Roadworks

The good news is that it looks like the work at Ploverhall could finally be nearing a close, this morning it looked like the whole junction had been resurfaced. The bad news being that yet another hole has appeared at the foot of Liberton Brae which must be one of the most dug up bits of road in Edinburgh!! traffic was backed up to Alnwickhill this morning..

They obviously realised that traffic might actually start moving (heaven forbid!) on the A701 so had to do something to stop it. No wonder most people now head up to the A702 which is so much quicker due to the lack of traffic lights and roundabouts - for the moment anyway

6 MONTHS!!! Yes, 6 months since the work started on the A701 and it's not much better now than it was then, at Milton Bridge the junction might be better but there the road markings at terrible towards the roundabout. Ploverhall, why do we still have temporary lights when to me it looks like they could either make the new lights live or revise the temp lights to allow two way traffic. I've still no idea of what the plan is at Old Pentland, at least here though the traffic can still flow (so far anyway). Lets hope the planners and workers here have nothing to do with any large scale projects!

Certainly they won't win any awards for quick or quality workmanship. The lights at Auchendinny don't seem to be on all the time while the ones at Gowkley Mess and Bilston have never been on when I pass them. I see the completion date given on the Cooncil website has now moved back to July - wonder if any bookies are taking bets on that being missed?
At least it is only taxpayers money they are spending!

As musicman says I can't understand why we can't have two way traffic lights even temporarily until they can finish it off. I just can't think of a good reason not to do it as it would not take much effort

As if it wasn't bad enough with the traffic lights at the old Ploverhall roundabout, now the roads people have decided to make things worse by putting up traffic lights at Bilston

To me "roadworks" implies a temporary situation that is expected to pass in a reasonable time and that normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. This, on the other hand, seems to be a totally half-cocked mess of ideas thrown together as an alternative to the A701 re-alignment, almost as though we need to be taught a lesson in humility. "Let's take a well operating stretch of road and see how we can f**k it up. Oh, and let's also plan it really badly so it takes ages and causes maximum disruption". There was a sign apologising for delays in the work due to utilities having to be rerouted - well, duh... should have thought of that one, eh? A couple of extra roundabouts would have done, as long as they weren't laid out like Gowkley Moss, which has a weird radius curve on an opposite camber - what's that all about? Then there's the pathetic wee stretches of bus lanes - have buses really had a problem, and who's going to enforce them? I want answers! Help me, I don't understand!

You are not the only one, ironlung! Now it seems like the work at Ploverhall is almost complete but they have still not activated the lights while the new crossing at Bilston is still not operational. I would not be surprised if they wait until the school holidays begin to switch it all on then declare it as a great success when traffic flows very well (largely due to the reduction which always happens outside term time).
The work outside IKEA just seems to plod along with very little change when I pass there each weekend.
Does anyone know how much the whole project cost, would also be nice to know original budget and timescale to compare with the ACTUAL ones - probably all big numbers.

Does anybody else ever wonder if all this tinkering with road layouts and the introduction of safety measures might be - as well as inconvenient - potentially downright dangerous?

I'll try to explain. When I'm driving on roads unfamiliar to me, I reckon there's some unconcious alert in my head that makes me take additional care.

However, when driving on roads (once) familiar to me, while I know I should be careful at all times, somehow, the "alert" goes from red to amber. Any new feature is just dangerously confusing.

When they added a third lane on that stretch by IKEA, there were a couple of occassions when driving towards Edinburgh when I treated the middle lane as an overtaking lane. And we all know about the poor sods who, confronted at the Gowkley Moss Roundabout, turned right to get to Roslin.

You're not the only one that has found the roadworks at Ikea confusing. I've heard the same from others. What really annoys me is when you are just getting used the the layout, they move the cones about to confuse everyone

Now that the lights have finally been switched on at Ploverhall, I now know what they meean by "bus priority measures". It seems that every time a bus gets near to the lights there or especially at Auchendinny, they turn red, usually causing the driver to brake quite sharply.
Thanks very much whoever dreamed this scheme up - certainly stops you getting bored on this part of the long journey!

"usually causing the driver to brake quite sharply"

Recently I've found that bus drivers manage to do this anywhere not just at the new lights!

The question I have though, is there any sensible reason of locating bus stops at the traffic lights?

The new lights at Ploverhall seem to be working much better now and they seem to have adjusted the ones at Auchendinny now so they allow A701 traffic priority.
Now we just need to see how the IKEA section turns out when they finally get it completed.

I'm still trying to work out the purpose of the thick white line that has appeared between the dual carriageway and the bus lane at Gowkley Moss roundabout

I am particularly fond of the tiny wee bit of yellow boxing at the wee roundabout - it is obviously the answer to every bus passenger's woes.

Ha! Just when you thought it was safe to venture out onto the the A701, they've done it again We now have some more temporary traffic lights to entertain us at Ikea. Let's hope they don't take as long as they did with Ploverhall to do what they need to. Oh, and they must have heard me as that thick white line has now gone

This latest bit of work at IKEA now means it is quicker getting the 37 bus rather than the 47 / X47 due to the holdups around Straiton (as I discovered on Tuesday to my cost)
When the work is eventually finished we will wonder what is wrong but no doubt they will come up with something else to cause delays and frustration for travellers

I had to take the car into the garage at Seafield today. I tried to avoid roadworks as much as I could but it was impossible. No matter where you go they'll hold you up somehow

Shock, horror - Its now the 1st of August and yet again the deadline for having the work on the A701 has passed and still the road at Ikea is a pathetic and dangerous excuse for a bit of road - How long must we put up with this? Is it one man and his wheelbarrow!

Place your bets now....which will be finished first??? the Edinburgh tramworks OR the A701 bus priority facilities OR the B7003 Roslin Glen road!!!

The road resurfacing at IKEA seems to be finished but no sign of them doing anything else there at the end of last week when I went past. I also see that it is not mentioned any more on the council traffic news page.
Will it be finished this year???

No doubt there will be some other excuse. Perhaps they're waiting on the painters to do the road markings or electricians to fit the lights. I still don't understand why they need to have lights. For the amount of traffic coming from Damhead or Ikea the roundabout seemed fine

The new bit of road is open heading towards Straiton, one lane only so there is some progress - how long it might take them to change all the road markings though is anyones guess, although I reckon it will be timed to coincide with the opening of the park & ride.

This morning I was heading past the Sheriffhall roundabout towards Asda. The tailback of traffic coming in the opposite direction was horrendous. It stretched from the A720 all the way to Sherrifhall roundabout

when we went to Straiton last week it looked like they are putting traffic lights at the bit they are working on at IKEA No idea what it is suppose to be as so confusing. There looks like another set of lights at the new park and ride. We started to count the new lights from Penicuik to Straiton but gave up. Wonder if they are planning on doing anything with the Sains roundabout as i hate that one it always feels to small for the amount of traffic it takes