A wheel- ly huge deal for cyclists
It has been a stain on the conscience of the summer.
And after months of criticism, apologies and finger- pointing, Holmston Road’s cycle lane stands on the verge.
Councillors will today ( Thursday) be offered the chance to call time on a project that most argue should never have seen the light of day.
That it did – without a jot of consultation – has rightly attracted most of the headlines.
Now that it’s here – complete with a catalogue of safety issues – is the mess that needs clearing up.
Few are opposed to the mantra of getting more people on their bikes in this cycle- friendly age.
We are, after all, a nation trying to look after its planet and do all we can to enhance our surroundings.
But there is such a concept as putting the right thing in the right place.
And from day one, it has been evident to everyone but Ayrshire’s Roads Alliance that Holmston Road was NOT the place for this job.
Yet by their own admission, they ripped apart one of Ayr’s arterial roads without so much as a prior study into the impact.
What’s been left is a danger. So much so that some cyclists prefer sticking to the original road layout – creating an even bigger hazard.
To top it all, a string of this region’s highly paid officials had no idea this was going on under their own noses.
The incompetence and farce is almost worthy of its own play at the Gaiety. But sadly this is no laughing matter. Whether it be concerns about emergency crews coming a cropper on the new layout, or protestors on rowing machines, this has been a PR disaster for those who run our roads.
And the far wider issue going forward is asking whether our shared service with East Ayrshire is actually fit for purpose.
Because if this debacle is anything to go by, the deck of cards has collapsed in spectacular style.
Left doesn’t talk to right. And if it does, right sure doesn’t listen.
What the public need now is reassurance.
Reassurance that the people they actually elected can overrule those who they didn’t.
Last week, more than 200 people turned out at a community council meeting in Holmston to vent their feelings. That kind of unprecedented reaction should be a strong enough message in itself.
This Thursday at 10am in Ayr’s County Buildings, our councillors will come together for the moment of truth.
Until this point, they have united from all sides to talk the talk in opposition to the cycle path. The floor is theirs to see whether they will now walk the walk.