CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

WARNING - cones, bottom of Argyle Place

(272 posts)

12…10

  1. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Almost came a cropper this morning. They've started work at the bottom of Argyle Place. No bother, I thought I'd run along from the foot of Argyle Place, along South Meadow path as far as Leamington Walk and get onto Melville Drive there.

    I made the mistake of attempting to go between two widely spaced cones to get onto the (not closed) path.

    BIG MISTAKE.

    At the last moment I saw the thin blue string tied between the cones and managed to slither to a halt before British Bulldogging myself off the bike.

    So yes, watch out for the nearly invisible blue string across your path of travel if you're trying to get too and South Meadow Walk (is it actually called that?)

    This happened to me once before at the end of the Broomhouse Path where cones had been placed across the path of travel that would allow a cyclist to dodge the traffic and get from road to path. Again I managed to slither to a halt (in the rain) just in time to avoid disaster. I'd like to see something a little bit more substantial instead of blue string being used as its near invisible to a cyclist until it's too late. If you place widely-spaced cones across the entrance to a piece of cycle path that isn't closed, it is perfectly natural that the cyclist will try and go between them to get to the path.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin


    Out of use!!!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. kaputnik
    Moderator

    that tape is much more visible than the blue string - did you notice if they have it across the top of the left-turn cut through at all?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    "did you notice if they have it across the top of the left-turn cut through at all?"

    You mean here?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Yes there. Where the peerson is pushing the Brommie in your top photo was where I almost got tag-teamed off my bike this morning.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. Min
    Member

    I am guessing that after several incidents like yours or possibly even injuries and complaints it finally occurred to them to actually make it safe.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I was fortunate that I had only come about 20m down the road so hadn't built up a head of speed. Generally as I go into the cut-through I'm looking ahead to see if anyone is going to cross my path left/right and if traffic is moving, not to see if there's a piece of fine blue rope in my way.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. cc
    Member

    There's no diversion.

    There's no advance warning of the closure anywhere in the Meadows or on Middle Meadow Walk.

    The traffic lights have been switched off. That might be OK at lunchtime - just get off and walk round the taped-off area and cross the road on foot - but it's going to be a pain in the neck, and dangerous, to cross Melville Drive in the rush hour with no traffic lights to help. There ought at least to be temporary traffic lights to allow people on foot to cross, whether or not they have bicycles.

    This is for eight weeks, ISTR?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. SRD
    Moderator

    Is there no warning at the Marchmont road intersection? 'path closed ahead'?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. cc
    Member

    I don't know I'm afraid since I haven't been that way today. There is a warning at the top of Argyle Place that the road is closed at the bottom. (There's no sign of a diversion going in that direction either though.)

    There's also nothing posted at the site explaining why the road's closed or what's going on. You just have to be In The Know.

    All in all it's as if they've never done this sort of thing before, don't know what to do, and don't really care much either.

    Or am I just grumpy today? :-)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    All in all it's as if they've never done this sort of thing before

    Closing off major cycle routes with no alternative? CEC are old masters in this art.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. SRD
    Moderator

    I've just sent the following to the transport convenors:

    I've just come through the Links and Meadows to George square and am quite concerned about the lack of provision for pedestrians at the MMW/Melville Drive crossing. I presume that no temporary lights have been installed because the intersection has been closed to motor vehicles, but there are still many pedestrians and cyclists trying to get across (N-S), but cars are just flying through the intersection (E-W).

    I have a vague recollection that there was to be consideration of providing crossing points for pedestrians where road works are undertaken. I feel this is an important point in general, but particularly for this crossing point, which is so heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists, especially since the east-west flow of traffic along melville drive is not slowed at all (in contrast to cases where roads are being resurfaced, so that the traffic flow is slower overall and often regulated by temporary one-way lights).

    It would also be advisable if there was a warning sign and diversion for cyclists indicated at the Marchmont road intersection, so that they could join the Melville drive traffic there, or go up jawbone walk. As it is, they are dumped out into the traffic nr the Argyle Place intersection, which, as I have explained is quite treacherous.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    @SRD

    GOOD!

