A motorist fears road improvements for cyclists in Dundee’s West End could cause more harm than good in the short-term after work started.
Craig Petrie has been left “baffled” at the give way markings which have been installed recently near to the junction of Perth Road and Glamis Road in Dundee.
A spokesman for Dundee City Council confirmed the new markings were part of the Spaces for People initiative which is trying to promote safer travel for cyclists.
New 1.5m cycle lanes have already been installed on the Perth Road with the local authority advising more signage and construction works are imminent.
‘Accident waiting to happen’
Craig, 45, has raised concerns that the partially-completed improvements may cause an accident due to the lack of clarity on what’s going on.
“I’m just baffled by what has been installed so far. At present I think people may think they may need to stop to let traffic out of Glamis Road,” he said.
“If you are a new road user or not familiar with the area there isn’t much warning at present to explain what these markings are.
“Certainly if I were a new motorist I’d be inclined to stop at those markings at the moment to allow traffic to come out and I fear there is an accident waiting to happen.
“When I initially saw them earlier this week I did start breaking wondering what they were.”
Confusion over road markings
Craig took to popular Dundee social media page “Meh Dundee” to get a gauge of how fellow motorists feel about the new set-up.
Some agreed the partly-completed works gave the impression that traffic heading east on the Perth Road would need to give way to traffic coming from Glamis Road.
He added: “This to me is case and point that the council need to give a clear explanation of what is going on here.
“Like myself, people felt without the addition of any further road markings or signage at present there is confusion for motorists.
“There was some explanation from the post that drivers would need to wait at the give way if a cyclist was in the lane coming along Perth Road if you turned up Glamis Road.
“In any circumstance I’ve encountered previously I’ve always held back before turning left to give the cyclist room.
“I’m all for promoting safer travel for all road users but at present leaving this current set-up in place could cause more harm than good.”
Dundee City Council
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “These markings are just the start of a safety project for cyclists being funded under the Spaces for People initiative.
“More signage and construction work will be carried out soon.”