You possibly have about half a dozen copies of the same enquiry from me through the Council website or you have none at all. The reCaptcha on the enquiry form kept failing and I tried a few times. Anyway, I'm trying to track down some information about cycling to school. I accept it's a little premature but the discussions of cycle safety currently focused on Pedal on Parliament have prompted me to look into the options for my son to cycle to school when he moves up to Woodmill High School. The issue is a little distant just now. Ewan is currently 8 years old and attends Limekilns primary school. He currently walks to school but I’d like him to be able to maintain regular activity and cycling to school would be a good way to do that. We regularly cycle as a family so the distance from home to Woodmill would not in itself be a problem. I'm looking for suggestions about a safe route.
My consideration of his potential routes to school have also been prompted by my recent journeys taking our daughter to nursery by bike. I ride from Limekilns to the Careshare nursery at Carnegie College using what I think is the safest route and avoiding traffic as much as possible. The route I use is somewhat problematic because it crosses the A985, traverses very rough and muddy land from Pattiesmuir to Primrose Lane and relies on me knowingly (and illegally) riding on pavements along Primrose Lane, around the small roundabout at Primrose Lane / Queensferry Road and the main Pitreavie roundabout before I can join the shared path on Carnegie Drive (at least I think they are shared paths) up to the new developments around Duloch. I must say that the shared paths around Duloch are a real pleasure to cycle on.
The routes from Limekilns to Woodmill suggested by Cyclestreets (journey no 2009980) seem more problematic. One possibility would require my son to cross the A985 and go through the farmland at Pattiesmuir to Primrose Lane. However, it would then require him to cycle along Grange Road to the gasometers, cross into Izatt Avenue, crossing Hospital Hill and then winding through residential streets to Clunie Road and up to the school.
This route is problematic because it is both inconvenient and dangerous. The inconvenience is mainly in the very poor surface along the shore at Limekilns. It is unlit and often wet and muddy. The section of farm track from Pattiesmuir to Primrose Lane (which seems on maps to be called Primrose Road) is also unlit and in an extremely poor state. I cycled it on Friday and had to cycle through puddles so deep that in parts my shoes were under water.
From my perspective, this route has two main danger points for any cyclist, but especially for a youngster.
- Crossing the A985 at the end of the Windylaw Path is difficult because it requires a good distance to be clear of traffic in both directions. At busy times, this is almost impossible as most of the time traffic is speeding along this road. I’m reasonably happy crossing the A985 with my bike and my daughter in her trailer, although I tend to do that at a quieter time than my son would need to if he were to get to school by 9am. Crossing back in the evening would be equally, perhaps more, dangerous.
- Grange Road is notoriously dangerous and since I would not cycle it myself, I wouldn’t expect my son to.
The alternative route from Limekilns would be to join the A985 and use Limekilns Road, Nethertown Broad Street, Woodmill Street, Woodmill Terrace and Woodmill Road. I think none of these roads would qualify as a safe route for a child at morning or evening rush hours.
I realise that it will be a few years before son would be making the journey to High School and perhaps there are plans to make cycling from Limekilns a viable alternative to either being driven or taking the school bus. I would certainly hope that the choice would be available not only to school children but other people who would like to make cycling a positive transport choice instead of becoming increasingly dependent on cars.
What advice would the Council offer me to make it possible for my son to cycle to school?
Best wishes
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