A CONSULTANT at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary today branded cycle routes to the hospital a "death trap".
Hospital and Edinburgh University staff have started a petition to force improvements on two routes – Old Dalkeith Road and the cycle path from Craigmillar Castle.
Cars are allowed to park along the road, forcing cyclists to ride outside them, whe
re they have to battle for space with cars, buses and emergency vehicles.
Meanwhile, the NHS Lothian-owned path is a mixture of gravel and steps that become so slippery when it rains it has become known as "the slalom".
Dr Rustam Salman, a consultant neurologist at the ERI, is leading the campaign. He said: "I use Old Dalkeith Road to get to work. It has cycle lanes on either side but that road is a death trap."
As it stands, there are very few restrictions on either side of the road, which means a lot of residents are parking there.
"Cyclists have to travel around the parked cars and hold up traffic, which is a problem, especially for the emergency vehicles.
"The real danger to cyclists is where there's very little space between the parked cars and a traffic island. Cars try to nip around you and you run the risk of being squashed."
Because Dr Salman approaches from Newington, he does not have the option of using the cycle path from Craigmillar Castle. Those who do have fared no better.
Lesley Forrester, a research scientist at the university, said: "It's fine in the council-owned part, but when you get on to hospital land it starts to deteriorate.
"It's rough gravel interspersed with steps. In bad weather it's really slippy. Quite a lot of people use it but more would if the path was in a better condition."
David du Feu, of the Spokes cycling lobby group, said: "When the cycle lanes were first put on Old Dalkeith Road we had a lot of complaints about parked cars.
"After about 18 months we convinced the council to install double yellow lines, but some areas have been left without and these are very dangerous. Gravel is also pretty dangerous in wet weather. A path to the main hospital really should be a major cycling route."
A spokeswoman for the city council said it was constantly working to improve cycling facilities.
She said: "The situation on Old Dalkeith Road continues to be monitored.
Double yellow lines are in place on some sections, but the needs of residents and workers who do not have alternative access to parking must be considered. The council will continue to work with the ERI in a bid to improve the path which runs from Craigmillar to the hospital."
An NHS Lothian spokesman added: "We've an active policy to encourage cycling and all forms of green transport."
The full article contains 474 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
