CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Scottish Government: How to Access Victoria Quay

(21 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by Wilmington's Cow
  • Latest reply from gembo

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  1. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    I quite like this from their website (though there's an annoying mistake - Chupa Chup to the first peson to spot it).

    Walking and cycling and public transport all before the car option. AND way more bike parking spaces too.

    "Walking and Cycling

    Victoria Quay is immediately adjacent to the National Cycle Network and provides a direct link (on and off road) with the city centre and the main rail and bus stations.

    Visitors are welcome to use any of the 150 sheltered cycle spaces at the front of the building. These cycle racks are monitored by CCTV.

    Public Transport Provision

    The nearest rail station to Victoria Quay is Edinburgh Waverley, which can be accessed by direct public bus services on Princess Street. There are several bus routes serving the immediate vicinty of Victoria Quay, with the 22 Lothian Bus the most direct service to Edinburgh City Centre which takes about 20 minutes. The majority of the buses are scheduled to arrive every 10-15min.

    Car Parking

    There are 79 visitor spaces at Victoria Quay allocated on a first come basis.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Min
    Member

    Typical of the Scottish Government to not know the name of the main street in Scotlands capital!

    Nice transport section though, cycling where it should be, right at the top.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Lezzles
    Member

    The downside about Victoria Quay though is the toilets are the other side of security. If I cycle there for a meeting I can't get changed before meeting folks. I've perfected a tasteful car park striptease to enable me to look a little more professional when I get there.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. mgj
    Member

    The annoying thing about VQ is that it is not in the site that the staff consulted at the time wanted it to be, ie the old coal yards at Haymarket, where there are quite good transport links. The large car park was a bribe to disgruntled staff at the time. The cycling facilities have been added later; its the only building I've ever had a theft from my bike from.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    "The annoying thing about VQ..."

    That gives away your employer... ;) Exec folk always speak in acronyms! I've got friends work at SAH.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. crowriver
    Member

    Can't have everything in the West End though, can we? Part of the point of putting Scot Exec (as was) in Leith was to help regenerate the area. Leith is not that difficult to get to, though trams would help.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. mgj
    Member

    WC: I work at SAH, and your friend is in Dublin rather than here...

    It would have been nice to think that the reason for putting 1,200 civil servants in Leith was to regenerate the area but I suspect it was more to do with cost. I was one of the first staff in the building and looked after the IT for the whole place for a time. Given the scrimping and saving on the roof, I always found it funny that the one room that had a leak was that occupied by the Chief Finance Officer.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Victoria Quay must be a tiring commute if you drive and don't live in East Lothian, though. Haymarket would've been a great location, right next to...well, Haymarket.

    Just had a look at the pages for other Scottish Government buildings:

    Walking and Cycling (to St Andrew's House)
    St Andrew's House is within 1km of the National Cycle Network, which can be reached by greenways running along Princes Street.

    Cycle parking is provided withing the west car park and the courtyard - in close proximity to the rear entrance.

    - and visitors arriving by car have nowhere to go!

    Walking and Cycling (to Saughton House)

    There are excellet (sic) pedestrian routes available to the nearby bus stops. Pedestrain (sic) access across Broomhouse Drive is available via formal pedestrian crossing points.

    Visitors are welcome to use any of the cycle parking which [is] provided at the front of the building. The cycle racks are monitored by CCTV and the area is lit. A traffic free cycle route is available from Saughton House to Edinburgh Park Station. This route extends to the east, linking other traffic free routes and the National Cycle Network.

    There isn't much on the two Glasgow buildings, though. I know that there are Sheffield Stands in various places along the Broomielaw, but I'm not sure I'd want to use them or not.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. cc
    Member

    mgj: That sounds familiar. My employer's shiny new building had a persistent leaky roof and a collapsing ceiling in - the head honcho's office!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. PS
    Member

    "withing" (sic)!

