Sad news....
First.Aspect
Posts: 14,638
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-40105253
I defy you not to get angry when you read the council's comments here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-32899109
This is a classic example of road design making things worse. Previously there were no tram tracks, but in addition traffic could go in any direction across a staggered T-junction. Now all but busses go one way and nothing can turn left. Moreover, essentially all local bus routes go the same way, as do tour busses and coaches dropping off at the hotels. To compound all of that, there are NO safe cycle routes on minor roads north to south any more, because all of the cut-throughs have been made one way.
So they've progressively funneled cyclists into a bus-jam that crosses the tram tracks at around 45 degrees at best. Its exactly the same at the next crossing points half a mile east at the Mound and half a mile west at Haymarket. Not everyone is, nor should they need to be, confident (and fast) enough to take the lane and chose your own angle across the tracks.
Personally, I find it hard to defend the council's thinking and on this nice sunny day, one family is paying a very high price indeed.
I defy you not to get angry when you read the council's comments here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-32899109
This is a classic example of road design making things worse. Previously there were no tram tracks, but in addition traffic could go in any direction across a staggered T-junction. Now all but busses go one way and nothing can turn left. Moreover, essentially all local bus routes go the same way, as do tour busses and coaches dropping off at the hotels. To compound all of that, there are NO safe cycle routes on minor roads north to south any more, because all of the cut-throughs have been made one way.
So they've progressively funneled cyclists into a bus-jam that crosses the tram tracks at around 45 degrees at best. Its exactly the same at the next crossing points half a mile east at the Mound and half a mile west at Haymarket. Not everyone is, nor should they need to be, confident (and fast) enough to take the lane and chose your own angle across the tracks.
Personally, I find it hard to defend the council's thinking and on this nice sunny day, one family is paying a very high price indeed.
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RIP young lady.
My Edinburgh friend will be apoplectic about this. He's been predicting this kind of tragedy and haranguing the council for a good couple of years - ever since he had a fall and wrote off a few hundred quids worth of Assos gear. It may even have been that junction.
Tram lines can work in cities with bicycles - Amsterdam being the example I know - but tracks have to be at right-angles to cycle routes: something I believe Edinburgh hasn't achieved.
Sad news indeed.
ETA - this is the very manDavid Steele was also injured while falling on the track at Haymarket.
He told BBC Scotland: "I was really angry. Why has my simple commute into town to do a bit of shopping now become a life-threatening journey?
"My motivation is to get action to get it sorted.
"We've got to redesign the junction to make it safer for all road users."ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
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Similar problem here, although no fatalities yet: https://goo.gl/maps/vVfCsePujJq
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-n ... ed-7127275
This is a suggested solution http://www.strail.de/index.php?id=197&L=1 however it doesn't solve the problem of wet/slippery parallel rails.0 -
Had a mail from David - he is apoplectic and out for justice. It seems difficult to see how they will wriggle out of this depending upon the details of the incident.ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0
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Awful news. I hope this is the spur they need to avoid further fatalities. Such a pity that it happened.
As to the Porthmadog issue - I can't see the problem from the Maps ? You go over the rails at 90 degrees at that site anyway ?
Is the problem elsewhere ?0 -
I think the issue is the sharp turns, narrow(ish) width, the railings and pedestrians make it difficult to use so people just stay on the road (the railway was only constructed recently).Fenix wrote:As to the Porthmadog issue - I can't see the problem from the Maps ? You go over the rails at 90 degrees at that site anyway ?
Is the problem elsewhere ?0 -
It takes someone to die before anyone gives a shit. Council are a disgrace.0
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I was running thru Porthmadog at Easter - didnt twig any of the problems - I'll look closer next time.
Where I live we used to have to ride over cobbles and railway lines and you learnt pretty quickly what angle you could and couldn't get away with. They'd probably not pass modern standards.0 -
It would be of some assistance to cyclists in Edinburgh if the rails were recessed at the crossing points, so tyres don't come into direct contact with them. Nothing can ultimately solve the issue of rails being roughly the width of bike tyres though.
So the only solution is to give cyclists realistic options not on main bus routes so they aren't being badgered so badly when they are crossing the rails. Which there aren't any more, because they've applied traffic calming and blocked rat runs to all vehicles, including cyclists.
Given the space in Edinburgh it is really quite remarkable that they've f-ucked it up so badly for cyclists.0 -
Just to add that there's a gathering planned for tomorrow morning:
http://pedalonparliament.org/marking-th ... i-min-soh/0
