North Edinburgh News – Page 2931 – The NEN

Travel advice for rugby fans

Rugby fans heading to watch Scotland in the Autumn Tests this month are being advised to take note of traffic and travel information.

In their first match this Saturday (10 November, kick-off 2.30pm), Scotland are playing host to Fiji and tens of thousands of spectators are expected to flock to BT Murrayfield Stadium for the sell-out fixture.

To ensure pedestrian safety and to minimise traffic disruption, pedestrian diversions will be implemented around the Haymarket Station area over the next three weekends.

The Council is working closely with Police Scotland to keep road and pedestrian traffic moving smoothly before and after the games.

And Edinburgh Trams will be running services to the Stadium from every three minutes, with extra staff on hand to help customers.

Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “The Autumn Tests always create a great buzz in the Capital and we’re anticipating hundreds of thousands of spectators to flock to Murrayfield to see Scotland in action over the next three weekends.

“Please take heed of travel advice and road closure information to help you plan your journey in advance. And go Scotland!”

Road Closures & Restrictions

There are a number of temporary traffic and parking restrictions in place on nearby streets on match days.

Supporters attending any of the fixtures using any nearby on-street parking are advised to check the timings of the road closures as they may be parked within an area that is affected by the various post-match closures.

Access/egress will not be available during the road closure times, including areas such as Haymarket Yards, the Stanhope area, Wester Coates area, Balbirnie Place and parts of the Roseburn area.

Pedestrian Management

To ensure pedestrian safety and to minimise traffic disruption, pedestrian movement will be safely managed around the Haymarket area following the match.

Those heading back into the city centre or Haymarket Station may experience delays due to the available width for the number of supporters heading along this corridor.

Alternative routes back to the city centre are available via Magdala Crescent, Coates Gardens or Rosebery Crescent. Access into Haymarket Station will be managed across the tram tracks. Trams will still be running so members of the public are asked to be patient and take advice from the stewards and Police who are there to ensure their safety.

Unlike previous fixtures there will be NO route back to the city centre/Haymarket Station via Balbirnie Place/Haymarket Yards. Pedestrians heading along Russell Road will be directed to Dalry Road as an alternative route back to the City Centre.

Please note that these diversions will not add any significant length on to pedestrians’ route and will have no affect to journey times as delays to pedestrian movement will be reduced.

These measures are there for the safety of all road users. Further assistance and instruction will be given to rail passengers as they approach Haymarket Station.

Supporters must allow plenty of extra time for their journey to the game. There are plenty of activities to enjoy at BT Murrayfield before the match, with lots of food and drink options available.

Identical arrangements are planned for Saturday 17 November, when Scotland will face South Africa in another sell-out match kicking off 5.20pm, and Saturday 24 November, when the hosts will take on Argentina (kick-off 2.30pm).

Information about getting to and from BT Murrayfield Stadium by bus, tram or rail for the Autumn Tests can be found on the Scottish Rugby website.

Full details of temporary road closures and parking restrictions are available on the Council website.

Scottish parents prioritise careers that make a difference

– Parents say teaching, medicine and engineering are careers where their children could make a difference to the world

– Seven in ten have had a conversation with their child about how their career can make a positive difference to society

– Tomorrow’s Engineers Week starts today to celebrate engineers on a mission to make a positive impact on the world

Scottish parents want their children to have a future that makes a positive difference to society, according to new research released to mark the start of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week. Continue reading Scottish parents prioritise careers that make a difference

MSP urges local employers to sign up to Living Wage

SNP MSP Ben Macpherson has urged businesses in Edinburgh Northern and Leith to sign up to the Scottish Living Wage, as part of Living Wage Week (5^th-10^thNov). Continue reading MSP urges local employers to sign up to Living Wage

Angry People in Local Newspapers

It’s Gogglebox, only pointing at bins and dog poo

What do you do when your bins haven’t been emptied, you’ve got an unfair parking ticket or found a sticking plaster in your takeaway burger? Logic says that you go and complain to the people responsible for this minor outrage in your life.

You would be one hundred per cent WRONG.

