CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years 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.
As a slight side rant, everyone's an 'engineer' now. If you fix things you're a technician, not an engineer.
And it sounds a lot like these traffic lights don't even need a technician. Perhaps an enforcement officer would be in order.
Signed, a technician.
Engineers look after the engines on ships
Yes we get "engineers" coming to fix doors and light switches at work (as opposed to joiners and electricians).
The old definition of an 'engine' was anything of a mechanical type eg a 'seige engine', a 'Stirling' engine, a 'pithead engine', or an 'engine' for pumping water etc. Engineers generally do fix mechanical things, or invent repair solutions for them! Door hinges and light switches don't really count! An engineer with a spanner may be required to turn a set of signals heads round and re-clamp, and he might be suitably qualified to undertake electrical works in the process! My kind of chap then! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!
"Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!"
Melville Drive lights on then??...
Yesterday the westbound half of Melville Drive was coned off at Argyle Place and the traffic going along Melville Drive was being controlled with temporary lights. It looked to me as if they'd turned off the temporary pedestrian crossing lights so they could use the temporary one-stream-of-cars-at-a-time lights instead. Then, presumably, they didn't bother to change them back when they un-coned Melville Drive. I noted the partial closure yesterday in another thread. Should have been here, sorry, threads confusion.
Something seemed to be stopping the traffic at lunchtime today but I didn't get close enough to see which sort of temporary lights it was as there's now a new route across the roadworks - a dropped kerb route which you can cycle cleanly across. It doesn't coincide with any lights though.
The resurfacing seems to be going surprisingly far up Argyle Place today.
The old definition of an 'engine' was anything of a mechanical type
But its etymology is actually from the Latin, ingeniator, literally, one possessed of ingenium, which itself comes from ingeniāre, meaning 'to contrive'. From that, Middle French acquired ingénieur, and this is where we get our word ingenious. In the 14th century it found its way into many languages, including Anglo-Norman and French for engigneour, associated particularly with one who constructs military works, although the military usage co-existed with that to mean more general fabrication.
Indeed, even in 1380 we see: "Þe Amyral made his engyneour þe engyns to sette & bende."
That said, I possess a great displeasure for those who confer the title of Engineer upon someone who is not qualified by degrees or institution to use it.
That said, I possess a great displeasure for those who confer the title of Engineer upon someone who is not qualified by degrees or institution to use it.
My dad is a certified Electrical and Electronic Engineer, but he is not a certified or qualified Electrician (despite some degree of competence in matters). I am neither, therefore do not ever describe myself as an engineer.
A bicycleer perhaps? After all my favourite tools are the mallet and the supersize adjustable wrench.
What's worse though: a technician calling themselves an engineer (it's usually the job title given to them) or people who add "BSC (hons)" (or similar) to their email signature?
cd said "or people who add "BSC (hons)" (or similar) to their email signature? "
Or people who add BSc to their facebook name!!
Dave C BEng ord... ;O)
Unless I was writing a professional piece, for which my letters were relevant, I'd never bother.
My dad likes to use his letters to "impress" people he's writing moaning letters of complaint to, personally I don't think it matters two bits if I have a masters in wildlife conservation when I'm complaining about the council tax!
people who add "BSC (hons)" (or similar) to their email signature?
Only for work purposes and business cards. And besides, I worked bloody hard for those letters!
@kaputnik "After all my favourite tools are the mallet and the supersize adjustable wrench." In the modern vernacular could we say that the supersize adjustable wrench that you are so fond of is "well dench"?
The raised tarmac is underneath the white tar-spreader on the left
It's less a speed-bump though than a kerb-free pedestrian crossing.
Interestingly they seem to have covered the turn-right lane at bottom of Argyle Place in a coating of black "cycle lane coating" (the old style stuff that breaks up, not the new tarmac with red-chips stuff). I wonder what function this is for?
It's really strange that they've put the speed bump *after* two of the three crossings (SMW-SMW on foot, and SMW-MMW bike). Would it have been so hard to either raise up the first crossing or have all three on a "table"?
I just find it genuinely mystifying. The money required to lift the road has been spent. The political will required to put a 'bump' in the path of motorists has been applied (if not, sadly, the will required to modify the junction layout altogether).
