CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

Tram latest

(2182 posts)

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  1. kaputnik
    Moderator

    "There is precedent for a sign here in Fife where all road users are asked not to overtake cyclists at islands"

    They are also on the Penicuik road at Milton Bridge. But I think that's a retrospective attempt to "fix" some bad road layout that creates a series of dangerous bottlenecks with islands aligned with the pavement buildouts, forcing cars in to the left and cyclists out to the right at the same point. It should have been build with wider buildouts with a cycle bypass and no central island.

    T.I.M.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

  3. chdot
    Admin

  4. gembo
    Member

    I don't understand why this tram business is taking so long? In the Wallace and Gromit film The Wrong Trousers Gromit is actually able to lay track as the train is rolling over it, into completely virgin territory with no infrastructure whatsoever between the living room and the kitchen. and remember he is on the train at the time, just when you think he is going to run out of track and the train will derail and quick draw McGraw the evil chicken will get away, he magics more up from the box he is carrying. Can't the tram people borrow this technology from Gromit?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  5. gembo
    Member


    Posted 11 years ago #
  6. chdot
    Admin

    "Edinburgh trams: Politicians mark tram section handover"

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-21706237

    Posted 11 years ago #
  7. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/edinburgh-trams-to-carry-public-from-april-1-2826357

    "

    Ms Hinds added that she hoped that enabling people to try out the trams would win them over after years of disruption and delays caused by the project.

    "

    Ideal time to 'try' bikes too - but it's planned to wait for 6 months after start of normal services.

    "

    She said: “They are smooth, quick and roomy, and will be more attractive to people who would not go on buses.”

    "

    Ah yes, one of the reasons that the tram was 'such a good idea' - 'will get people out of their cars' - the ones to posh to bus. Except that's not really true of Edinburgh residents.

    "

    Mr Brown, who opposed the tram route, said he was keen to see it speedily completed after the delays, but remained resolutely against any further lines.

    "

    Don't like trams, don't like bikes, what shall I spend 'my' money on?'

    Posted 11 years ago #
  8. Tulyar
    Member

    Are they serious about the launch date?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  9. chdot
    Admin

    "Are they serious about the launch date?"

    Not sure if that's a mischievous addition to the Scotsman URL.

    1st isn't mentioned in article!

    Posted 11 years ago #
  10. Tulyar
    Member

    The Haymarket bungling would have been resolved by opening the station footbridge out to a temporary access from the Distillery Lane, with which it is almost level. A taxi rank could then have been set up on Dalry Road, and the area on the North side largely sealed off to provide greatly improved safety (no pedestrians wandering everywhere etc). Ticket barrier arrangements might have needed suspension, but but could possibly have been relocated. Given the need to handle large flows from Murrayfield on to trains and a good practice for stations below the surrounding ground of having more than one exit route it does seem a bit wasteful to remove the old footbridge (and lifts) at Haymarket when they could be used during busy times to have a through-flow passenger handling arrangement

    Posted 11 years ago #
  11. Charterhall
    Member

    The line runs close to my work and every time I pass by it depresses me. A sorry tale of council vanity and incompetence that we are all footing the bill for. I started off simply against it, now I deeply despise it.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  12. chdot
    Admin

    "
    hearts and minds for the project cranks

    "

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/edinburgh-tram-test-rides-offered-to-the-public-1-2828375

    Oops sorry is that taken out of context?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  13. chdot
    Admin

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Cycling Edinburgh (@CyclingEdin)
    09/03/2013 14:45
    @LAHinds Why can't bikes be trialled on the trams from April when public get 'preview'?

    #Cycling #Edinburgh @SpokesLothian @SRDEdinburgh

    "
    "

    Lesley Hinds (@LAHinds)
    09/03/2013 15:47
    @CyclingEdin there will be an off peak pilot scheme once the tram has been up and running.

    "
    "
    Cycling Edinburgh (@CyclingEdin)
    09/03/2013 15:55
    “@LAHinds: there will be an off peak pilot scheme once the tram has been up and running.”

    Yes, but why not this April not wait 2 years??
    "
    "
    Andrew Cook (@AWCook0558)
    09/03/2013 16:26
    @CyclingEdin @LAHinds Preumaby the council expects heavy use at the start of operations - curiosity etc. But 6 mths seems stupidly long.

    "

    "
    Cycling Edinburgh (@CyclingEdin)
    09/03/2013 16:56
    @AWCook0558 And that's 6 months after it opens for paying passengers

    Being trialled (in stages) from April - So??

    #ActiveTravel

    @LAHinds

    "
    "

    Lesley Hinds (@LAHinds)
    09/03/2013 18:07
    @CyclingEdin we need to take advice from the operator of the Tram

    "
    "

    Cycling Edinburgh (@CyclingEdin)
    09/03/2013 18:22
    “@LAHinds: we need to take advice from the operator of the Tram”

    "Advice"

    Pragmatic direction might be better

    Who owns @EdinburghTrams ?

    "

    Dave H (@BCCletts)
    09/03/2013 23:43
    @CyclingEdin @LAHinds @EdinburghTrams London as bad "The decision will be left to the operator of Crossrail". Hang on, who writes contracts?

