The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘World-class’ £9m coastal path project
The creation of a walking and cycling route between Broughty Ferry and Monifieth will be a “worldclass asset”, according to Dundee Cycling Forum.
On Monday, Dundee City Council’s city development committee agreed to start a consultation with the public which could lead to the creation of a direct walking and cycling route between Dundee and Angus.
The £9 million project would see the coastal path upgraded with new street lighting. Connecting Windmill Gardens to Castle Green, it would create a new bridge over the Dighty Burn.
Donald Baddon from Dundee Cycling Forum said: “People will be attracted to come to Dundee because it is a fantastic, scenic route.
“It will be a world-class asset for Dundee and the design is fantastic... The only disappointment is the path will not be segregated for the full length.
“A consultation asked path users what they wanted, and the walkers wanted to be segregated from the cyclists.
“That is being done on the Esplanade part, but not for the full length.”
A number of concerns were raised at the meeting on how much the proposal would increase traffic on the surrounding streets.
Part of the proposals could see Mill Street in Broughty Ferry closed off to cars, which would be rerouted via Brook Street.
However, council officers said the impact would be “negligible” and insisted it was important to “redress transport hierarchy” in the city in favour of sustainable modes of transport.
Speaking at the meeting, Ewan Macnaughton, head of sustainable transport and roads at Dundee City Council, said: “It is part of the Scottish Government’s objective to reduce car use by 20% and increase sustainable forms of transport.
“The displacement effect is negligible because there will be no increase in traffic generated by this proposal – it is a minor rerouting.”
The proposal was passed unanimously by councillors and will now go out to the public as a consultation.
If no objections are received from residents, work on the project is expected to start in the spring.
Meanwhile, Tayside Contracts will begin upgrading the street lighting between Stannergate and Douglas Terrace in June, and this is expected to take around three months to complete.