Dunfermline residents force change of track on Aberdour Road

After local residents prompted Fife Council to change track on a new £700,000 cycle lane on Aberdour Road, Jean Hall-Muir said those who use bikes are "very much a law unto themselves".

The Dunfermline Central SNP councillor asked officers if responsible behaviour could be "highlighted and enforced" as part of the proposals and said: "Cyclists do what they want.

"If you provide a cycle lane they go on the road. If you point it out you get dog's abuse from the cyclists as they don't want to hear it from anyone else.

"I would like to see an elevated responsibility from the cyclists.

"If you're provided with a dedicated lane, you're expected to use that and stay in it, but I don't know how much we can do."

Lesley Craig, from the traffic management service, said: "It will be signed for use by cyclists but we can't make people use them.

"It's a mandatory cycle lane that's there for their use but we're dealing with human nature.

"If cyclists are still allowed to cycle on the road we can't enforce against them doing that. We just have to provide what we can and hope they will use it."

Last year the council announced plans for a £700,000 shared use, four-metres wide path on Aberdour Road, from Hospital Hill to the Masterton roundabout, to create a safer route for cycling.

They will replace the narrow cycle lanes that were painted on the carriageway that forced riders to share the road with traffic.

Work on the six-month project began in January and the new shared path between Blacklaw Road and Masterton Road is "substantially complete", however there's now a change of plan for the stretch between Blacklaw Road and Hospital Hill.

Allan MacLean, lead consultant in sustainable travel, told the City of Dunfermline area committee that residents raised a number of concerns and the council are now proposing a two-way, mandatory cycle lane on the south side of the road.

It would be separated from vehicle traffic with bollards, improving safety and give more confidence to cyclists to use the route.

READ MORE: New Aberdour Road cycleway might need to be dug up

Cllr Lynn Ballantyne-Wardlaw said: "One of the reasons cyclists shared with me, as to why they still cycle on the road rather than use cycle lanes, is that the detritus and mess that ends up on cycle lanes damages their wheels and they find it safer on the road."

However Mr MacLean, who said he cycles to work, wasn't having it and said some cyclists were pedalling machines that "wouldn't look out of place in a cycle race" and questioned if they should be used for the average daily commute.

He said had two bikes and added: "If you're aware there's likely to be a small amount of debris on a cycle track it's not unreasonable to choose your tyres accordingly."

The change of plans for Aberdour Road means a new consultation is needed and Mr MacLean said they will "hear a lot more" from local residents, adding that he knew of three who have already raised objections.