    The age of the internet means that anyone can update published material and things are so instant that few people seem to even self-review, let alone get things proof read... In my more charitable moments, I assume that mistakes like "Princess Street" are simply typos that have slipped through the net. Unfortunately, I'm not often that charitable.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Tulyar
    Member

    Clearly the writer does not use the bus - at VQ the 22 leaves far more frequently than 10-15 minute intervals - I can often overtake 2-3 when cycling up to Waverley, and perhaps someone can explain where the direct cycle route goes to the station?

    Missing - taxi information - with basic fare to expect from HYM or EDB and advice that it may often be faster to alight at HYM to cycle or get taxi avoiding City Centre

    One nice touch at VQ is real time bus departures at reception though - might help if there was also a clear sign directing people to the bus stop though.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. crowriver
    Member

    Haymarket would've been a great location

    Not for drivers, though.

    Victoria Quay must be a tiring commute if you drive and don't live in East Lothian

    Not really. Assuming you can get to either Ferry Road or Seafield Road with reasonable ease, pretty straightforward I'd say. Or are we only concerned here with folk who live in Marchmont, The Grange, Morningside, etc.?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    "I work at SAH, and your friend is in Dublin rather than here..."

    I have more than one friend who works there :P

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Min
    Member

    Haymarket would've been a great location

    Not for drivers, though.

    You don't think a location that discouraged driving would have been better?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. crowriver
    Member

    @Min, sure. But Arelicat's point was about a 'tiring' commute for drivers to Leith. I can only imagine Haymarket would be even more 'tiring' unless said drivers lived in the city's south west inner suburbs.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Crowriver, the full comment was, "Haymarket would've been a great location, right next to...well, Haymarket" which I think hints at 'so drivers wouldn't have to drive into the city, but could access a train station outside the city' rather than 'which is a less tiring drive', so actually completely the opposite to only thinking about drivers from Marchmont etc. but rather drivers from outside the city limits....

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. crowriver
    Member

    WC, the 'full comment' is above for anyone to see. Selecting the evidence that suits you does not answer Arelicat's point about 'tiring' driving commutes.

    Someone coming in from, say, Dalkeith will not be able to take the train*. They can bus it, drive, or potentially cycle if they're a bit sporty. Walking not a realistic option.
    To drive, they go on the bypass to either Gogar and thence to Ferry Road, or to Milton Road, then Seafield Road. To get to Haymarket by driving? Bit of a nightmare in comparison.

    I understand the point about trains and so on. However Leith was critiqued taking up the cudgels on behalf of drivers. From that point of view, Haymarket is worse. Obviously for rail users it is better, one needn't acquire a PhD to figure it out.

    * - arguably they can drive to Newcraighall or Curriehill and hop on a train, but I reckon most drivers would just keep on driving unless they're a bit further out, say Fife or West Lothian.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Erm... Ok...

    Can't be bothered arguing. It's Friday and sunny.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. DaveC
    Member

    How can driving be tiring? You just sit on your rear and steer!!

    Now cycling in from darkest... ahermm.. Sunny Fife is quite tiring!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. Arellcat
    Moderator

    By 'tiring' I meant the sum total in terms of time and frustration brought on by sedentary exposure to traffic jams and congestion, other drivers, junctions, lane changes, weather, roadworks and diversions. I don't think anyone other than a learner would argue that driving without other vehicles around isn't too taxing. It also compares against what we all know to be a sense of wellbeing when cycling to work every day.

    And yes, if you look at commuting trends you find that city centre locations tend to favour public transport, and by extension the people who work in those locations are those who are happy not to use a car, or have necessarily arranged their lives not to use a car. Speaking as someone whose work is in the middle of nowhere in terms of places to go at lunchtime, I'd rather be next to Haymarket too.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. gembo
    Member

    I was cycling to VQ from Balerno one day and had left myself a very slender margin. Made it in time, was sitting with colleague in foyer who said I had cut my top lip. So hanky was out cleaned up. Happy. Only thing was I had not cut lip. I had put finger against one nostril and evacuated the other too violently causing nose bleed on the roseburn path. I then bled all through meeting which everyone Ignored.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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