Residents in Forres have called for barriers and other safety measures to be installed at two “blind” junctions along a popular cycle route, after reports of a series of a near misses and collisions with motorists, including one where a cyclist allegedly rode “full tilt” into the side of a car after failing to give way.
However, local active travel campaigners have argued that, instead of installing gates on cycle paths and forcing cyclists to dismount, the council should prioritise improving sight lines and narrowing roads, to ensure drivers slow down and have more time to spot people on bikes.
Last week, two Forres locals complained to Moray Council that high hedges and a lack of adequate safety measures at junctions are creating conflict between cyclists and motorists along an off-road bike path which links the town with the Moray coast, the Forres Gazette reports.
According to Donnie McDonald, one junction, where Cassieford Cottages, a narrow country lane close to the busy B9011, intersects with an off-road cycle path, which forms part of the Moray Coastal Trail to Findhorn, has proved particularly dangerous, especially for younger cyclists heading to the beach.
“Cyclists travelling on the Findhorn cycle path towards Forres cross the minor road that leads off B9011 down to the farm at Milton of Grange,” McDonald told the council.
“There is a ‘give way’ sign but occasionally cyclists fly over it without pausing. The view for cyclists and drivers is obscured by a high beech hedge.
“After observing some near misses I emailed Moray Council. Shortly afterwards, a cyclist went full tilt into the side of a neighbour’s car. He was mostly unscathed but the damage to the car cost approximately £2,000. The site at least requires a ‘cyclists dismount’ sign and a split gate.”
He continued: “Younger cyclists with less road sense are potentially at more risk of travelling into the path of motor vehicles.
“The hedge obscuring vision is very high. There are very often HGVs going down to the farm to pick up potatoes. Cyclists who miss the signage could end up under the wheels of such a tractor or lorry.”
In response to McDonald’s complaints, Moray Council confirmed it is currently developing a scheme to “improve this intersection”, with funding secured through a Scottish Government grant.
“Once the design is in place, we will consult with neighbouring properties before moving ahead. We anticipate that both the design and improvement works will be completed within the current financial year,” a council spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Graham Murdoch, Forres Community Council’s treasurer, also told the local paper that he has witnessed several near misses involving cyclists and motorists at the end of another section of the off-road bike path at the tourist attraction Sueno’s Stone.
The site of Sueno’s Stone, a seven-metre tall Pictish cross-slab, also features a shared-use cycle and pedestrian path which links to the Moray Coastal Trail.
However, Murdoch claims that it is “only a matter of time” before a cyclist collides with a motorist after failing to stop at the bottom of the slope that connects the route with the “busy” Findhorn Road.
“Cyclists happily take the sweeping bend off the bridge, freewheel down the slope there, and emerge on the busy road from behind a hedge,” he said. “Drivers have no notice of them before they’re right in front of them.
“I’ve had several near misses, including with a cyclist who was a hair’s breadth away from a collision. We both got a shock when he didn’t realise where the path ended – he avoided my car but ended up on the bank on the other side of the road.
“I’ve flagged this up several times over the last 10 years. The council just points out that there is a warning sign already in place.”
Last week, Active Travel Forres founder Judith Binney visited the junctions in question with a council officer, who noted the road markings and signs currently in place.
“The officer claimed that cyclists should give way to pedestrians at the bottom of the ramp, so they should be going slowly enough to stop but this often does not happen,” she said.
“Barriers at the bottom of the ramp have been suggested but removing barriers to active travel is policy. It was one of the areas identified on Active Travel Forres’ original identification of dangerous areas in Forres.”
Nevertheless, Binney suggested that the junction at Sueno’s Stone could be made safer by narrowing Findhorn Road itself, forcing drivers to use the opposite side of the road, away from the junction with the cycle route, while giving priority to traffic coming from Sueno’s Stone.
“This would slow the cars down, and give more time for them to see cyclists,” she said.
The active travel campaigner also noted that the group is currently prioritising the installation of safe cycle and pedestrian routes to schools and Forres High Street, before focusing on the more rural coastal trail.
Meanwhile, referring to the junction at Sueno’s Stone, Moray Council says it has “allocated funding in this financial year to adjust the layout of the cycle track”.
“We are looking into ways to improve cycling infrastructure in Forres and have submitted a funding application to support this. However, at this time, nothing has been confirmed,” the spokesperson said.
11 thoughts on ““Flying” cyclists riding “full tilt” into cars spark calls for barriers on bike path – but campaigners say road should be narrowed to slow down drivers instead”
Repainting the path markings
Repainting the path markings and forcing the house owner to cut their hedge might be more productive uses of the councils time.
You beat me to it.
You beat me to it.
Seems to me like the high hedge obscuring vision might be the real problem here…
brooksby wrote:
Also – how often exactly does a lorry collect spuds? Once a week when they are in season? I think this is representative of nothing more than the residents own odd concerns.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
Yes, but the other 6 days a week they’re popping down for a kilo of porridge oats.
One local to me has 6 to 8
One local to me has 6 to 8 HGVs with most bringing in spuds from storage or taking out washed, sorted and bagged spuds on a daily basis. He supplies large supermarkets and fast food outlets though. Still only a dozen or so lorry movements a day.
I’ll admit to seeing this is
I’ll admit to seeing this is a somewhat biased manner from the veiw point of someone who thinks that bikes should have precedence in many circumstances and that car driving needs suppressing. There should be much more in the way of slowing down encouragement on the cycle way. Zig zga barriers for example. It is clearly a situatiuon whereby there is no cycle RoW. Narrow the raod a bit as well maybe? As for the hedge. No issue. a) I bet it was there before the cycle way and it is a bit of private property that should not be vandalised to suit a few idiots who don’t ride according to the conditions prevailing. b) ride according to conditions.
mattsccm wrote:
Not quite sure what you mean here – it’s clearly marked as a cycle route.
Zig zag barriers are a pretty terrible solution – they just make it difficult, if not impossible, for those using less manoeuvrable transport to access the route.
Looking at the Streetview history, the cycle path has been there since at least 2008, when the hedge was much lower – only as high as the gate. I wouldn’t be surprised if the house owner had deliberately let it grow higher to obscure the great unwashed passing by.
The road is fairly narrow as it is, although those corners could be tightened up to slow down traffic entering and exiting from the B-road.
The markings could be improved – the give ways on either side in this shot seem to have since been removed or completely worn away.
Why not install a “drivers
Why not install a “drivers get out and push” sign.
Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it.
Got to love how everyone is
Got to love how everyone is concerned about cyclists’ safety when they think their cars might get damaged.
I wonder how many ambulances
I wonder how many ambulances have had to attend for cyclists riding ‘full tilt’ into cars?
(Betting the answer is zero and noone has ridden ‘full tilt’ into a car at all, given how much that would hurt…)
qwerty360 wrote:
Apparently lots, because a road.cc’s “driver pulled out immediately in front of me” / ran into me is quite a few people’s “idiot speeding * cyclist ran straight into the bonnet of someone’s car”.
* Which of course is usually below the speed limit, not that it applies to cyclists, not that those reporting care. And it’s logical – they clearly believe that cyclists should not be going any faster than jogging pace because they will need to stop instantly when drivers pull out because they just do and “you’re better off alive than right – it’s just physics, innit?”