Edinburgh Roads

The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.

There is a separate forum for Street Furniture (traffic lights, street lights, road signs etc).

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radrick
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Edinburgh Roads

Post by radrick »

The Western Reilef Road was very nearly started in 1986 and would have opened in 1990 taking traffic directly from the M8 to the city centre on dual carriageway. It was nearly reserrected in 1991 after a Jates transport review, but the Labour council did not like road building plans.
It would make a great difference to traffic congestion on the west side of Edinburgh and is still needed today. Unfortunately the stupid and uneconomic trams are planned to be build on the route for the WRR which was in the 1960s planned to be the M8 comming into the city centre to meet the Inner Ring Road Motorway at Haymarket.

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Burns
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Burns »

The whole Edinburgh traffic situation is a shambles at the best of times. I usually find the A71/Western Approach Road to perform the best role but it's still stop start, stop start, stop stop stop once you end up on that high streetish bit. Unfortunately it'll never change now because Edinburgh hates cars.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by HandShandy »

Burns wrote:...because Edinburgh hates cars.
Yes. Yes it does. I always get the train there as a result. The total opposite of Glasgow which not only boasts great public transport but its easy to get to most places by car.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by michael769 »

Unfortunately David Begg's legacy continues to cast a very long shadow over Edinburgh.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Erath »

I don't find getting around the city particularly difficult. OK, there's no stonking great big motorway but the routes in from the west are fairly mobile in the morning and it's really just negotiating the bus gate and constant roadworks around Princes Street that's the tough bit. The advantage of Edinburgh against say Glasgow is the number of radials available; A90, A8, A71, A70, and I prefer Bankhead Drive/Broomhouse Drive/Stevenson Drive which is quieter than the main roads. Parking in Edinburgh is however, spine-churningly expensive.

The Western Approach Road does its bit of the job pretty well but as I discussed in a recent thread the odds of it getting any longer are miniscule. Much of its line is already dedicated to the trams now as you say and it would run perilously close to residential areas in Saughton and Stenhouse which just isn't the done thing for a motorway nowadays. The M74 ploughed through almost entirely industrial areas, something Edinburgh doesn't have that much of.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Trebeck »

I agree with Erath. Using the Western Approach then on to a city centre car park from there I didn't find it too bad.

The public transport in terms of trains and buses were great though, for when I didn't want to drive (usually to have a few ales :) ).

A motorway would ruin the character of the city.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Helvellyn »

Trebeck wrote:A motorway would ruin the character of the city.
Since when has that stopped SABRE being desperate for one? :stir:
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by WHBM »

radrick wrote:The Western Relief Road was very nearly started in 1986
Surely it was built in part (the inner city part) in the 1970s, and opened in 1977 ? I'm sure we called that the Western Relief Road.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Trebeck »

Helvellyn wrote:
Trebeck wrote:A motorway would ruin the character of the city.
Since when has that stopped SABRE being desperate for one? :stir:
Can we compromise? Something similar to the underground Princes Street motorway - Edinburgh 'Big Dig'? :twisted:
(Mind you, given the tram troubles, I wouldn't hold your breath to see any project of that scale in the forseeable future!)
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Helvellyn »

Trebeck wrote:
Helvellyn wrote:
Trebeck wrote:A motorway would ruin the character of the city.
Since when has that stopped SABRE being desperate for one? :stir:
Can we compromise? Something similar to the underground Princes Street motorway - Edinburgh 'Big Dig'? :twisted:
(Mind you, given the tram troubles, I wouldn't hold your breath to see any project of that scale in the forseeable future!)
As you say, considering the tram fiasco I would dread to think what would happen with something that requires even more work - literally pouring money down a hole!

The biggest problems I've had with driving in Edinburgh are simply that for some reason I find it much easier to get lost there than just about anywhere else.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Burns »

Helvellyn wrote: The biggest problems I've had with driving in Edinburgh are simply that for some reason I find it much easier to get lost there than just about anywhere else.
One of the biggest problems in Edinburgh is the signage. Take a look at this. It looks innocent enough, however, you don't turn left to get to the road bridge. Further along the road at the junction you have this situation. If you do fall for the trickery of the first sign you see and turn left for the bridge, you'll find yourself on a slalom course through roadworks, bus only lanes and a sea of traffic lights. Eventually you'll end up on the Western Approach Road but if you don't know Edinburgh then that's of no help whatsoever.

