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Mixed reaction to two-way cycle lane trialled on major Edinburgh streetGeorge Street, Edinburgh (CC licensed by David Hodgson via Flickr)

Mixed reaction to two-way cycle lane trialled on major Edinburgh street

Public have final chance to comment on plans at open day on Friday
by Alex Bowden
Tue, Sep 29, 2015 15:46
5

The public are being invited to give their views on plans for Edinburgh’s George Steet following a year-long trial of a two-way cycle lane and one-way system. An open day will be held at the Assembly Rooms on Friday from 2pm-7pm.

The trial was aimed at reducing traffic, improving the pedestrian experience and encouraging an outdoor dining culture. Dave du Feu of cycle group Spokes told the Edinburgh News that he felt it had been a success.

“Overall there has been a pretty positive response to the experiment from both cyclists and the general public. One of the questions asked of cyclists using George Street is had they cycled more as a result of the cycle lane being there and 40 per cent said they had.”

In contrast, Tony Kenmuir, a director of Central Taxis, was concerned about access: “The best thing would be if they stopped skiddling with it. You have to reach a point where there is an acceptance the city centre doesn’t function if traffic and public transport cannot move as freely as possible.”

Marion Williams, who is on the steering group on the future of the street, felt that the marquees used outside restaurants to create a café culture hadn’t worked particularly well and also suggested a different road layout was needed.

Du Feu too referred to “niggles” with the experimental scheme.

“At one point the cycle lane changed from one side of George Street to the other. That was definitely a problem, but overall people were very supportive. They’ve told us the final design is still being worked on, but we have had fairly strong indications it will include segregated cycle lanes on each side of the road.”

He said such a layout would make life easier at roundabouts in particular as previously cyclists had to cross from one side of the road to the other. “For confident cyclists, it wasn’t a problem, but part of the purpose of these lanes is to encourage people who are more nervous or novices. The idea is they should be suitable for an unaccompanied 12-year-old.”

Councillor Lesley Hinds, transport leader, said:

“The George Street trial has been a real experiment for the city, and has allowed us to truly listen and respond to the public throughout. Now we are focusing on the future of the street, and a long-term solution that will benefit everyone. I look forward to seeing the outcome of our design team’s research.”

Edinburgh
George Street
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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5 comments

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Poptart242 | 9 years ago
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I work on George St and commute by bike. It was AWFUL. I commend the city for having a go, but in all honesty it was botched from the outset.

People treated the cycle lane side as pedestrianised. The open dining areas bordering on to it were blind spots, so people walked right in front of you. Confused drivers simply drove up it anyway. Cyclists had to do a mid-street-shuffle across a roundabout to carry on using the lane, putting them in direct conflict with cars.

That all being said, the very day before they closed George St to set all this up, I was hit by a car and broke a bone in my hand! So I suppose segregation is good, but maybe involve someone who has actually sat on a bike somewhere along the line in the consultation.

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harrybav replied to Poptart242 | 9 years ago
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Poptart242 wrote:

involve someone who has actually sat on a bike somewhere along the line in the consultation.

That's it - and this new phase will be the same people that did the last lot. The idea of consultation is to ask us what we want, but that's the wrong issue. They need to figure out how to make this infra properly, not do a vox pop.

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harrybav | 9 years ago
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Interesting to hear they have plans to scale up. Previous arrangements were just using us as a wedge to get the cars out and the bar culture thing up and running.
Last consultation in Edinb (Leith Walk plan) was just pr window-dressing, I think. I can't imagine anyone actually would ask for the Leith Walk design as enacted. Wear a suit if you do go along.

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FatAndFurious | 9 years ago
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Rant.... Hooked, reel me in...

Outdoor dining. Edinburgh.

Does the council hear itself when it speaks?

Maybe, maybe in the height of summer you might be able to get a meal or coffee served to you whilst still hot, without it being blown away or rained on, but to base a year-round traffic infrastructure around such a gimmick is just tram-grade nuts.

I've walked in George Street and seen this for myself. It's truly not for the faint hearted cyclist at present, nor for the faint hearted pedestrian either, with certain sections open to traffic in one direction, and others open to cycles in two directions. I think it boils down to there being no 'natural' order, by which I mean it's a system all of its own that nothing elsewhere trains or prepares you for.

/rant

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Kim | 9 years ago
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As an experimental design, it was a mess, there is no surprise that it has causes such a mixed reaction. At the end of the day that question should be does Edinburgh want to be a world class city, or just go into terminal decline. If Edinburgh wants to be world class, it has to learn from that places that are truly world class.

All the cities which are recognised as being the best places in the world to live in, restrict access to motor traffic, prioritise walking and cycling, and have high quality public transport. Edinburgh has some but not all of these things, there is much still to do.

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