Scottish Infrastructure

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Greenfaulds and Whifflet could soon be swamped by tourists from London.

https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/a-new-railway-line-could-link-london-with-this-underrated-scottish-city-032423

[Leith Green]

On 19/04/2023 at 08:36, Scary Bear said:

Is this the right thread to moan about the roads in Scotland?

Edinburgh’s are a national disgrace. A toxic mix of incredibly poorly thought out cycle lanes, potholes and poorly mended potholes. It’s what happens when ‘green’ types try to make things better and encounter reality.

They really need to do some maintenance and replacement of road surfaces before adding cycle lane bollards. I assume there’s not a massive budget for the essentials but there is for cycle lanes. 

Scotland’s public sector loves a new thing but hates maintaining it properly or refurbishing/replacing it at its end of life.

In short: f**k City of Edinburgh Council. A shower of useless c***s.

 

On 19/04/2023 at 18:23, Mark Connolly said:

Same in Glasgow, but with fewer trams

Not to be too pedantic, but neither council is in hock to Greens - Edinburgh was until recently SNP, now nominally a Labour led council. Glasgow is still SNP, iirc?

Most of the potholes seem to emerge from poorly repaired utility trenches.

To be honest, I dont know why the utility companies are not charged again and again for their "send a couple of fat guys to jump up and down on a dod of tar" because - done properly, cut out and with a poured edge - a refilled hole in the road should be almost as good as the original.

[highlandmac]

1 hour ago, Leith Green said:

 

 

To be honest, I dont know why the utility companies are not charged again and again for their "send a couple of fat guys to jump up and down on a dod of tar" because - done properly, cut out and with a poured edge - a refilled hole in the road should be almost as good as the original.

^this

[RiG]

The Edinburgh Trams Newhaven line nears completion and with it the new gyratory at the Leith Walk/Leith Street/York Place junction has its final design in place:

Looks like a lovely place to sit down and take in the world with trams thundering past and traffic belching out fumes all around you. 

[Eatmygoal]

On 19/04/2023 at 08:36, Scary Bear said:

Is this the right thread to moan about the roads in Scotland?

Edinburgh’s are a national disgrace. A toxic mix of incredibly poorly thought out cycle lanes, potholes and poorly mended potholes. It’s what happens when ‘green’ types try to make things better and encounter reality.

They really need to do some maintenance and replacement of road surfaces before adding cycle lane bollards. I assume there’s not a massive budget for the essentials but there is for cycle lanes. 

Scotland’s public sector loves a new thing but hates maintaining it properly or refurbishing/replacing it at its end of life.

In short: f**k City of Edinburgh Council. A shower of useless c***s.

I think most of the new cycle lanes you see around are a legacy from COVID funding. Whilst some are a welcome addition, a significant minority if not a majority make cycling worse than it was before. I suspect the people involved have never used a bike, gone for low hanging fruit with very mixed results.

I honestly think that properly designed and funded cycling infrastructure would not only massively benefit 'cyclists', get people out of cars and also improve life for 'drivers'. 

Instead the poorly funded, badly designed infrastructure makes the general public question any further funding. 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Eatmygoal

[Scary Bear]

On 01/05/2023 at 17:35, Leith Green said:

 

Not to be too pedantic, but neither council is in hock to Greens - Edinburgh was until recently SNP, now nominally a Labour led council. Glasgow is still SNP, iirc?

Most of the potholes seem to emerge from poorly repaired utility trenches.

To be honest, I dont know why the utility companies are not charged again and again for their "send a couple of fat guys to jump up and down on a dod of tar" because - done properly, cut out and with a poured edge - a refilled hole in the road should be almost as good as the original.

It’s interesting that you immediately went down party political lines. I was talking about green with a small ‘g’.

I’m not sure you can blame all the potholes on poorly repaired utility works. That’s no doubt part of the problem but for me it’s down to a general lack of maintenance. Budgets get cut, posts get cut, people get demoralised and the results are there for all to see. 

Trying to integrate cars and bikes doesn’t work for me in general. There’s no danger I would like any loved ones doing this given how busy the roads are. Bikes should have their own safe corridors, but that is obviously hard to achieve in established towns and cities. Trying to share a road between cars and bikes on knackered road surfaces really doesn’t work for me. It’s a death trap.

[Michael W]

There's no doubt utility works result in more potholes, probably because they are repaired as cheaply as possible. Another seemingly persistent problem is improperly repaired potholes, which invariably seem to end up as divots again in a couple of years. 

I was pretty shocked at the state of a few main roads when I was up last month. Bits of them were akin to a ploughed field and are at the stage where sections of them need to be fully re-laid rather than just repaired. They are not really much better down here either tbh. Slightly less bad due to the warmer weather, perhaps. 

[Snobot]

Talking of utilities, the stretch of Argyle St at Finnieston in Glasgow was recently shut for a week whilst it was completely resurfaced into the most beautiful smooth bit of road you will ever see, presumably at significant cost to the local tax payer. Within 10 days, a gang of utilities guys had started digging it up. Maybe it was an emergency but it seemed so senseless, and completely lacking in any co-ordination, and annoyed me more than it probably should.

[Leith Green]

1 hour ago, Scary Bear said:

It’s interesting that you immediately went down party political lines. I was talking about green with a small ‘g’.

I dont cycle as much these days, but used to ride to and from work (city centre to gyle) pretty much every day.

In my experience, the SNP only pay lip service to "green" issues, and usually only when dragged screaming by the actual Green party.

And I say that as someone who was an SNP member - its a bit of an irritation for me, and yes it was fairly deliberate !