    I made a call yesterday to 'someone who needed to know', but it obviously didn't make (instant) difference.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I wondered whether diverting to use Jawbone Walk and Boy's Brigade Walk might be the best temporary alternatives. I was concerned yesterday evening at the lack of facilities for pedestrians; cyclists emerging from MMW were almost all turning right and heading for Meadow Place. Fortunately by then the traffic was past peak-time.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    "I wondered whether diverting ..."

    This is apparantly a six week project. We've discussed previously that it might be a slight improvement but it's just tinkering so not 'worth' the inconvenience.

    Should be possible to arrange the work so that existing crossing is usable some of the time and then have temporary lights.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  17. ARobComp
    Member

    cycled past this morning at 10 to 9 and there were bikes and peds coming from every which direction. Bit mad. Hopefully they'll install something soon.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  18. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Everyone was thoroughly confused this morning, particularly the cars who insisted on driving to the bottom of Argyle Place just to be sure it really was closed, then found themselves forced to make a right turn into Sylvan Place to extricate themselves.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  19. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Cllr. Andrew D Burns (@AndrewDBurns)
    12/02/2013 13:13
    @CyclingEdin @LAHinds Thanks for alerting me to this - have passed on to relevant staff for action, Andrew.

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #

  20. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Sara Dorman (@SRDEdinburgh)
    12/02/2013 13:58
    @AndrewDBurns @CyclingEdin @LAHinds yes. & thank you, hope something sorted before schools re-open (but why wasn't it sorted before now?)

    "
    "

    Cllr. Andrew D Burns (@AndrewDBurns)
    12/02/2013 13:59
    @SRDEdinburgh @CyclingEdin @LAHinds That question will be asked.

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #

  21. chdot
    Admin

    Just in from CEC

    "
    Temporary pedestrian crossing due to be installed tomorrow (Toucan equivalent has not been approved for use).

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Better than nothing of course. 4/10 for delayed effort. Must try harder.

    I thought they were just doing a little bit of tweaking to position of kerbs and access points on the island, but the whole thing has now been demolished so I guess they're going to start again and follow the old outline.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Having made my first attempt to get from MMW to Argyle Place, I now have first hand experience of how p*** poor the current arrangements are. There is nothing to cross to, as you are facing a 50m wall of fences and barricades, so you have to divert down Melville Drive in either direction to find some opposing pavement. And of course there is now nothing to slow the "smooth flow" of 30mph traffic on Melville Drive.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. chdot
    Admin

    "And of course there is now nothing to slow the "smooth flow" of 30mph traffic on Melville Drive."

    So, still no temp lights?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  25. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @chdot nope. And if there were, you'd just be crossing into a wall of fences anyway.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  26. ruggtomcat
    Member

    30mph? HA!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  27. chdot
    Admin

    "30mph?"

    Well I knew someone who was done for 50 on a motorbike there.

    First question -

    "Didn't you notice that there was a policecar behind you?"

    Posted 11 years ago #

  28. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Yep, cycled past last night and a lot of people coming from the Meadows side looking across as if to say "Now what?"

    Pretty much constant traffic, and nowhere to cross 'to'. Utterly barmy. Diversion signs up for motorised traffic; cyclists and pedestrians using the crossing to access the Meadows - ah screw 'em. Given how busy a route/crossing that is, the lack of forethought and consideration is startling (which is putting it kindly).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  29. Min
    Member

    It is disgusting how much people have to fight in this city just to get some sort of temporary afterthought.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  30. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @min especially when the cooncil will now start trumpeting about what a grand job it's doing for cyclists once the works are completed.

    Don't get me wrong, I'd like that junction fixed as much as anyone else, but the lack of foresighte and appreciation that it's a cycling junction so it's used by a lot of cyclists so you might want to do something for the cyclists while you're fixing it is just confounding. You begin to think that no, the council can't actually really be that stupid, but it's doing it through malice.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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