It's been a while since I was last down that way so they may have fixed the signage but I doubt it, confusing traffic is another way to discourage car use in the city.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by smidget »

Ah - that first sign is a remnant of how things used to be before the great city centre roads upheaval in 2005. You used to go round Charlotte Square (following from that sign, round Ryan's Bar and then onto Queensferry Road.)

The local rag (Edinburgh Evening News) covered it in great (frothy) details at the time. Article Here.

And then there's the tram works - but that's a whole different matter!
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by cb a1 »

Burns wrote:confusing traffic is another way to discourage car use in the city.
Not really as 99% of traffic ('specially in the peak) will be locals who will never look at the signs anyway.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by PishedPaul »

Edinburgh council are determind to remove the western approach road. They've recently installed a pedestrian crossing across all 4 lanes (without a central island).

Once Fountainbridge is developed the plan is to narrow the road to one lane each direction with footpaths along both sides. The existing Dundee Street exit will be removed, with access up through the fountainbridge development with another junction.

David Begg has a lot to answer for!
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Westville89 »

What Edinburgh badly needs is:

- proper M8 to A720 freeflow without that stupid and rediculous Hermiston Gait roundabout. Absolutely terrible at rush hour.
- upgrading of the A720 to three lanes, make it M720 and build a new APR for the bloody tractors
- the upgrading to three lanes would necessitate three lanes to M8 J2, could have a lane drop here, make the left lane M9 and FRB
- grade seperation of Sheriffhall roundabout and free flow onto the A1 at Old Craighall

Never, ever, eeeeeeeevvvvvvvvver going to happen, but one can dream ;).
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Bryn666 »

Edinburgh is absolutely crap to drive around. I've done it a few times, never really relish it, but at least I got some decent photos last time I did it.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Helvellyn »

Bryn666 wrote:Edinburgh is absolutely crap to drive around. I've done it a few times, never really relish it, but at least I got some decent photos last time I did it.
I've usually put that down to being confusing - when I've been with someone who knows the place it's not seemed so bad (my brother lives there). One of the few cities that I actually like though, despite the driving issues.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by cb a1 »

Bryn666 wrote:Edinburgh is absolutely crap to drive around.
Do you mean to drive around Edinburgh (i.e. A720) or within the city.

The former ain't great, but the latter is a piece of cake if you know the city. The former ain't too bad either if you know the short-cuts.

Most cities I've been to are like that though. For example, I find Glasgow a nightmare - an utterly confusing mess of one-way streets and banned turns (but easy to get around it on the motorways). At least Dundee is wee enough that there isn't much to get lost in :)
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Bryn666 »

It's more the sheer nature of the city, the obvious routes have pretty much been stopped so you're left to a rabbit warren of detours. It's slow as a result but there are good views.

Glasgow is also very confusing - the best thing about the M74 is it means you don't need to go through Tradeston anymore.
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Re: Edinburgh Roads

Post by Kenny1975 »

I don't mind driving in Edinburgh do it regularly right into the city centre and Leith was a 44ton truck.

I don't think is that bad but then again i know the city very well, years ago when i didnt know Edinburgh found it a nightmare. Think it can be very easy to get lost and disorientated in for some reason guess it is because have to use a warren of city streets.

In other cities much larger tend to know what direction i am traveling and it will end up at such and such sooner or later, in Edinburgh think can end up somewhere you don't expect.

I think the city council could be in for a rude awakening as a result of the trams, most of the locals i speak to regularly hate the trams projected never wanted it and arent happy. Ok in Edinburgh you do have decent PT but then again a lot of it is centralised its ok for going into town, but say going diagonal its a long treck compared to a straight drive in a car. Same with going to supermarkets etc... a lot of the time in Edinburgh going from certain areas to others have to basically go near the city centre so restrictions, road closures land lock people or make simple journeys a lot harder.

Other cities you want to go from one area to another you can avoid the city centre in Edinburgh its a lot harder.
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