But two out of the three crossings are not protected - worse, are we going to find that motorists are concentrating on the bump and not the people crossing the road before the bump?
Usually 20mph zones start /before/ primary schools, traffic lights start /before/ crossings and junctions, etc. Also makes me wonder whether people on bikes will preferentially cross on the tabletop designed for peds (no kerbs, increased safety) although I guess we'll find that out when the design is complete.
Dave, not sure what the experience at other similar bumps has been - maybe they hope that as it is a 20mph zone, all drivers will be going slow enough to see peds / bikes ?? Odd, though
Dave - agreed, I said the same a week or two ago - except that then I was hoping that I'd read the plans wrongly! It does seem very odd that they didn't bother to slow down the cars before the crossings.
Unless whoever designed that bump was thinking mainly of slowing cars before they joined Melville Drive, and the crossings were hardly in their mind at all...?
@Rabid Hamster 'Trust me I've been there and seen this occur many times when partaking at the Mosque!'
Fridays around Nicolson Sq are busy of course! I think the proximity of shops, taxi rank and bus stop create a more intense traffic blockage than Argyle place would have at the bottom end. Top end of Argyle Place is often as good as blocked with double parked vehicles. I note this is never considered to be an obstacle in teh same way as making road layout adjust at bottom end. More tarmac never goes wrong of course, rather than using what is there more sensibly!
We'll soon be having the grand opening of the new junction - expect there will be a small ceremony with free drinks etc!
@LaidBack: R U insuating that I'm only partaking at the Mosque on Fridays? I throw my shoe at u! Obviously I will have to get my Letters out of my cot, and reveal my true self to all the amateur traffic engineers pontificating above! Women, children, lawyers, bairns and bosses should never see a half-finished job! Dorogoy n' clockwork ain't it!
"Unless whoever designed that bump was thinking mainly of slowing cars before they joined Melville Drive, and the crossings were hardly in their mind at all...?"
Nail. Head.
What I'm not understanding is how 'initial reports' said there wasn't enough money to redo the junction comprehensively and it would 'just be a tweak'.
I assumed they'd move a few of the kerbstones round the 'cycle funnel' and fill in holes as required.
The reality seems pretty comprehensive - though obviously retaining the same general layout.
Just hope the result is worth the money/disruption/effort.
If the contractors are as fast as their bretheren (still) attempting to relay the missing 30-or-so metres of the Broomhouse Path at Bankhead / South Gyle Access, then completion date should be sometime late 2014.
@ Rabid Hamster - of course the Mosque does some good food all week long. Keep your SpDs clipped in..(!)
Argyle Place could have been an access only street with just the 41 bus route, taxis and bikes going through. Having said that a very large HGV with bikes for LB couldn't get on to it. So Dutch driver just parked in Melville Drive briefly. Sorry.
Much traffic congestion still exists where roads are wide. Car drivers like cyclists adapt their routes.
@Laidback as I took the photo last night, I had exactly the same thought, that Argyle Place should be bus and cycles only onto Melville Drive, although it would take the blocking of Melville Terrace to prevent that being used as a rat run.
Yes. Although it takes more than just putting up a sign or two - just across the Meadows from there, Marshall St is buses/bikes/taxis only between Nicolson Square and Potterrow, yet I see cars, vans and private buses there every day. The restriction is barely enforced if at all.
Some automatic comedy bollards might be useful, for instance.
Same with the no right turn just as you approach Kings buildings onto West Mains road (buses and cycles only, apparently)
Enforcement, HA!
I'm going to say something controversial - I think this is a vast improvement.
Untitled by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Untitled by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
I think the word "vast" might be controversial.
Looks better, but I still don't understand why bikes coming Argyle Place (perhaps with a car right behind) have to slow down to do a sharp left.
Certainly looks better - will go round tonight to have a proper try!
Do cyclists heading southbound still have to break the law by riding onto the pedestrian side to hit the button?
Good point Dave, but actually of late, I've found the cameras very sensitive. Used the temporary push button yesterday, and it took much longer than usual before the lights changed.
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