YOU may have read an article in this newspaper a couple of weeks ago about my charity’s concerns about the plans for the new cycle path through Ardrossan.

Sustrans Scotland have partnered with North Ayrshire Council and Ardrossan Community Development Trust for this ‘Ardrossan Connections’ project which will allegedly “improve the experience for everyone using National Cycle Network Routes going through Ardrossan whether they choose to walk, cycle or wheel”.

But the project has raised a number of issues which we as a local charity feel will affect the daily lives of the elderly, disabled, sensory impaired people, dog walkers and families with young children.

We have three main areas of concern: shared paths, continuous footways and uncontrolled crossings – all of which are featured in the new cycle route plans.

Firstly, shared paths are planned for three major stretches in the Ardrossan area; the first being just over a mile along North Crescent Road, the second at South Beach and a third area which will be developed by North Ayrshire Council taking cyclists along a North Beach shoreline.

Now, I can see why many people will not understand why we are campaigning against this, after all cyclists currently ride along Ardrossan promenade instead of using the cycle lane and they haven’t caused that many problems.

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But this is where they are wrong.

Firstly, there have been many incidents involving minor accidents and near misses with cyclists and people who are blind and have guide dogs in this area.

Just a few weeks ago, one of our blind volunteers was walking with their guide dog when a cyclist almost hit them. Veering around them, the cyclist then narrowly missed another blind person walking with a cane.

Apart from being a frightening incident for all concerned, it could have been a lot worse if the guide dog was hit or the cyclist’s wheel hit the mobility cane.

Secondly, the law quite explicitly says that cyclists are not allowed to cycle on pavements, Rule 64 of the Highway Code states this as does the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, Section 129.

In fact, the new changes to the Highway Code which came in this month clearly put pedestrians above cyclists but it seems that shared paths are an attempt to circumnavigate these laws which put the safety of pedestrians first.

READ MORE: Petition launched to halt Ardrossan cycle lane plans

Now imagine for a second that this project is a success and cycle clubs flock to our area. On the one hand, this sounds like great news. But on the other, we will see not just one or two extra cyclists but groups of 10 or 12 in a row – all whizzing past pedestrians, overtaking them from behind and coming towards them.

Now imagine that you have sight loss or hearing loss so you can’t see the cyclists or hear a cycle bell. Or imagine you’ve got a dog on a lead or young children or you have a learning disability or mobility problems. And all of these groups of people have to “share” a path with all of these cyclists. It is, in our opinion, an accident waiting to happen.

But it’s not just our opinion. It’s also the opinion of RNIB (The Royal National Institute of Blind People) and Guide Dogs for the Blind – both of whom are currently campaigning against shared paths. So what’s the solution?

Well, if the shared path is wide enough to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists safely as we’ve been told, why not put a clearly marked cycle lane on it?

This will safely separate cyclists from pedestrians and tactile paving and a brightly coloured cycling lane will alert people with sight loss and other pedestrians where the cycle path is and enable them to stay clear of it. It’s that simple.

So, what about a continuous footway? Well, this is where the pavement continues across a road without stopping. No kerbs and no tactile paving to let people with sight loss know they are on a continuous path.

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Cars and cyclists can still drive along the road, across the continuous path and they should slow or stop for pedestrians but we are obviously concerned that people with sight loss will not realise they are in danger.

Some form of tactile paving would be good to highlight to pedestrians that they are on a Continuous path and vehicles and cyclists could be attempting to cross in front of them.

It would be good if Ardrossan Connections actually connected with RNIB, Guide Dogs and North Ayrshire Sensory Impairment Team to find out exactly what people with sight loss will need to keep them safe.

To be honest, it would have been good if they had done this before they published their plans but better late than never.

And finally, there are the uncontrolled crossings which are planned for Glasgow Street. Now we all know about pelican crossings where you press a button, the traffic stops and the wee green man comes on to tell you it’s safe to cross the road. We also know about zebra crossings where traffic is obliged to stop if you are waiting, allowing you to cross safely.

Uncontrolled crossings have none of these safety features. The crossing is identified by some bollards on the pavement and a dropped kerb which matches one on the other side of the road. If you feel it’s safe to cross, you cross. If you don’t, you don’t.

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The problem with an uncontrolled crossing is that the traffic is uncontrolled, hence the name. It takes the safety out of crossing the road. How can a person with sight loss or someone with mobility issues cross a road safely if the traffic hasn’t been stopped?

According to their website, the whole aim of Ardrossan Connections is to design “a more accessible, safe, and welcoming centre of Ardrossan for everyone”. It will obviously be more accessible to cyclists but it certainly won’t be safe for pedestrians, particularly people with disabilities, the elderly, dog owners and young children. Quite frankly, it’s an accident waiting to happen.

Our charity is called The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety. We work with many vulnerable groups including people with sight loss and it would be remiss of us not to raise these safety concerns.

We don’t want to be the one that says “I told you so” when someone gets hurt (or worse) after this project comes to fruition. Hence the reason for our request to make these project plans safer for all.

If you would like to know more about the work our charity does and the people we help, visit www.ScotCPS.org.uk or search for ScotCPS on your social media pages. Or if you would like to hear of the renovations and discoveries we have made in the former Barony St John’s church hall building, check out my blog at www.ardrossman.wordpress.com

Until next time, stay safe.