Scotland's 20 worst cycling collision blackspots named

Sustrans Scotland has named the junction of Arkleston Road and the A761 Glasgow Road in Paisley, Renfrewshire, as the most dangerous in the country for cyclists.

While two locations in Edinburgh each saw more collisions, they were rated less hazardous by the sustainable transport charity given the levels of cycling in the capital.

In Edinburgh, cycling accounts for 10 per cent of trips compared to between 1 and 2 per cent elsewhere in the country according to the findings, published in Scotland on Sunday.

They follow research published last February The Sunday Times that identified the roundabout at the north end of London's Lambeth Bridge as the most hazrdous place for cyclists in Great Britain.

> Britain’s worst 'blackspots' for cycling casualties revealed

Sustrans says that doubling the rate of cycling reduced the risk of being injured in a road traffic collision by about a third due to the safety in numbers effect.

John Lauder, Sustrans Scotland national director, said: “Safety is often cited as the main reason why people don’t cycle for more of the journeys they make every day.

“This research highlights the importance of having high-quality cycling infrastructure in place at junctions, so that collisions can be prevented.

“We know better cycle infrastructure increases the feeling of safety and ultimately the number of people on bikes. The more people in a place who cycle, the safer it becomes for everyone.”

The fall in the casualty rate per distance travelled by bike in the capital point was also highlighted by a spokeswoman for Edinburgh City Council.

“We have looked at long-term trends for cyclist casualties in the city, which show the risk of being involved in an accident per mile travelled by bike has fallen significantly over the past 25 years,” she said.

“Working with Sustrans, we’re installing protected cycle tracks on a section of Leith Walk as well as improving the junction for cyclists at Macdonald Road.

“Other investments to improve safety include protecting on-street routes, new crossings and bike awareness training for our HGV drivers.”

In 2010, the Scottish Government outlined plans to grow the share of cycling in the country to 10 per cent by 2020, but with the exception of Edinburgh, as a proportion of overall trips cycling has remained disappointingly low, leading the campaign group Spokes to say last year that it would be "impossible" to hit the target.

> Campaigners: SNP goal of 10 per cent cycling share by 2020 "impossible" to achieve

Last month saw the sixth annual edition of Pedal On Parliament, which is calling on politicians to make the necessary investment to grow share across the country to 10 per cent and beyond, with rides taking place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

> Record turnout for Scotland's first national Pedal on Parliament event

The full findings of Sustrans Scotland's research are due to be presented in Glasgow this Wednesday at the Scottish Transport Applications and Research conference.

Collisions between 2005 and 2014 were analysed to identify areas with high numbers of collisions involving cyclists, with the results adjusted to reflect local levels of cycling as well as any safety improvements that may have been made.

Locations at are next to junctions accounted for 19 of the 20 blackspots, with seven of them being at staggered or T junctions, and eight on roundabouts.

Here is the full list, in order of the 20 worst blackspots in Scotland for collisions in which a cyclist is injured, with the number o,f collisions in each location appearing in brackets.  

1 – A761/Arkleston Road Paisley (3)

2 – A726/Parkway roundabout Near Erskine (4)

3 – A199/B1361/A6094 roundabout Wallyford (3)

4 – B959/Robertson Street Dundee (4)

5 – Barrhead Road/Peat Road/Braidcraft Road/Brockburn Road roundabout Glasgow (3)

6 – Glasgow Road/Viewlands Road Perth (3)

7 – A8/Cathedral Street Glasgow (3)

8 – High Street Tranent (3)

9 – Main Street/B6482/Newbattle Road mini roundabouts Newtongrange (3)

10 – Mearns Road/A727 Clarkston (3)

11 – Drumbrae roundabout Edinburgh (8)

12 – A7/Craigmillar Castle Road Edinburgh (7)

13 – A70/Juniper Avenue Edinburgh (3)

14 – Burdiehouse Road/Straiton Road/Lang long roundabout Edinburgh (3)

15 – A823/Laburnum Road roundabout Dunfermline (3)

16 – Spiersbridge roundabout Thornliebank (3)

17 – A8/Springhill Parkway Glasgow (3)

18 – B9006/Tower Road Inverness (5)

19 – University Road West/Hermitage Road Stirling (7)

20 – Starlaw Road/Boghall roundabout Bathgate (5)