Paisley road named as country’s worst blackspot for bikers

Arkleston junction heads cyclists’table of shame

Cyclists have named a Paisley road as the most dangerous for riders in the country.

Bike charity Sustrans Scotland put Arkleston Road top of its list of 20 collision hotspots.

It totted up the number of accidents recorded at each junction, then weighted the results by the severity of injuries received.

Erskine’s Parkway roundabout took second place on the table of shame.

John Lauder, Sustrans Scotland national director, says more dedicated lanes must be built to cut collisions.

He said: “Safety is often cited as the main reason why people don’t cycle for more of the journeys they make every day.

“This research highlights the importance of having high- quality cycling infrastructure in place at junctions, so that collisions can be prevented.

“We know that better cycle infrastructure increases the feeling of safety and ultimately the number of people on bikes.

“Put quite simply, the more people in a place who cycle, the safer it becomes for everyone.”

The charity probed accidents at junctions across Scotland to raise awareness of dangers faced by cyclists.

A report will be presented to transport experts this week citing the high number of collisions between 2005 and 2014.

The findings took into account population size and the number of purported riders in the area.

The charity says most crashes take place within 20 metres of a junction.

Roundabouts appeared most frequently for cycling collisions, in eight of the 20 national hotspot locations, while seven of the locations were at T or staggered junctions.

Renfrewshire topped the list due to its high census count, but low number of bike riders.

Sustrans Scotland says greater numbers of cyclists in a region increase awareness among road users and pedestrians and are more likely to have improved infrastructure.

Among the roads to make the list are the roundabout linking Barrhead Road and Peat Road in Glasgow; Mearns Road in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire; and the Speirsbridge roundabout in Thornbliebank, East Renfrewshire.