TIGHTER controls on speeding cyclists along the Union Canal towpath are being proposed amid fears that a pedestrian will end up in the water.
Regular users of the path are calling for action following a series of "near misses" which they say have resulted in cyclists and pedestrians almost coming to blows.
After complaints from local residents, Merchiston Community Council is calling f
or British Waterways, which is responsible for the towpath, to introduce signs instructing cyclists to stick to just one side of the path in an effort to prevent accidents.
Merchiston resident Ian Doig, who regularly walks along the path with his wife, says he has experienced several near misses, and tension between cyclists and pedestrians.
He believes a simple measure like having one side for walkers and the other for people on bikes would solve the problem.
He said: "The problem is that no-one seems to know where they are supposed to be. If there was a line down the middle it would make things a whole lot easier.
"My wife and I were out walking last week and came across a cyclist coming towards us.
"It was difficult getting past and he became aggressive, shouting and swearing at us."
Bridget Stevens, who chairs Merchiston Community Council and regularly runs along the path, said the proposals were not designed to alienate cyclists but to ensure everyone could use the towpath without any danger.
She said the community council hoped to apply for a grant to pay for signs along the path. "The towpath has been resurfaced recently which is fantastic, but it's getting a bit congested with a lot of cyclists using it.
"There have been concerns raised about this and reports of near misses, so it seems to make sense to designate the right side, for example, for cyclists.
"The problem is, no-one seems to want to give way and one day someone is going to fall into the canal or be pushed in.
"The towpath is used by a variety of people, including runners and families with pushchairs, so given the fact that there are more and more cyclists using it too, it would make sense to put a sign up asking them to be aware of the other users."
Ian Maxwell, a member of Lothians cycle lobby group Spokes, admitted there was a problem, but said the best way to deal with it was to educate cyclists. He said: "We know that a few cyclists might be causing problems there, and in all our publicity we say cyclists should give way to pedestrians on this route.
"The path surface has been greatly improved and this has led to a tendency for people to go fast, but cyclists have to be aware that a canal is not a motorway."
Derek Ainsley, of the Canal Society, said complaints about cyclists on the path cropped up quite frequently.
He added: "It's one of these recurring problems and it's something that we could take up with British Waterways."
A spokesman for British Waterways said: "It's important that cyclists use the towpath responsibly. There are guidelines and cyclists should keep their speed down, give way to pedestrians and sound their bells when coming along the towpath."
