The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
City cars ‘stealing’ waterfront space
DUNDEE: Nature, cycling and pedestrians not given priority
Dundee’s waterfront has been branded an example of “how not to do it” after a study showed cars are “stealing” more than a third of space there.
The centrepiece of the city’s regeneration was one of three areas targeted in a think tank study which compared space given to car-related use against nature, cycling and pedestrians.
The Scottish Parliament’s Futures Forum said the findings revealed a “depressing dependency” on the private car.
The report was delivered as fresh calls were made to grasp opportunities to improve infrastructure in a bid to reduce cycling deaths in Tayside and Fife.
Mid-scotland and Fife Green MSP Mark Ruskell said Scotland had an “embarrassingly poor” level of cycling infrastructure.
“Until government spending shifts we will remain an example of how not to do it,” he said.
Cycling campaigners say the postpandemic period presents a golden chance to bring in changes to cut the death toll on Tayside roads.
There have been more than 160 recorded cycling accidents across Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross – dozens of them serious – in the past five years. In Angus there were 40 accidents, 13 of which were serious. Dundee saw 67 incidents, 16 serious. Perth and Kinross had two deaths in 2018 among 57 accidents, another 17 of which were serious.
The figures do not include a trio of cycling tragedies which occurred earlier this year involving a Dundee teenager, a popular Perthshire teacher and a former Angus Royal Marine.
A new survey by The Courier has suggested three-quarters of the area’s cyclists have been involved in an accident or near-miss.
Lockdown has seen a rise in cycling numbers, but with the return of cars, vans and trucks to the roads in greater numbers, cycling experts and politicians fear the combination of relative inexperience and a lack of safe infrastructure may create a tragic mix.
North East Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said: “The roads have never been busier with families on their bikes, which is great to see.
“It’s likely that will continue and that should be met with a new post-pandemic approach to our road infrastructure,” he added.
“If we are going to be joined up in Scotland, cash-strapped local authorities need help improving their walking and cycle path network.
“That would also help reduce the number of accidents on main roads.”
In the wake of The Courier survey, which suggested 62% of people in Tayside and Fife think their local cycle routes are poor, the Scottish Greens have also backed calls for greater infrastructure investment.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell said: “The results show there is a real desire for folk to get out on their bikes, but poor infrastructure and high accident rates are putting people off.
“It’s really shocking to see threequarters of people say they’ve experienced an accident or near miss, and we need a real shift in our cities if we’re going to make cycling a long-term option.”
He said many of his constituents in north Fife would cycle to work in Dundee if there was a dedicated cycle corridor over the Tay Road Bridge.
“The Forth Road Bridge has been a huge success for commuters in South Fife, and it’s time we considered similar measures which would reduce traffic in the city and boost people’s confidence in taking their bike to work,” he said.
“I’ve written to the Tay Bridge Board to ask them to look into this option.”