes it non-DDA-provision-compatible.
@wingpig also involves crossing onto A8 for a short period, or pushing on the narrow pavement there. I couldn't possibly condone cycling it.
@k, I'll ask 'my' contact for updated plans.
My concern with other portions of the tram/bike interaction has often included turn radius. Though since the line to Granton is seemingly null and void now--the delta junction was an early-planned development pending success, revenue, etc.--does reinstatement of the switchback now fall to CEC itself rather than EdinburghTrams, or the latter if it's to remain within the original boundary?
"CEC itself rather than EdinburghTrams"
I think they are one and the same now.
"if it's to remain within the original boundary"
That of course is another matter.
One problem with the tram is that the route details were tightly specified by Parliament.
So there was no chance (for instance) of ending the route at Waterloo Place when Ocean Terminal became unaffordable.
Similarly redesigning Leith Walk couldn't be done with a new plan for the tram (in some fantasy future) to go down one side instead of the middle.
Though at Russell Road as the issue is less tram there shouldn't be a problem.
But - ThisIsEdinburgh...
Went through that way again last night. A bit of a pain on the TT bike, which is not designed for slow-speed cornering or bumping up and down kerbs! Anyway I wonder if the old path up the embankment has been ripped up in preparation for a new path to be put in in roughly where the old one was... it looks to me as though there is still tram work to be done up above, so I guess the cycle access will not be back for a while.
If I wasn't already in the process of writing written my councillors and various other folk a million emails about other things cycling related, I would ask them for an update...
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