“A dab of paint isn’t the solution”: New road markings directing cyclists “towards oncoming traffic” on one-way street “an accident waiting to happen”, say locals

The City of Edinburgh Council has insisted that new road symbols instructing cyclists to ride in both directions on a one-way cobbled street will remain in place for at least 18 months, as part of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood trial scheme in Leith, despite some locals describing the markings as an “accident waiting to happen”.

The new painted bicycle symbols, which first appeared last week on Water Street in Leith, a tight, cobbled street which is one-way for motorists, allow people on bikes to ride on both sides of the road.

The markings, which will be introduced on several roads throughout Edinburgh, the council says, form part of the Leith Connections scheme, a project designed to change the district’s streets with “new community spaces and make it more comfortable for anyone walking, wheeling, or cycling” by providing better and safer active travel connections and introducing a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).

However, several locals have complained over the past week that the decision to direct people on bikes “towards oncoming traffic” on a blind cobbled bend is “an accident waiting to happen”, while cyclists have argued that simply adding a fresh lick of paint on the road isn’t enough guarantee the safety of riders in the city.

Lovely! I’m completely confused tho about this 👇One cars width yet a new cycle “lane” heading straight into one way traffic round a curve?! #edinburgh #Leith #cycling pic.twitter.com/3RckdumkOO

— @SLKempLeith (@susanke07511746) June 11, 2023

“As a cyclist, the idea of cycling on cobbles isn’t ideal,” Leith-based cyclist Bruce Kinnaird Scott, told Edinburgh Live.

“To be expected to ride into oncoming traffic on a blind bend suggests the council are simply paying lip service to a much wider problem. There are simply too many people and not enough space to adequately manage traffic safely. A dab of paint isn’t the solution.”

Meanwhile, Leith resident Marsha King described the “cycle lane” as “ridiculous” and said it “perfectly sums up the shambolic changes to many of Edinburgh’s roads”.

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Another local, Colin Avinou, told the Edinburgh Evening News that the markings were “dangerous” and “could easily cause a serious accident”.

“It’s a bit of a rabbit warren here, as you are coming down the street it’s very narrow,” he said. “The arrows are encouraging cyclists to go the wrong way in a one-way street. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

“There is new signage there, but I still think the last thing drivers coming down that street are expecting is a bike coming up that street. I drive a van and obviously vans are a bit wider than a car, so I know how tight that street is already. If a bike is travelling up that street there is no space for a safe distance to pass if a van is coming down.”

He continued: “Speaking as a cyclist also I can’t believe these new markings. There is no way I would cycle up that road. There is a bit of a tight bend on that street and you can’t see a cyclist coming up towards the bend at the same time, and there is no space to escape a crash.

“I just can’t get my head around it. This could cause a serious injury or even a death.”

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Responding to the concerns, the council’s transport and environment convenor Scott Arthur confirmed that the new markings will remain in place for 18 months as part of the trial scheme.

“These measures allow cyclists to ride in both directions on a street that is one-way for cars. We’re introducing it on a number of roads throughout the city and this particular street is part of the Leith Connections project,” Arthur said.

“It’s a trial, and we’re keen to gather views from cyclists and road users to see how they find it. The painted lines complement other changes we’ve made nearby to reduce traffic flow – which incidentally makes improvements like this possible – and the hope is that it will lead to a better, safer, and more connected cycling experience overall.”

The backlash to the council’s decision to paint a few bicycle symbols in Leith isn’t the first time this year that Edinburgh’s local authority has come in for criticism concerning its new cycling infrastructure.

> “Is that the unicycle lane?” Cyclists blast new painted cycle lane that’s “narrower than a pair of handlebars”

In February, a new advisory cycle lane on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk – the home of the now-infamous zig-zag bike lane, roundly condemned itself as a “disaster waiting to happen” – became the latest piece of bike infrastructure in the city to be on the receiving end of widespread social media mockery.

The council’s decision to paint the astonishingly slender advisory cycle lane, right beside tram tracks at the foot of Leith Walk, was taken as part of its Trams to Newhaven project, but was variously condemned by local cyclists as a “death trap”, “narrower than a pair of handlebars”, and as a “unicycle lane”.

> ‘Moronic’: Edinburgh Council to make changes to bizarre zig-zag cycle lane after social media backlash

Most notably, the Trams to Newhaven project also featured the creation last year of a controversial northbound protected bike path on Leith Walk, again the subject of months of criticism and ridicule for its non-linear “zig zag” layout, potential for conflict between cyclists and pedestrians, and the installation of large planters on the pavement.