Subsidence at roadside off Station Road EH12 7AF

Ref: 13/01606/FUL

Demolition workers taking down the former GRO warehouse buildings at 35 Station Road, Corstorphine, have removed the entire length of the boundary / retaining wall between that site and The Paddockholm estate next door.

As a result the ground alongside the roadway next to no. 25 Station Road is collapsing. The photograph below shows the soil perceptibly easing away from the kerb stones after the heavy rains over the past weekend of 7th / 8th June 2014.

The next photograph below, taken from the demolition site, shows the other side to the roadway / shrubbery with the Tesco carrier bag marking the location of the previous shot. Note the appreciable change in ground level.

The next two photographs provide an impression of the way in which the shrubbery and its roots have been undercut and the associated slumping of soil.

Finally, this last photograph taken farther along the same roadway shows the ground adjacent to it has almost completely gone aided, at least in part, by the recent deluge with gravity doubtless accounting for the rest. A strip of communal land approximately 1.2 metres wide belonging to the proprietors of The Paddockholm estate has been largely lost here, and along the length of the now obliterated boundary line.

Clearly, if this process is allowed to continue the road itself is likely to be undermined, if it has not already been so that is, and as a consequence might well collapse under the weight of any vehicle(s)?

NB This is the Emergency Services alternate access to The Paddockholm estate of 122 houses and flats so must surely remain serviceable at all times?

Cyclists - do you have to stop at a zebra crossing?

I am pro-cyclist, but there are occasions like this afternoon when I do question that stance.

I was crossing the zebra crossing on Gylemuir Road EH12 with another pedestrian just behind me and had reached halfway when I realised that an approaching adult male cyclist looked as though he was unlikely to stop, so I therefore paused and sure enough the cyclist cut in front of us both with a cheery "Hello!" in passing. He then mounted the pavement farther along the street, cycled to the access to Tesco Extra Corstorphine, and proceeded to ride along the footpath, at the front of the store, which was busy with late Saturday afternoon shoppers.

By chance, I caught up with him at the cash machines so I asked him, "Does the Highway Code not apply to you?". To which his  response was, "Nope, especially pedestrians.". Admittedly, it was a candid response, but I did not discuss it any further with him as it seemed futile.

Looking online, however, the answer to my question - Do cyclists have to stop at zebra crossings? - is not as clear-cut as I had first thought. For instance, the Highway Code section for cyclists seems to be more concerned with cyclists crossing zebras than whether they should actually
stop for pedestrians on them? Then there is this
from the UK Cycle Rules website which talks about according precedence to pedestrians on zebra crossings - "you don't have to stop".

Regardless, in my view it is simply best practice and good manners for cyclists, rather than riding in front of them, to give priority to pedestrians who are midway or farther across a zebra by stopping and allowing them to reach the pavement before setting off again?

I, of course, do accept that only a tiny minority behave like the gentleman this afternoon. The issue for all sensible cyclists though is that such people spoil things for the responsible majority?

Archive photograph of Gylemuir Road EH12 showing zebra crossing plus Tesco Extra store frontage and car park.
Highway Code Rules 64, 195