“Zig-zag” corners on a cycleway in Edinburgh that has been branded as “moronic” and “an accident waiting to happen” are to be ripped out and replaced to make it safer for cyclists after a council official accepted that it did not meet the city’s own design standards.

Running along Leith Walk in the north of the Scottish capital, the cycleway was installed as part of public realm enhancements accompanying the extension of the Edinburgh Trams route to Newhaven.

However, from the moment it opened last year the cycleway attracted ridicule and criticism due to the sharp zig-zags at various points along the route, making it difficult and hazardous to ride along.

Hannah Ross, who headed up the £207 million Trams to Newhaven project at City of Edinburgh Council, has now confirmed to its transport committee that changes will be made to the cycleway as part of snagging works associated with the scheme, reports STV News (link is external).

She said that the proposed works, which will be carried out over the next five weeks, will see some but not all of the zig-zag corners removed.

“Some of the commentary around the cycle lane is people would like to see it made completely straight,” she told the committee.

“That’s not part of the contractual position because they’ve had to design around loading and parking and bus stops.

“Some of the turns on the cycle path are too acute and they fall outside the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance so those are a defect and will be rectified,” she added.

Other works that will be carried out along the route, which saw its first trams run to Newhaven last week, include additional cycle parking, planters and benches being installed.

“I want to reassure people that the project team remains in place until the contract has been fully delivered,” Ms Ross insisted.

“I know that some elements of the public realm are hugely important to local businesses and local communities we have worked with and within from the beginning of the project and I can understand that people will be worried that the big glamorous bit has been delivered and we all lose interest and disappear off – but we remain a funded project and our job is to make sure it’s delivered in the way we said it would be,” she added.

Last year, the design of the cycleway was widely ridiculed after pictures were posted to social media showing the zig-zag design, with SNP councillor Lesley Macinnes, at the time the city’s transport convenor, insisting that criticism was “premature” while construction of the route was ongoing.
“No-one is happy with the current situation but this is a far from finished part of the overall project,” she explained, adding that “there are clear issues in how the design has been applied during construction and these have been raised as defects.”

At the time, the city was administered by an SNP and Labour minority coalition which came to an end following local elections the following month, since when Labour has formed the administration with the support of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

It is unclear whether the issues that Ms Macinnes said had been flagged as defects were ever rectified, or whether these are the subject of the forthcoming improvements that feature on the snagging list.

https://road.cc/content/news/moronic-edinburgh-cycleway-zig-zags-be-replaced-301933

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> “Zig-zag” corners on a cycleway in Edinburgh that has been branded as
> “moronic” and “an accident waiting to happen” are to be ripped out and
> replaced to make it safer for cyclists after a council official accepted
> that it did not meet the city’s own design standards.
>
> Running along Leith Walk in the north of the Scottish capital, the
> cycleway was installed as part of public realm enhancements accompanying
> the extension of the Edinburgh Trams route to Newhaven.
>
> However, from the moment it opened last year the cycleway attracted
> ridicule and criticism due to the sharp zig-zags at various points along
> the route, making it difficult and hazardous to ride along.
>
> Hannah Ross, who headed up the £207 million Trams to Newhaven project at
> City of Edinburgh Council, has now confirmed to its transport committee
> that changes will be made to the cycleway as part of snagging works
> associated with the scheme, reports STV News (link is external).
>
> She said that the proposed works, which will be carried out over the next
> five weeks, will see some but not all of the zig-zag corners removed.
>
> “Some of the commentary around the cycle lane is people would like to see
> it made completely straight,” she told the committee.
>
> “That’s not part of the contractual position because they’ve had to
> design around loading and parking and bus stops.
>
> “Some of the turns on the cycle path are too acute and they fall outside
> the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance so those are a defect and will be
> rectified,” she added.
>
> Other works that will be carried out along the route, which saw its first
> trams run to Newhaven last week, include additional cycle parking,
> planters and benches being installed.
>
> “I want to reassure people that the project team remains in place until
> the contract has been fully delivered,” Ms Ross insisted.
>
> “I know that some elements of the public realm are hugely important to
> local businesses and local communities we have worked with and within
> from the beginning of the project and I can understand that people will
> be worried that the big glamorous bit has been delivered and we all lose
> interest and disappear off – but we remain a funded project and our job
> is to make sure it’s delivered in the way we said it would be,” she added.
>
> Last year, the design of the cycleway was widely ridiculed after pictures
> were posted to social media showing the zig-zag design, with SNP
> councillor Lesley Macinnes, at the time the city’s transport convenor,
> insisting that criticism was “premature” while construction of the route was ongoing.
> “No-one is happy with the current situation but this is a far from
> finished part of the overall project,” she explained, adding that “there
> are clear issues in how the design has been applied during construction
> and these have been raised as defects.”
>
> At the time, the city was administered by an SNP and Labour minority
> coalition which came to an end following local elections the following
> month, since when Labour has formed the administration with the support
> of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
>
> It is unclear whether the issues that Ms Macinnes said had been flagged
> as defects were ever rectified, or whether these are the subject of the
> forthcoming improvements that feature on the snagging list.
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/moronic-edinburgh-cycleway-zig-zags-be-replaced-301933
>

The obvious conclusion is that cyclists lack the ability to control their
bikes. Looking at the cycle paths, they would seem to require a skill level
no more advanced than that required of children who took the Cycling
Proficiency Badge in the 1970s - if anything, somewhat easier.

Of course, as we saw recently, a cyclist riding illegally on the pavement
and putting an innocent pedestrian in fear of her life, fell off into the
path of a car and was killed- entirely due to own actions / incompetence.

Well maybe they'll round off some of them...

Some of this will definitely be due to what the council agreed due to balancing "competing demands" - most notably screams from the bus company, drivers and local businesses. All have been inconvenienced by works so far. Local businesses in particular by the various delays and "unforeseen events". Which do look rather like serial incompetence in project management. Not to say deficiencies at the design and (civil) engineering levels also.

Trying to see the positives - the good things about this mess are a) they actually added cycle provision and b) have made some corrections (very slowly) to the worst mistakes. For the UK sadly both those things are remarkable.

That's about it though. Achieving that took a LOT of pressure over many years from campaign groups and others.

It seems "arms-length tram body" (Edinburgh Trams Limited) in particular has been exactly the wrong length of arm away. Too close to whichever folks wanted the tram at literally any cost and too far away to hear any guidance or (constructive) criticism.