The correct response is to go to your local newspaper and be photographed pointing angrily at the thing that displeases you – and that’s the subject of a new book coming out this month from author and journalist Alistair Coleman.

Angry People in Local Newspapers does exactly what it says on the tin, laughing along with the funniest stories of justified rage in Britain’s local press.

It shows Britain (and Australia, and New Zealand) as a tightly-wound ball of rage, where the only release is to have your photograph in your local newspaper pointing at a pile of dog poo.

Take these for example:

“Naked gardener put me off sausages for life” – the tale of a mild mannered lady from the English Home Counties forced to avoid her favourite tea time meat product all because of her exhibitionist neighbour.
“I was charged 8p for brown sauce on my pie” – Possibly the greatest scandal ever to come out of Wigan in the 21^st Century.
“He left a dump instead of a tip” – The sorry tale of an Australian taxi driver who found his fare had left a steaming brown trout on the back seat of his cab.
“We’re sick of this… Residents deliver dog poo to the mayor” – The fragrant story of how locals in one small New Zealand town highlighted the problem of dog mess, complete with one of the greatest photographs ever committed to news print (attached, credit Nelson Weekly NZ)
“Piers Morgan turns down invite to ‘grim’ Dudley” – And what better way to illustrate your dislike for Britain’s most recognisable controversialist that to pose with a Piers Morgan horror mask taped to a stick, giving him a firm thumbs-down? Bravo, then, the Express and Star for mission accomplished.
“Popular American diner to be knocked down and turned into a cesspit” – Because if you’re after an indicator to how badly your life is going, this is it.
“Outrage after Aldi store in Morecambe closes” – It’s the little inconveniences in life that really stir up fury. The branch in question is closing because they’re opening a new, bigger one ON THE SAME STREET. But, as they say, there’s no pleasing some folk.
“Residents’ bollard erection fury” – You didn’t see this. Keep scrolling down. (But bravo to the Canterbury Journal for this utter FILTH)
“Does Billericay have the most expensive public toilet in the UK?” – We’re going to go out on a limb and say “Yes”, only because the person complaining is wearing a trilby and a cravat, and is holding a five pound note.

And to prove that the best seem to be the ones seemingly thrown together with random words and a photo of somebody pointing at something that’s no longer there anymore because it’s been stolen:

“Old man on bicycle stole a book case from our front garden” – More questions than answers, and surely the world’s slowest ever chase scene. That’s the magic of the local press.

Angry People In Local Newspapers is the cult website and Facebook group dedicated to the magnificence of British (mostly) regional journalism, now coming out in book form.

With around 250,000 members, many of whom acting as Official Spotters, it’s a daily round-up of the news that REALLY matters just about to celebrate its tenth year of people pointing at things.

It turns out that most of us don’t care a hoot for high-falutin’ politics – we just want our bins emptied, our pavements free of dog poo, buses to run on time, and (it turns out) Christmas to turn up once a year without it being totally RUINED by low-quality Santa’s Grottos.

APILN is a labour of love for BBC journalist Alistair Coleman, and it’s a big change from his usual beat of uncovering and explaining the global phenomenon of fake news.

“There’s a truth in local news that’s impossible to beat,” he says, “It’s everyday lives, the beating heart of this country. And when we’re annoyed, it’s the place we go to get things put right – and it’s your 15 minutes of fame as promised by Andy Warhol.”

Alistair says that local news is often the launch pad for stories that go viral in the national press and worldwide.

“Back in the day, your local news story stayed local,” he explains, “But now, the power of the internet means that you pointing with a scowl on your face at a dead mouse in a tin of beans can go all the way round the world, translated into every language from Tunbridge Wells to Vladivostok.

“Think of it as Gogglebox, only pointing at bins and dog poo, wrapped in a Union Flag.”

Local news is the where the next generation of journalists is to be found, and it should always play a central part in British life.

“It’s a thing worth celebrating in book form, and we’re pointing and laughing along with the people that make this country great.”

“And we’re delighted that so many editors and publishers see the funny side of the book. We couldn’t have done it without them.”