Underpass Maintenance

[Theseus]

My commute takes me under a railway. This has a large puddle in it that is growing. It is also filling up with rubbish such as rocks, polystyrene, bits of metal sheeting and even some building site fencing. Not very reasurring if you want to avoid a puncture.

Who should be responsible for clearing this lot up? Is it a matter for the railway or the local council?

 

[palinurus]

I'd start with the highways department, you can report issues online.

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, but this is not on a road. I should have made it a bit clearer. This is a pedestrian/cycle underpass. Click on link in OP to see satellite image.

 

[PBancroft]

d'you know, I think it might be YOUR resposibility. It's not a main thoroughfare, so the council won't care. Highways won't give a crap.

Get down there with a bag of gravel and cement and fill the begger. Get the local news there too if you can... You might find someone else takes an interest in filling those holes.

 

[Over The Hill]

It looks to be a defined path so I would guess it is down to the council (same as roads)
If you are pressing the matter make sure you are supposed to cycle along the route and that it is not a footpath only. If so complain as before but dont mention your bike.

Flooded Underpass- you were lucky! Around here we have a nice cycle path out of town, when it gets to a roundabout where it crosses a dual carrageway ring road the cycle path stops and throws you back onto the road to take on the mayhem and buses. This is even though there are four nice underpasses that are about 10 feet wide linking up each side. Apparently it is not up to standard to be a cycle lane! But somehow the roundabout is ok!

 

[goo_mason]

Touche - you ride my route !

I've been in touch with Edinburgh Park Management about this for over two years, and the the council is being as effective as only the City of Edinburgh Council can be. They are making excuse after excuse to EPM and blaming red tape that doesn't exist.

There are a number of other high-ranking people from Edinburgh Park now also getting stuck into the council over the issue. I'll try and remember to PM you some of the details tomorrow when I'm back at work.

It's a right bloody hazard now as you point out; the submerged rusty, sharp metal back of a washing machine will slice anyone open should they hit a submerged rock and fall in. Now that the metal fence has joined it, the cones, the polystyrene chunks, the guttering pip etc it's a veritable slalom.

If we shout loud enough in the meantime, we might get the council to come and dredge all the crap out of the water again (they did it over a year ago to try and placate EPM for a bit longer)

 

[garrilla]

There's an under pass on the ncr56 at Speke by the Jaguar Factory that is flooded with glass. When I use that route I have to carry the bike and wade through the glass on my cleats - scary as hell. Its like Urban Cyclo-X.

I've reported about a dozen times. I've no idea if it ever gets cleared but I suspect the local yobs will just fill it u as quick as its cleaned.

 

[goo_mason]

d'you know, I think it might be YOUR resposibility. It's not a main thoroughfare, so the council won't care. Highways won't give a crap.

Get down there with a bag of gravel and cement and fill the begger. Get the local news there too if you can... You might find someone else takes an interest in filling those holes.

It's not a hole - the underpass is flooded from one side to the other, and it only gets deeper as the winter sets in. The council & the railway couldn't agree who owned the land, but in the end it turned out to be the council.

The underpass is the main thoroughfare for pedestrians / cyclists between Edinburgh Park and Hermiston Gate. Luckily for the peds, they can now climb stairs up to the fairly new railway station, then go up stairs, over the tracks, downstairs and back out on the other side of the line.

You can actually see the flooding at either side of the underpass, and also where it exends into the area where the electricity substation is. It's worse now than it was then, and the area that looks like a dirt path on the bottom of the picture by the underpass is actually about a foot under water now too.

 

[MrGrumpy]

when i first read the OP post i thought thats just down from my work and yes its alot worse than ever, very hazardous to say the least. In winter its gonna be a mare!

 

[Theseus]

As the start os September the rubbish was cleared away, just leaving the large puddle to cycle through. As September & October passed, more rubbish was put down by pedestrians to aid thier crossing. This included wooden pallets.

On Tuesday I rode into work through the usual slalom course, but nearly fell off on the way home at the surprise of finding it clear and dry! A state it has managed to maintain for 2 days now, although I am not sure if this was a full repair of the drains or just work to clear it up.

Either way, a big public thank you to GOO & the management team of Edinburgh Park for thier perserverance. Here's hoping it stays like this.

 

[goo_mason]

As the start os September the rubbish was cleared away, just leaving the large puddle to cycle through. As September & October passed, more rubbish was put down by pedestrians to aid thier crossing. This included wooden pallets.

On Tuesday I rode into work through the usual slalom course, but nearly fell off on the way home at the surprise of finding it clear and dry! A state it has managed to maintain for 2 days now, although I am not sure if this was a full repair of the drains or just work to clear it up.

Either way, a big public thank you to GOO & the management team of Edinburgh Park for thier perserverance. Here's hoping it stays like this.

All I did was sent another in my long list of whinges to City Of Edinburgh Council at the start of the week, and a day later we were able to see the path for the first time in over two years. I noticed yesterday evening that they'd been back again during the day and done more ditchwork further back along the embankment, so perhaps this is more of a permanent solution than I thought after the first day.

Not at work today but perhaps there'll be an email from them waiting for me when I'm back tomorrow.

I have to say it's a pleasure to ride through the underpass without worrying about falling into the fetid water after hitting a submerged rock / stone / old fridge back.