[Scary Bear]

On 01/05/2023 at 12:28, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

Greenfaulds and Whifflet could soon be swamped by tourists from London.

https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/a-new-railway-line-could-link-london-with-this-underrated-scottish-city-032423

Lockerbie also mentioned. They already have the wonderful Transpenine ‘serving’ them. 

Lockerbie has to be right up there with the most depressing railway stations I have ever passed through. The station and the whole place just looked dreadful. Proof, if it were ever needed, that having a jumbo jet drop on your town/village isn’t helpful.

[The Golden God]

All this talk of Glasgow being a dump is mad. That part of Sauciehall street has suffered yes but it’s not near as bad as made out. Seems to me that the folk criticising it are usually doing it for nostalgic/political reasons. If you go on FB comments into articles about the city centre it’s always pensioners saying they’ve not been in the town in years cause of how bad it is (how they know that if they’re never there). I’d say that in 30 years time everyone in their 20s/30s will be saying the same thing, an area not being the same as it was when you were young doesn’t make it a shitehole. 

[vikingTON]

Sauchiehall Street is objectively a shitehole. Partly because sections of it keep burning down and partly because a large part of it was very old fashioned, outdoors retail that has been crushed by online retail and the 17 indoor shopping centres built under the City of Glasgow's watch. 

It's closer to the tumbleweed fate of most badly run town centre high streets than a functioning retail and nightlife zone, and you only need to visit somewhere like Newcastle to see the difference between the two. 

[Leith Green]

4 hours ago, The Golden God said:

If you go on FB comments into articles about the city centre it’s always pensioners saying they’ve not been in the town in years cause of how bad it is (how they know that if they’re never there)

Yep.

My inlaws were over last weekend, and we got onto the subject of meeting their pals (they used to drive up to Glasgow a lot for coffee / shopping etc).

I asked why this wasnt happening - at all - now.

Their stated issues were - No parking, the LEZ and "everything is shut since Covid".

I did ask if - as both are well into their 70s - perhaps the free bus right into the city centre was an option?

"No, the car is quicker" (it really isnae)

Or if they could take her car, as it is newer and meets the LEZ criteria. "Sometimes I want to go in my car" (errr, ok this is sounding like made up pish now).

I asked if maybe it was worth the bus for the social aspect - this was met with heads shaking and pronouncements of "thats us finished with Glasgow now, theres no point".

So now they are basically stuck with the cafe culture and retail opportunities of Kilsyth.............

 

[RH33]

31 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

Yep.

My inlaws were over last weekend, and we got onto the subject of meeting their pals (they used to drive up to Glasgow a lot for coffee / shopping etc).

I asked why this wasnt happening - at all - now.

Their stated issues were - No parking, the LEZ and "everything is shut since Covid".

I did ask if - as both are well into their 70s - perhaps the free bus right into the city centre was an option?

"No, the car is quicker" (it really isnae)

Or if they could take her car, as it is newer and meets the LEZ criteria. "Sometimes I want to go in my car" (errr, ok this is sounding like made up pish now).

I asked if maybe it was worth the bus for the social aspect - this was met with heads shaking and pronouncements of "thats us finished with Glasgow now, theres no point".

So now they are basically stuck with the cafe culture and retail opportunities of Kilsyth.............

 

Plenty easy access fast trains from Kilsyth into town too.

I do think with age comes a loss of confidence for doing things like the city centre. However it's hard to admit that so parking, teenagers etc gets used as a cover.

[Archie McSquackle]

48 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

Yep.

My inlaws were over last weekend, and we got onto the subject of meeting their pals (they used to drive up to Glasgow a lot for coffee / shopping etc).

I asked why this wasnt happening - at all - now.

Their stated issues were - No parking, the LEZ and "everything is shut since Covid".

I did ask if - as both are well into their 70s - perhaps the free bus right into the city centre was an option?

"No, the car is quicker" (it really isnae)

Or if they could take her car, as it is newer and meets the LEZ criteria. "Sometimes I want to go in my car" (errr, ok this is sounding like made up pish now).

I asked if maybe it was worth the bus for the social aspect - this was met with heads shaking and pronouncements of "thats us finished with Glasgow now, theres no point".

So now they are basically stuck with the cafe culture and retail opportunities of Kilsyth.............

 

I don't think the LEZ is actually in operation yet so that's a load of bollocks.

It's also a very easy drive to Lenzie for the very regular train service. 

They just can't be arsed, can they?

[Leith Green]

1 minute ago, Archie McSquackle said:

They just can't be arsed, can they?

As the poster above says, age related loss of confidence - they cant say that so make all sorts of bollocks excuses.

[scottsdad]

I'm getting older as well - I walk through town and city centres I used to know and think they've gone to the dogs. 

Glasgow always was a bombed out hell-hole inhabited by the dregs of humanity, so that hasn't changed much. Recently went to Linlithgow and it's going downhill, too. Loads of shops shut.

[ICTChris]

I don't spend much time in town or city centres but they have definitely become more run down since I was young.  Inverness town centre used to be pretty much fully utilised and had lots of proper shops, lots of people, a living, lively place.  Now when I go it's just charity shops, vape shops, terrible pubs that close down every three months and vacants.

The reasons for it are structural, as said by previous posters - people's shopping and socialising habits have changed and most of the development of Inverness has been to build housing estates a long way from the town centre as well as out of centre retail etc.  Ironically the out of centre retail is now suffering badly and going the same was as city centres.

[moses1924]

1 hour ago, Leith Green said:

"thats us finished with Glasgow now

when i read that is was very much said in the voice of the Rev. I.M. Jolly

[mathematics]

I was in Glasgow city centre last week, first time for a while. Significant increase in homeless, beggars, and addicts. Feel bad lumping the three together, but help has to be provided so that my middle class self isn’t annoyed by them.