I'll likely drop the SKY Ride folk a line about this but figured someone here might know.
So this is a ride-if-registered event, on closed roads, which I presume means without registration you can't get through the barriers to access the bits of road? (noting that the roads aren't closed for the entirety of the ride (at Duddingston Village at least - event runs till 3, road re-opens at 1.30).
But what of the Innocent Path? Surely they can't be closing that, but it does mean dog walkers and pedestrians, as well as cyclists going east to west, will have to contend with a couple of thousand cyclists coming the other way...
I'm still baffled by the route (some people at my other half's work are registered and taking their kids, but now they know the route might be having second thoughts). If you've got new, novice, young, re-entering cyclists looking for an event that means they can finally ride on roads that would normally be seen as 'too dangerous', and on routes that are easily manageable, then the climb to the Commie Pool; the narrowness of the Innocent for so many riders; the climb from Duddingston Loch (that's a short sharp bit so it is); and the climb up round Arthur's Seat is going to confirm with a lot of people just how hard cycling is.
I presume it's because they couldn't get permission to close off any important roads (even Duddingston Road West from the Innocent to Duddingston Village appears to have 'restrictions' rather than 'closure' for motorised traffic - according to the signs - which I think means there will be a coned off lane for the ride, and possibly lights to allow traffic to use the other lane. Reclaim the streets indeed.
Don't get me wrong, it's the most picturesque and lovely route they could have chosen. But is's not 'wow, isn't Lothian Road/Queen Street/George Street a lovely place when just full of bikes?'.
Grump moan complain.
I may ride along to see how annoyed I can get about the officious 'your name's not down' clipboarding. Actually, if it IS busy then some shots from the high road looking down on the low road and the Innocent could be nice. Hmmmm.
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