CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Yipes, that is a lot!
I Suppose when you look at other cities where outside areas have been enveloped it is no different in theory. In practice most large cities have better public transport connecting commuter centers with work areas.
Greater London is about 6 times the size of Edinburgh and a commute similar in size of a fife commute would be common but it is facilitated by the only functioning integrated public transport system in the UK.
"I think it's far from all personal choice"
When I said "personal choice" I was meaning things like 'house with garden' and commuting time/distance/mode rather than using money (mortgage) to 'get what you want'.
If money really wasn't a consideration (but you still wanted to work in Edinburgh) I'm sure some people would choose Dick Place others would go for a whole house in a New Town 'terrace', suburban Barnton - especially the streets on the way to the golf course path - would appeal to some while 'proper rural' (Lothians/Fife) would be another "personal choice".
But away from that financial fantasy, there are still areas where some people will make 'sub-optimum' decisions based on lack of information or wrong assumptions - buses too slow/too far to cycle/it's cheaper by car (to mention a few random ones).
Realistically bus travel is cheap in and around Edinburgh - though at capacity on parts of some routes at commuting time. Using cars is still too cheap/easy to persuade many people to look at the alternatives.
Cycle facilities are too inadequate to encourage mass modal shift.
Real incomes aren't rising for significant numbers of people and mortgages are harder to come by than a few years ago - so options/choices are probably more restricted than most people would like.
If you drive south through the edges of Dalkeith, there are loads of estates where you'd basically have to drive to get anywhere. No public transport, no attempt to build in any form of use except cars.
Methinks your choice of mode of transport influences the persective. Dalkeith's quite well served by buses, even the housing to the south. Last time I checked the centre of Dalkeith was 12km from Edinburgh city centre, less than 8 miles. A cyclable commute distance. Reasonable shared use paths until the bypass, though the roundabouts and the roads into Edinburgh could be better for cycling that's for sure.
When I started work in Edinburgh and lived in Curre I used the buses, it was so unpleasant that I learned to ride a motorbike and bought one and commuted on that (having never considered it and already owning a car). The cost/distance was not a factor, the comfort/ease/experience was. As long as motor transport is more pleasant and in any way affordable it will be a feature round town imho.
Before I'm told "it's an easily cyclable distance", (it is) I was 17 years old in an office with no interest in how you travelled but who were very hung up on collar and tie and who actually banned me from taking my motorbike to site visits (in W Pilton) but insisted that I take a bus and claim it back "because of the image".
Local Government since you ask.... bet you it's hardly changed in most places!
"40% cut down on driving because of price hikes"
We actually picked up a second car because the fuel cost of the 15 yr old Volvo 940 was getting silly.
The 12 yr old Volvo V40 was free and uses about 60% of the fuel. It's not as nice, no heated seats annoys the memsahib and you can't fling as much stuff in it to go camping. Kids bikes tend not to make the cut.
I rarely use a car when I'm out without boys. If all the boys are going out then we still need to use the bigger one as they don't all fit in a V40.
I don't think our mileage has changed.
When the memsahib looked at houses further out of town I have pointed out that it would be more difficult for me to cycle into to work and there would be a cost involved there so cycling has been a factor in choosing where we stay.
"Cars are not over-taxed!"...
"
Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress)
29/12/2012 10:05
On the Fifth Day of Christmas: @LibDems axed Labour's planned 3p-a-litre fuel duty rise
"
Shame when important things just become tools for party-political-point-scoring.
Oh, that's politics.
I'm not familiar with Dalkeith, so I had a look on Google Maps. There seem to be two new schools on the eastern periphery of the town. There are almost no houses within reasonable walking distance.
A similar thing happened in my town. I grew up a 10-minute walk from school. A new school was built on the outskirts and the old school in the town centre was sold off to Morrisons.
The people responsible for choosing these locations have shown a flagrant disregard for active travel (i.e pollution and children's health) and have essentially forced hundreds of children into car dependency. Contemptible.
The Borders Railway should help Midlothian, but even so: it's clear different government departments are not talking to each other. There is no joined-up transport strategy.
@calumcookable - there are three schools on the campus at Dalkeith. Non denominational,RC and special. All three require big chunk of the pupil populations to be bussed. Not sure how many more busses than when the schools were on a separate Sites. The last time I visited the special school I cycled from Edinburgh via Musselburgh. Lovely cycle. Again I am not sure how many pupils in the three schools cycle but there is a reasonable path, sustrans and local. The land was a closed down factory I recall.
33 bus goes to the school campus, 39 local service stops nearby, so there are options other than the car if people want to use them. Also, define 'reasonable' walking distance: I used to walk about a mile to primary school, and over 3 miles to secondary.
I know habits have changed over the last couple of decades, but there's nothing stopping (most) kids from using their legs.
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