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Edinburgh working on emergency infrastructure to protect cyclists at location where rider was killed this week

“Enough is enough” says city’s transport convener following second fatality involving a lorry at same junction in less than two years

An Edinburgh councillor has said that the city is working on bringing in emergency infrastructure to protect cyclists at the location where a woman was killed earlier this week while riding her bike, the second cyclist fatality involving a lorry there in less than two years.

Heather Stronach, aged 36, was killed in the crash on Monday on Portobello High Street close to the junction with King’s Road and Sir Harry Lauder Road.

In a statement released via Police Scotland, her husband Martyn said: "Heather loved to ride her bike. I am feeling pretty lost. I have lost my best friend and my soul mate."

The location of the fatal collision is on the same stretch of road where Edinburgh University PhD student Stuart Elliott lost his life last year in a crash involving a lorry.

> Donations flood in for pregnant partner of cyclist killed in Edinburgh

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, the city’s transport and environment convener, said on Twitter that her thoughts were with Mrs Stronach’s family and friends, before going on to outline  

She said: “Everyone who cycles in Edinburgh, or anyone who is sympathetic to vulnerable road users, will no doubt share a number of emotions in reaction – enormous sorrow, anger that we have seen yet another fatality on our roads, fear of similar accidents and frustration that we cannot eliminate this kind of risk to those who simply want to cycle around our city.

“As the council and the roads authority for the city we have already started to work closely with the police to understand what exactly happened and what measures we can take at this location.

“Clearly, we cannot comment at this time about the precise nature of the cause of this tragic incident while that investigation is ongoing.

“What I can say however is that this is being taken extremely seriously and that over the next few weeks we will identify possible measures that can be put in place quickly at this location and also examine quickly what longer term measures could produce more substantial changes to the junction layout.

“There is already ongoing design work in response to last year’s fatal accident and we will of course build on that,” she continued.

“I acknowledge the very understandable demands for us to move fast on such actions and to find quick solutions. Junctions such as these are however incredibly complex and engineering solutions inevitably take time.

“Design changes have to follow established, sometimes legal, procedures before they can be implemented, and I recognise the frustration that that brings for everyone who wants and should be able to expect safe cycling conditions.

“I have spent yesterday evening and today in discussion with senior council officials about how we make significant changes to allow us to move more quickly and further in finding workable, effective solutions for vulnerable road users.

“We are already reaching out to organisations who can help us make progress in this.

“We have seen too many needless casualties on our roads in recent times,” the councillor added. “Enough is enough.”

Sergeant Mark Banner, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Unit, said: “We are still appealing for anyone who witnessed this incident, either shortly before or during, to contact us.

“I'd also ask drivers who were in the area around 2.45pm to check their dash-cam footage.”

Anyone who has information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 1829 of 2 November 2020.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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9 comments

Avatar
eburtthebike | 3 years ago
5 likes

Perhaps we need to change the approach of road safety from counting the bodies to analysing the risk, like at least one Scandinavian country does.  If roads were looked at from the point of view of vulnerable users, peds/cyclists, the risks could be designed out before people get killed, not after.  This is how every other safety system works, and we have a vast knowledge base of what makes roads dangerous or safe for vulnerable users, and we could apply it.

They could start by making the Non-Motorised User Review, Cycle Audit and Cycle Review mandatory rather than optional.

EDIT; just been reminded of this excellent vid: Systematic Safety: The Principles Behind Vision Zero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aNtsWvNYKE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR...

 

Avatar
Bentrider | 3 years ago
2 likes

Elsewhere, the council have been repainting cycle lanes on Causwayside over the last couple of days; some sections now have solid lines.  I came down the road today as the workmen were packing up.  One 50 yard stretch of road had double yellows and a solid lined cycle lane.  It was covered in parked cars!

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
1 like

Looks like a horrible mess of a junction on Google maps.  Let's hope they can fix it.

Any locals understand why it's so dangerous?

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TheBillder replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
8 likes

I'm local. Very few of my friends will ride through there because it's very unpleasant at the best of times. 5 way junction, 4 of them busy, lots of large vehicles, and close to a bus garage so lots of stationary buses as drivers change over - using the bus lane, and hence the cycle lane, to do this on one of the approaches. It's also the main route out of the city from the port of Leith and some light industrial estates.

Although I don't know the details of this tragedy, the design is awful - very 1980s, with fenced off pavements, high kerbs and frankly nowhere to go if you get squeezed between the edge of the road and a bus or lorry. Genuinely no chance of bailing out, just the fence and the vehicle and you between the two. And the lanes are tight, it's not easy for large vehicle drivers either if turning south from Portobello High Street.

The only way to get through is to take the lane and never give it up, and you need to be pretty brave to do that, and experienced enough to know how. Once you get through the junction there are lane mergers to deal with too. It's pretty nasty in a car. Used to be a roundabout which in some ways was even worse.

There are pedestrian crossings, but one of those nearby also has a bad safety record.

I'm actually really annoyed at this councillor for saying "we cannot eliminate this risk". There's no cannot about it - they just haven't. We knew this was a bad place and it's not the first time. As a start they could cut down most of the railings. Secondly put bloody great signs up saying that people die here so take care or go the other way until the council pulls its finger out.

I don't know the victim or family but it's an utterly horrific, senseless tragedy and my heart goes out to them.

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HoarseMann replied to TheBillder | 3 years ago
3 likes

Just had a look at it on google maps, a truely awful junction. Horrendous design, so sad there's been another tragedy.

This bit seemed particularly bad to me, the ASL feeder cycle lane encourages cyclists to pass left turning vehicles on the inside - and even worse, all HGV traffic is directed to turn left, it's signposted as the heavy vehicle preferred route. As TheBillder says, your bailout options are none, just a high kerb and railing with a drop on the other side.

https://goo.gl/maps/8PqdzRpmATX2jXei8

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EK Spinner replied to HoarseMann | 3 years ago
1 like

Just had a look, its amazing there have only been 2 fatalities, it is awful

 

reminds me of this one in Glasgow, cant get link to work
 

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OldRidgeback replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
0 likes

It's a nasty junction and the traffic volumes can be very heavy there at peak times. I know it well, though I don't live in Edinburgh any more. My brother used to live nearby so I used to go that way very regularly. The junction is complicated and there are lots of lanes and vehicles trying to get into the correct lane. It is wide enough to have a separate cycle lane there.

TheBillder is correct, it was even worse when the roundabout was there and I remember cycling through that many times. I drove that way with my sister when I was in Edinburgh last time and there was a big traffic queue, even though it was after rush hour.

It's not nice to drive through even.

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alchemilla | 3 years ago
7 likes

It's a pity one cyclist death wasn't enough for any action to be taken, and a second person had to die before anyone in authority decided 'enough is enough'. They'd better get on with it quickly before there are any more at this location.

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HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
2 likes

Very sad. Although changes aren't instant, councils often waste an excessive amount of time and this is the result.

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