Ardrossan charity chief’s concerns over ‘dangerous’ shared paths

The shared paths are part of their Ardrossan Connections plans in partnership North Ayrshire Council and Ardrossan Community Development Trust.

Alan Bell acknowledged that large parts of the plans would see great improvement to the area, but shared paths in particular were a major area of concern.

The charity Mr Bell works for regularly have sensory impaired people attend their Barony St John Centre on Princes Street in Ardrossan and fear that the Connections plans for shared paths will be a danger to these and other people with disabilities.

He said: “The idea of shared paths is that anyone can use them, people with small children, dog walkers, blind people with guide dogs, sensory impaired people, wheelchair users and cyclists.

“Our concern is that an increased volume of cyclists would pose a danger to these people if they were sharing a path without a clear cycle lane.”

The Ardrossan Connections plans for the cycle route are currently open for public consultation via their website which has the following description of the concept of shared use paths: “Shared spaces, such as on a shared use path, are successful because you move away from reliance on ‘rules’ and recognise the importance of creating conventions based on human interaction.”

Mr Bell said: “I am particularly concerned by this statement which seems to admit that Sustrans Scotland and North Ayrshire Council want to ignore the ‘rules’ and plan shared paths anyway.

"Rules are there for a reason – to keep people safe.”

He made a complaint after his findings after seeing an earlier map detailing all the Ardrossan town centre shared paths in the proposed plans.

He said: “There were about six or seven in Ardrossan however this has since been removed so there is no way of seeing how many shared paths are actually planned for in this project.”

Scottish Centre for Personal Safety are not the only ones to raise concerns, with campaigns against shared paths previously mounted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

A website statement read: “We’re concerned that shared space schemes don’t make streets safer and more accessible for blind and partially sighted people, they make it worse.

“Shared surface streets are dangerous for people with a vision impairment, who rely upon the presence of the kerb to know they are on the pavement and not in the road.

"Guide Dogs has been campaigning against the use of shared surface streets as part of our ‘Streets Ahead’ campaign.”

The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety launched their own campaign against shared paths by questioning the aim of Ardrossan Connections from their website.

It says: “Their aim is to design ‘a more accessible, safe, and welcoming centre of Ardrossan’.

“We feel that highlighting the danger shared paths pose to people with disabilities, the elderly, dog owners and young children, will show Ardrossan Connections’ plans are anything but accessible, safe and welcoming.”

Sustrans reply:

Mr Bell brought his concerns to Sustrans Scotland who have since provided a reply to the concerns raised.

Cat Wright, the behaviour change officer with Sustrans, said the team have met with members of the access panel to discuss the initial designs.

Any comments made at this meeting will be taken forward when refining the designs further in the process, which would include feedback from those with visual impairments.

She said: “The main reason why this campaign came about, was the amount of comments received regarding the South Beach shared use path. 

“As this is out of the project area for Ardrossan Connections  – and North Ayrshire Council would like to promote the path as a space for everyone – segregation is not something we would propose in this project.

“However, I did want to recognise these comments and promote best practice on these paths, to help everyone feel safe and comfortable when using them.”

She added further clarity to the issues raised about who would be using the paths and concerns regarding cyclists and other potential path users.

She commented: “We are not promoting cycling or electric scooter use on pavements. The shared use paths that we are referring to are ones already in existence (South Beach promenade and North Cresecent Road).”

“Our design also includes segregated cycles lanes on Princes Street, Glasgow Street and Barr Street – this is to allow people to be separate from traffic and feel safer when cycling and therefore, don’t need to cycle on the pavements anymore.”

Eilidh Russell, Project Lead, Sustrans Scotland also added: “The Ardrossan Connections project aims to ensure that people feel safe when walking, wheeling or cycling in Ardrossan.

"Sustrans believe that shared use paths can provide a safe space for everyone to travel, relax and unwind in. We are proposing to improve the shared use path in only one area - North Crescent Road and would work with the community to ensure people are considerate users for the safety of others.

"For the rest of the project area, we are proposing segregated cycle lanes which will improve the safety of cycling in Ardrossan and widened footways, which will improve the safety for walkers and wheelers.

 “We are keen to hear everyone’s views so please view and feedback on the designs on our website or pop into the MOKA, the Cherry Cup and Saucer or Ardrossan library to fill out a paper survey."

A drop in event to discuss the designs with the team is due to take place on Friday, February 4 where Ardrossan residents can ask any questions and speak with the project team. To sign up for the event visit https://tinyurl.com/yamre6w7 .