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #
  15. Blueth
    Member

    As I had to be in Glasgow yesterday for the Wilko Johnson gig I thought I'd get maximum value from the train fare and finally visit the Transport Museum after decades of intention to do so.

    They have a replica of an old underground station with pictures of the construction of the system. No modern mechanical plant of course, such as is available to our all above ground tram system, so all shovel work for the entire project. Start to finish, including dealing with everything "found" underground - 5 years.

    Oh how I laughed.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  16. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Ms Kelly said: “The road at the top of Broughton Street is a mess and it’s not entirely clear where you can cross safely. There also seems to be a lack of care taken to ensure that holes in the road are covered.

    “I was prevented from walking into a large hole in the road by a member of the public who noticed me walking towards it, after I followed what I had identified as a large arrow pointing in that direction.

    "

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/tram-sign-leads-blind-woman-to-open-hole-in-road-1-2829836

    Posted 11 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Edinburgh Trams (@EdinburghTrams)
    22/03/2013 16:30
    @tictocthenoo No, snow won't stop the trams from running. We also have special vehicles to clear heavy snow:

    http://pic.twitter.com/Q5Imip9JDQ

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #
  18. Focus
    Member

    I hope they can have snowploughs attached, otherwise they might not get anywhere to start with! ;-)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  19. chdot
    Admin

  20. PS
    Member

    That "article" is a total waste of space.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  21. Arellcat
    Moderator

    PS, I agree. It's not really a fair comparison, but I also think the EECW is being frugal with the facts. NASA spent an incredible amount of money on vehicles and missions and you can't compare just 'the rocket' with an entire transport system. If you look at NASA's own budget allocations, between 1960 and 1973 the Apollo programme got through 12 Saturn Vs and together $6.4 billion in approximately 1973-USD was allocated for those. Engine development cost another $0.5b. The LM, CSM and guidance systems cost $6.6b, and manned flight operations cost a further $1.6b. So building 12 Saturn Vs averaged $535m each, or in today's money, about $2.4b/£1.5b; I guess that's about one and a half trams.

    Also think about what NASA spent on Skylab I, II and III. It cost $1.5b at the time to build from left-over Apollo bits, and from 1966 to 1974 the crewing and flights cost another $2.2b; the three missions each of three men meant that it cost a notional $4.3 million per man per day; that's $19.6 million or £12 million now, per day. The ISS programme, in total, is expected to come in at about $7.5m or £4.7m per man-day.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  22. steveo
    Member

    though 20 man days of ISS is probably still more useful than the trams.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  23. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Traders, transport enthusiasts and community groups have been given preference to be among the first passengers on a 2.8km section of the £776 million line between Gogar and Edinburgh Airport.

    "

    http://m.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/tramworks-hit-traders-angry-at-depot-tour-offer-1-2856033

    Obviously 'we' should get invited - and take our bikes...

    Posted 11 years ago #
  24. Focus
    Member

    I'm certainly no tram or council apologist but you can imagine exactly the same article being dreamt up if everyone except the traders had been invited: “I really can’t believe it to be honest. I find it hugely insulting and have phoned them to express my disgust.

    “Footfall in the West End has been reduced to zero and businesses have been decimated but somehow the 
council thinks that those of us so badly affected don't deserve a trip around the depot to show us the inconvenience has been worthwhile in the long run.”

    And yes, we should be invited - we're all enthusiastic about our form of transport! :-)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  25. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Great news.

    Brace yourself.

    Are you sitting down?

    Tram works are now up to three months ahead of schedule!

    Which means the year must currently be somewhere around 2011 if I'm not mistaken?

    In other news, 98.1% of funds spent.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

  27. MeepMeep
    Member

    City transport convener Councillor Lesley Hinds said: “A tram would not be in this area when a cyclist is moving along the cycle lane because of the traffic light system that will be in place.

    Because havoc is never caused by faulty traffic lights and, oh, every single road user obeys them religiously (not prompting another RLJ debate)...

    I wouldn't like to be the police officer that will have to provide apologies for the death of a son/daughter/husband/wife/father/mother/brother/sister alongside as feeble an excuse as "the traffic light sequencing was supposed to avoid situations like this".

    Still, if my "off" last year was anything to go by, the police will shrug it off with their "this sort of thing happens everyday in Edinburgh" (quoted verbatim) attitude.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  28. kaputnik
    Moderator

    “A tram would not be in this area when a cyclist is moving along the cycle lane because of the traffic light system that will be in place.


    Clearly Lesley forgets that cyclists can and do appear on the road, inbetween lights, by simply stepping off pavement and mounting their bikes.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  29. PS
    Member

    Is this the bit where the tracks climb up the ramp (ie, incline) from the HMRC and ICAS buidlings then turn right onto the level by the station?

    Would be helpful if the article had some sort of image of the offending bit of road, rather than using that old stock photo again.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  30. Good grief the comments are as hateful as ever. There are a lot of angry little people out there. Or at least a vocal enough minority - same voices every time though, you'd think they'd get bored after a while.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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