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National Cycle Route 1 - Edinburgh to South Queensferry SectionThe pictures show the state of the route whilst construction work was in progress. The route was open to cyclists at this point, but no attempt was made to ensure it was safe to use or that suitable alternative routes were available. |
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This was the state of the shared footway/cycleway at the side of the A90 trunk road. Supposedly, this was suitable for walking and two-way cycling. Thankfully, the path has been widened since this photo was taken. |
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The path's width was about 0.4m, somewhat below the recommended minimum width of 3m. |
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This path, again was a shared footway/cycleway when this photo was taken. No attempt was made to ensure the path was usable whilst the road-works were taking place. |
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Don't forget, this path is supposedly
suitable for two-way cycling. The signing is incorrect, however.
To designate a footway for shared-use, the blue sign seen in the
next-but-one photo MUST be shown. A cycle painted on the footway
surface is not sufficient.
Whilst integration between cycling and public transport is to be encouraged, I'm not sure routeing cyclepaths quite this close to bus-shelters is such a good idea. |
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Again, this footway is made to look
like it has been designated as a shared-use path, but the correct
sign has not been used.
When planning routes for cyclists, official guidance states that shared-use footways are the facility of last resort - to be used only when all other options have been discounted. As you can see, there is a cycle-lane on the opposite of this road. You might ask why a cycle lane was not put on this side of the road as well, instead of a shared-use footway. |
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This is the correct sign for designating a footway as a shared-use path. The sign below it is not strictly correct as cycling on the carriageway in the direction specified by the one-way street restrictions is legal. |
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This was the state of the footway when the photo above was taken. |
| Not long after the National Cycle Network was officially opened in June 2000, I revisited the route between South Queensferry and Edinburgh to see if the faults highlighted above had been corrected. As soon as I scan in my photos, they will appear on this site. | |
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Assorted Cycle-Lane Failings |
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An advanced stop-line is not much use if you can not reach it. This bus has its right-hand side up against the centre line of the road, but still manages to encroach into the bike lane. |
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This lane conveniently gets narrower just when you would want motor vehicles not to overtake you, due to the pedestrian refuge in the centre of the street. |
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Same place, only the risk is greater. |
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his is more like it, a lane wide enough to stay away from the dangers of car doors being flung open in front of you. |
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Not like here! |
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Or here. |
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Does anyone think that cycle-lanes with parking bays on top are a good idea? |
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The End.... |
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The Kafka-esque cycle lane on Eyre Place. You can cycle up this contra-flow cycle-lane, but on reaching the junction, you'll find that there is no way out. It's illegal to ride on the pavement, and it is illegal to divert onto the road, as you'll be riding the wrong way up a one-way street. The traffic lights at this junction do not include a phase to allow you to exit from the lane. You're stuck! You have been warned. |
| Update: Comment from DH one can use the
ramp onto the pavement (it may even
have a suitable order), then the pedestrian phase at the lights via the
dropped kerb. Personally I would rather see money spent on other
things rather than regularising things here (longer dropped kerb,
white line on pavement, blue signs, white cycle painted on pavement
and green cycle sign on traffic lights). I'd like to see the Fiscal try
and prosecute anyone for doing what the Council obviously intend.
This is an important point. Whoever sanctioned this horror obviously intended cyclists to ride onto the footway and cross the road during a pedestrian phase. Unfortunately, cycling on the footway is illegal unless the footway has been designated as shared-use. There are no signs to signify this. Unfortunately, cycling across a pedestrian crossing is also illegal, unless the crossing is a Toucan crossing, which this one is not. In a country where pavement cycling can be punished with an fixed penalty fine of £20, and where cyclists are routinely castigated for breaking highway laws, do we really want to encourage cyclists to make up their own rules regarding how to use the roads? This cycle 'facility' can only be used illegally. Not long after I took the photo, I was passing this location. A couple on a tandem had cycled down the contra-flow lane and were looking confused about how to exit the street and continue their journey. They opted to ride onto the carriageway, just as a motorist was trying to enter the street. |
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