spurtle.bsky.social

As reported by the Spurtle, we and @ntbcc.bsky.social wrote a joint letter to council officials and committee conveners about the St Mark's footbridge. Letter text readable at the link. Thanks to everyone who helped us get more information about this important topic.

POWDERHALL FOOTBRIDGE.—Community councils call for accelerated action in open letter to CEC Director of Place, T&EC and C&C Conveners: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/communi... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #activetravel

POWDERHALL FOOTBRIDGE.—Community councils call for accelerated action in open letter to CEC Director of Place, T&EC and C&C Conveners: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/communi... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #activetravel

Not from St Mark's Path's regular bridge users it wouldn't. Resources need to be focused on getting the bridge replaced. The railway path would be nice, but the bridge is essential.

POWDERHALL FOOTBRIDGE.—Local frustration at Council closure and subsequent handling of vital active-travel link. Report on yesterday's meeting and joint response by Leith Central and Broughton & New Town Community Councils: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/frustra... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news

POWDERHALL FOOTBRIDGE.—Local frustration at Council closure and subsequent handling of vital active-travel link. Report on yesterday's meeting and joint response by Leith Central and Broughton & New Town Community Councils: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/frustra... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news

I don't think there's room to add segregated lanes to Broughton Rd. Not sure how they would work with parked cars either.

A diversion for people on bikes needs to be set up along Beaverhall Rd, with temporary on-street segregated lanes added to make the connection to MacDonald Rd along Broughton Rd

I’m interested to know (and will be asking my councillors) if the extension of the Chancelot Path over the old rail bridge and on to join up with the path at Restalrig, providing access to Leith Walk and Easter Road, shouldn’t be considered as part of the solution.

Still waiting for a diversion to be in place.

I had naively assumed that the Council would have made public access over Hughes Close a condition of planning. Fairly sure that we we were promised upgrades to the riverside path in St Mark’s several years ago. There has been temporary lighting there in the past

The angled members - the web - play an important role in transmitting forces from one chord - horizontal member - to the other. Reasonable overview here. xtdsteel.com/warren-truss...

It is in essence a Warren truss. The source of the forces are loads on and weight of top or bottom chords, generating compression or tension in the web, forces which are distributed through compression or tension in the complementary chord (i.e. top distributed to bottom via the web, & vica versa).

I may be wrong here but unless the angled members are fixed to each bank of the river they are not load bearing with respect to the bridge itself, they are supporting the side protection only. In fact that force diagram, as shown, is bollocks, forces are not indicated correctly. The bridge is fine!

the member is failing, not the joint. the joint is transferring its forces just fine!. am no structural engineer, but the member & joint don't look like the problem, the source of the forces is. the bridge should be balanced so one of the supports on the bank needs replacing?

I want to specifically call bullshit on the assertion "Engineers say repair of the structure is not an option, given the unpredictability of how stresses would be transferred during the process." A simple joint is failing. Unfail the joint. Stresses will resume doing what they were doing before.

And yet here they are, transferring forces.

you can't hang load on nails, they're fasteners for preventing movement & too weak to transfer forces. members usually transfer force by direct contact. looks like left side is cantilevered, and the down-bending forces are buckling the member & cracks opening at the line of nails. forces are weird

It also seems possible that well-designed metal gusset plates which wrap around the failing wood and extend sufficiently far from the failure points left and right, would ameliorate the failure risk, if only for the short-term until a new bridge is commissioned.

Just me, or is it not obvious that if you lay your wood-grain horizontally, perforate it with two horizontal rows of a dozen holes each, and then hang load on nails though these ... the wood will split?

Section in the report about “diversions” is laughable. Council Officers closed the bridge early in the summer and still haven’t bothered to sort out a basic diversion or even bothered to speak to local residents. I guess they are too embarrassed to do so, and Councillors too impotent to make them.

Thanks for sharing - once again Edinburgh Council helpfully clarifies that they lack the competence and skills to make basic decisions with our money and utilities. Unsurprisingly the report makes no mention of the value of the bridge or how many people used it - because the Council don’t care …

If I was making a multi-million pound decision about how and when to replace a bridge - one of the key factors would be how many people use the bridge - @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social don’t even mention it

POWDERHALL FOOTBRIDGE.—Design life was no guarantee. Council Briefing Note makes some startling assertions. We raise points to ponder: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/footbri... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #PowderhallBridge #Transport #Travel

It feels incumbent on the council to explain at this point — with this public briefing note being out there especially — to explain not only footing these costs, but also to explain why there's no mention of a utilities bridge being proposed to avoid exactly this scenario and cost in the future...

