Fife Council is considering all possibilities in the bid to improve a “scary” cycle path dubbed an accident waiting to happen.
Cyclists travelling between St Andrews and Guardbridge have to dodge wheelie bins and overgrown hedges on a narrow section of the route.
And they risk being blown into oncoming traffic or down a steep hill and into a field on blustery days.
The path runs alongside the A91, Fife’s second-busiest road used by more than 1,000 vehicles every day.
And it is a key route between St Andrews and the university’s Eden Campus or Leuchars railway station.
A petition calling for an upgrade now has more than 470 signatures.
However, council officers say they are already well aware of the issue and are pulling out all the stops to find a solution.
Talks with landowners are ongoing
Lead officer Allan McLean said two thirds of the path is fine but the remaining third is substandard.
“We are on common ground here and we recognise the difficulties of this site,” he said.
Mr McLean says the two most obvious options are to either move part of the cycle path or realign the A91.
“Realignment of the A91 would not be an easy matter,” he added.
“We would need to look at whether that would qualify for active travel funding.
“However, the other option would definitely qualify for funding.
“We’ve been speaking, not just to landowners but to tenants as well.
“Some of these discussions are going well, some not so much.
“We’re looking to see what else can be done in the meantime. We have to consider all possibilities.”
Call to cut traffic speed beside St Andrews cycle path
Mr McLean’s comments followed a presentation to the council’s North East Fife area committee by keen cyclist Lydia Cole, who started the petition.
Dr Cole suggested one potential solution would be to reduce the speed of traffic on the A91 from 50mph to 30mph.
And she said: “I’ve been concerned about the safety of this cycle path since I moved to St Andrews six years ago. It’s scary.
“This is a shared path so we have bicycles coming up against pedestrians and sometimes golf vehicles.
Conversation