Turf Zone – SelfStruggle
Interestingly, I’m finding the more I cycle in Edinburgh, while attempting the Turf Mission Edinburgh Roon, the less strictly law abiding I find myself becoming, or at least tempted to allow myself to become. However, not that crazy idiocy of riding through red traffic lights, which I witnessed on numerous occasions, just a few easy time savers and ways to stay comfortable. For example, Edinburgh cobbles are a nightmare, even more so with smaller wheeled bicycle like the Brompton G Line. So, where possible I’m now not averse to hopping on the pavement to avoid them.
Then there’s traffic lights when the sequence changes to allow pedestrians to cross. There were occasions today when I was the only cyclist who didn’t cross during the pedestrian part of the sequence. Should I cross or shouldn’t I cross? Did cross once and felt slightly uncomfortable, though not all that uncomfortable that I might well consider that again.
Not a few riders, mostly men I might add, that I watched didn’t even stop at red traffic lights, regardless of the state of the crossing, though most do slow down/stop and judge the traffic before weaving their way across. The most common riders who don’t appear to have even noticed the traffic lights at all, are young women riding classic style sit-up-and-beg bikes. I really don’t want to witness a serious accident one day.
One -way streets and No Entry signs are something I came across in Edinburgh. One example I came across was when cycling up Fountainbridge, heading for West Port and Grassmarket. East Fountainbridge is one-way and it just seemed simpler to hop onto the pavement and avoid the alternative longer, and more roundabout, albeit correct routes. Did feel slightly bad but not bad enough that I would lose any sleep over it. In fact, I could have cycled on the road as no vehicles approached for the duration of my passing.
Now, dedicated cycle routes are a good thing and let there be many more but I do find them confusing at times, especially when I’m not familiar with them. Those on Leith Walk and along the length of George Street are prime examples. The top of Leith Walk seems to have signage catering for everyone and their granny, including cars, buses, trams, pedestrians and cyclists. I’m pretty sure there was signage for dogs and passing UFO’s as well. And here’s a question, are cycle paths two-way? Food delivery riders seem to think they are!
One issue with my plan for the Edinburgh Roon, that of not taking any other zones during the sessions, that not only to save time and effort but also to try and avoid blocking myself later on, is there seems to be more riding in Edinburgh traffic. The secret to success, in my opinion, is to be bold, claim your place on the road and don’t be timid. Rather than crawling along in the gutter, which tends to encourage drivers to squeeze past you, stay out in the centre of your lane if safe to do so, but move back towards the left if conditions dictate.
Staying visible also helps and here’s what I do, which I do feel helps though I cannot prove that. I wear a bright coloured cycle helmet, a yellow or orange jacket/jersey, have a flashing very bright LED Daytime running lighting on the front and two very bright flashing red LED lights on the rear. The other thing I would advice is to always be aware of what is going on around you, especially to the rear, and also where the traffic is going with regards to where you want to go. The best advise I’ve came across is don’t be a pussy, be a puma!
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