Cyclists are risking journeys on a busy dual carriageway rather than use a cycle path, it has been claimed.
Carnoustie residents reported two cyclists using the A92 route on the way to Monifieth on Thursday morning, even though a designated route runs beside the road.
Treasurer of Angus Cycling Club Bryan Williams claimed cyclists will often use roads rather than risk damaging their bikes on the cycle paths.
He said: ”The state of the cycle paths in general is not good.
”There is a lot of road debris and bits of glass on them, where you can risk a puncture and all sorts.”
Mr Williams said there was nothing to prevent cyclists using dual carriageways.
”It’s certainly not illegal but, on the whole, we tend to stay off busy roads, more for comfort than anything else,” he said.
Carnoustie woman Claudia Burgess saw the two cyclists on the A92 and took to Facebook to vent her frustration.
She posted: ”Why put yourself and other road users at risk.
”The road has a 70mph speed limit and if a lorry is in the nearside lane doing 50mph or 60mph and a car is passing on the outside lane, it won’t leave much room for the cyclists.”
Similar concerns were echoed by Dr Kevin Smith.
The Abertay University lecturer, who is a leading figure behind a campaign to have a cycle path built in Dundee’s docks area, said: ”I have observed, as both a motorist and a cyclist on the adjacent path, cyclists on this stretch of road endangering their lives and frequently causing motorists to make a sudden, and hence potentially dangerous, manoeuvre to avoid them.
”It is such cyclists whose sanity seems to be in question. Moreover, given that the law prohibits cyclists from motorways, which seems only sensible to me even though I am greatly in favour of enabling cyclists’ freedom in general, it would seem correct to prohibit cyclists from this motorway-like section of the A92 from Monifieth to Arbroath.”
A spokesperson for BEAR Scotland said: ”We maintain the section of the A92 from Dundee to Arbroath and the cycle path is kept in good order.
”It is generally swept annually and local areas cleaned as and when necessary if broken glass or debris is noted during our regular inspections.
”Despite this some cyclists – particularly long-distance cyclists – prefer to travel on-road.”
Angus Council recently completed a cycle path from Easthaven to the site of the former Dowrie Works in Arbroath.
The path extends from the existing Carnoustie to Easthaven cycleway, which was completed in 2009 and completes a continuous connection between Arbroath and the limits of Dundee.