My main question would be why are the council paying expecting to pay City Fibre's costs? They should pay their own way -or maybe they have insurance.

POWDERHALL FOOTBRIDGE.—Design life was no guarantee. Council Briefing Note makes some startling assertions. We raise points to ponder: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/footbri... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #PowderhallBridge #Transport #Travel

The briefing note from @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social is out. Thanks to @ntbcc.bsky.social for hosting and forwarding www.ntbcc.org.uk/here2/wp-con... It's comprehensive, but grim. 😭 @spurtle.bsky.social @edi.bike @spokes.org.uk @robbieainsworth.bsky.social @jackrmcaldwell.bsky.social

NEW HOUSING PLANS FOR HERIOTHILL TERRACE.—First impressions: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/new-hou... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #planning

NEW HOUSING PLANS FOR HERIOTHILL TERRACE.—First impressions: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/new-hou... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #planning

SPURTLE REPORTING ON LEITH WALK CYCLE STATISTICS.—A correction: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/letters/coun... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #cycling

COUNTER ARGUMENT.—Chair of bsky.app/profile/edin... unconvinced by claims for Leith Walk bike numbers. Reader's letter: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/letters/coun... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #cycling #statistics

ISSUE 366 OUT TODAY.—All the facts about everything, everywhere in Spurtleshire. Available in print from shops, pubs, cafes and libraries across Broughton and beyond. Downloadable in pixels here: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news

ISSUE 366 OUT TODAY.—All the facts about everything, everywhere in Spurtleshire. Available in print from shops, pubs, cafes and libraries across Broughton and beyond. Downloadable in pixels here: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news

ISSUE 366 PUBLISHED TOMORROW.—Unhelpful preview contains link to map of Spurtleshire, which helpfully details distribution outlets in Broughton and beyond. Marvel here: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/issue-3...

ISSUE 366 PUBLISHED TOMORROW.—Unhelpful preview contains link to map of Spurtleshire, which helpfully details distribution outlets in Broughton and beyond. Marvel here: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/issue-3...

POLICE APPEAL AFTER SERIOUS ASSAULT (IN AUGUST) ON RODNEY STREET.—CCTV images released of 6 teenage boys who, officers believe, 'can assist with ongoing enquiries'. Details at: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/police-... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #crime

Ok, we're going to change our designation to Yucca Gloriosa @spurtle.bsky.social

Cordyline Australis yucca? Melgund Terrace (I think). @spurtle.bsky.social

As often seems to happen in September after the Festival - litter bins in our part of #Edinburgh get neglected - #Broughton @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social @jackrmcaldwell.bsky.social @spurtle.bsky.social @ntbcc.bsky.social

BLENHEIM PLACE:—Lovely to see Robert Pattinson taking a break this lunchtime from filming in Glasgow. #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #cinema

You either die a smoker, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

On Friday I saw an identically dressed person try to force the door off a cigarette butt disposal bin attached to a wall in West Register Street. Bent it but didn’t succeed in getting access.

BLENHEIM PLACE:—Lovely to see Robert Pattinson taking a break this lunchtime from filming in Glasgow. #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #cinema

@caltonhill.bsky.social Have the CALTON HILL CONSERVATION TRUST published any opinion/statement about the proposed road access through Common Good land on public park area of Calton Hill? FYI @spurtle.bsky.social @edinburghminute.com @ntbcc.bsky.social @threadinburgh.scot @edinreporter.bsky.social

PEOPLE HEARING WITHOUT LISTENING.—David Young deplores another small tear in the fragile fabric of civilisation: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/people-... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #shopping

PEOPLE HEARING WITHOUT LISTENING.—David Young deplores another small tear in the fragile fabric of civilisation: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/people-... #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #shopping

108 DAYS TO GO—But at Tesco Broughton Road, it's already beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news'

108 DAYS TO GO—But at Tesco Broughton Road, it's already beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. #Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news'