Edinburgh's new road layout is causing huge problems for cyclists – Hayley Matthews

I've just seen a second cyclist knocked off their bike in the space of a week.

Cycle lanes need to be carefully designed (Picture: Mikael Damkier)

It was at the same spot that I saw the first cyclist lying on the road. I can't help wonder how many others will be hurled to the same fate.

I’m no traffic specialist, however, I can see that there is a huge problem with a lot of the new layouts that have been added to the roads recently.

We have a cycle lane that runs in between the bus stops and pavements on a very busy road. Not only is it really dangerous for people getting off the bus, who need to cross the cycle lane to get to the pavement, it is also really dangerous for the cyclist.

Parked cars line the road outside the cycle lane so when drivers are about to turn into a side street, they have a blind spot for cyclists in the lane. This is where I think the issue is and why so many cyclists are being knocked off their bikes. It’s hard to explain, take yourself down to Piershill and have a look for yourself, it’s utter madness!

The only positive I can take from these incidents is community spirit. Both times people rallied round to help.

One driver, who was more distressed than the guy who’d come off his bike, gave the cyclist a wad of money in compensation. He was adamant that he wanted to make sure the cyclist was OK – if only such kind and caring people were the ones project-managing the road system in the city.

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