Measures for the temporary (44-week) closure of Leith Street are now in place, but the promised access for cyclists between Calton Road and Waterloo Place has disappointed some.
Back in March, the word was that developers had agreed to an on-road, two-way cycleway on the west side of Leith Street. It was, we understand, made perfectly clear to developers that the cycleway ‘must connect easily and safely to cycle provision at either end’.
However, contrary to expectations, now that the arrangements are in place, it turns out that cyclists have to dismount at the top and bottom of the closure. The developers say this is to ‘derisk’ the ‘pedestrian interface’, and that cyclists should rejoin the road later when it’s safe to do so.
Cyclists are not being allowed uninterrupted access onto Waterloo Place and Princes Street. Their request for a traffic light here has been considered, but found to be not feasible.
Cyclists are not being allowed onto the carriageway south of Calton Road. This single lane is being kept open for deliveries to local businesses (although Spurtle has seen a large number of private cars and tour buses using the route as well). Cycling activists have asked for a cycle lane to be added to this single lane, but apparently hoardings and other clutter will make it impossible.
So at the moment, we’re left with a situation whereby cyclists ascending Leith Street have to dismount and throw themselves into the madding crowd at the top; and cyclists descending Leith Street get confused by poor signposting and come to a shuddering halt at Calton Road where, far from derisking the interface, they put themselves, pedestrians and traffic marshals in imminent danger.
The point is; there needn’t be any risky interfaces.
It’s all a bit of a guddle, and reminiscent of half-baked cycling solutions currently on the cards for Picardy Place and the Elder Street junction with York Place.
Cycling representatives also have issues with how the Easter Road gyratory has been set up, and are disappointed that their request for a temporary contraflow cycle lane here have been turned down, again on debatable grounds of safety.
Since Leith Street’s initial closure at the start of September, there have been tweaks and improvements, but the layout is going to change again as the roadworks progress.
The timing remains unclear to us, but when Phase 2 begins cyclists will be squeezed into a 2.5m corridor, which many believe is impractical and potentially dangerous (see plans below).
Better oversight needed
More generally, there’s concern among cycling groups that when such new arrangements like this are put in place, no-one in authority carefully reviews whether they’re fit for the purpose just before they go active.
A source close to the discussions told Spurtle, ‘It doesn't seem as though the developers checked what had been set up right at the outset to see whether it was suitable. A handwritten direction sign for cyclists was just ridiculous.
‘And there doesn’t appear to have been enough oversight from the Council – the Active Travel team aren’t normally involved in checking these kind of schemes, and there’s been similar trouble in the past when the Road Safety Team have said that they have no remit to cover day-to-day dangers because they work on projects”.
‘Think back to George Street at the start of the Festival.’
So, before any further significant adjustments are made, critics are seeking help from Councillors Key (CEC’s ‘Cycling Champion’) and Miller (City Centre), and the City Centre East Programme Manager.
We’ll keep you posted on any developments. In the meantime, your observations on the situation here and related diversions are very welcome.
UPDATE 12.9.17: NEW IMPROVED LAYOUT NO BETTER
No sooner had we posted our article on problems with the Leith Street closure yesterday than a new layout began to take shape.
Today Edinburgh commuters and shoppers are facing a fresh set of problems.
Starting with this – what Geoffrey Boycott would term a ‘corridor of uncertainty’ whereby pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the street are divided by only a thin white line. One problem is that, as we all know, not all pedestrians look where they're going.
Another problem is that pedestrians, keep straying out of their 2m-wide lane and into the two-way 2.5m path of bicycles.
We saw it happen repeatedly.
It looks like an accident waiting to happen.
At least towards the bottom of the closure, cyclists and pedestrians are kept apart by an impenetrable line of blue safety-string. (Unfortunately, invisible at night.)
Meanwhile cyclists continue to meet pedestrians either head-on at Waterloo Place, or via an abrupt chicane at Calton Road. In both instances, there is no safe or seamless reintroduction into the road-traffic system.
New Town and Broughton Community Council expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangements at their meeting last night, and will find little improvement today. They have already raised their concerns with the developer’s traffic wranglers Sweco, and will likely contact Council officers over the next few days.
Got a view? Tell us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk or @theSpurtle or Facebook
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Reactions dated 11.9.17 start here. Any further reactions will be signposted further down.
Dear Spurtle
Thanks a lot for your article about cycling on Leith Street – I find it sums up the problems quite nicely.
I would describe myself as a confident cyclist – but I do find both ends of the cycle lane confusing and dangerous. I do not understand why there cannot be a traffic light on the top end, and a cycle lane connecting to the 2-way street on the bottom end. Pushing through pedestrians at rush hour is very uncomfortable. But what I find probably even scarier is the amount of cyclist-bashing going on – even in the comments to your article.
I think it is very sad that a lot of people hate cyclists so much and have no respect for them. And it is worrying that the Council apparently doesn't care either. Spending money on advisory cycle lanes which are only used for cars to park on, hence making cycling more dangerous than it was before without a cycle lane (like on Leith Walk, but similarly all throughout town), is in my eyes a waste of Council Tax.
I sincerely hope that a solution for the Leith Street confusion can be found!
Thanks a lot.
Martha Koerner
[Comments dated 12.9.17 start here]
[Comments dated 13.9.17 start here]
