"Alex Ingram" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I would say the addition of a large number of bike
> racks in the centre of Edinburgh in recent years ranks
> pretty highly.
Definately a good thing. Edinburgh does seem (occasionally)
to be pretty clued up.
> Low on the list is the cycle lane on the Mound, which I
> think is quite possibly the most dangerous lane I use
> thanks to the combination of a blind corner, high wall,
> nutters who park around the corner and taxis who insist
> on using the lane to turn and buses who have to use it
> to turn.
I tend to take this (On the rare occasions I cycle it) right
out in the middle of the road. I've been beeped once, but it
has saved me several swerves out into the road to avoid the
aforementioned parked cars and buses. The problem is not the
lane per se, it's the lack of enforcement.
> I quite like advance stop lines and marked bus lanes
> though.
<anecodote> When reaching the top of Leith walk one day as
the first vehicle to arrive I took up a position in the
middle of the left hand lane of the cycle area. While
waiting for the lights a taxi pulled up next to me. I made
my usual sarcastic comment (Along the lines of "do you look
like a bl**dy bike?") and was somewhat surprised when he
wound down his window and asked what I was saying. I
explained that the big red bit with the picture of a bike
was an indication that the area was for bikes. He pointed to
my bike and said "You're on a bike!". I politely explained
that this was true, but that he wasn't and was thus in the
wrong place. He said "There's no bikes in front of me". When
I asked him whether he drove through red lights if there
were no cars in front of him he muttered "F**k off, f**king
cyclists" and wound his window back up. The conversation was
followed with some amusement by a pedestrian who was waiting
to cross the road. Smug... hell yes! </anecdote>
> And there seems to be something nice appearing for NCR 1
> up at cross causeway, some kind of cycle crossing with a
> proper lights to get across the clerk street part. Looks
> pretty nice, though the road being closed made my route
> home a little tricky last night...
Is that what's going on? We wondered if the council had
decided that the nearest pedestrian crossing (50 yards) was
too far away and were building another one to make direct
access to the pub over the road easier.
Jon
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