Park Burn pathway - a dangerous racetrack?

The path beside the Park Burn is a popular walkway and cycle way with local residents offering a very pleasant mile long stroll alongside the burn.

The rough gravel surface, although perfectly suitable for walking and cycling in summer, has suffered from a tendency to form huge puddles making it unsuitable for casual users in winter. The council have recently started to relay the path alongside the park burn and as of 27th March the path the path has been tarmacked as far as conifer place.

Starting at Boghead opposite the football pitches, it is easily accessed from Glenwood Court, Pinewood Avenue, the path next to N&S Garage, Conifer Place and various other places ending at Greens Avenue where it is within easy reach of Sainsbury and South Bank Road making it an ideal route into town.

However, although the new surface is clearly a vast improvement over the old, it has brought with it some problems. Some residents have pointed out that the new path is ideal for motorbikes and sure enough the path already seems to have started to be used as a racetrack resulting in at least one accident serious enough to require a child being taken to hospital.

Another obvious "problem" is that the steps at Boghead road appear to have been replaced with a long slope. Although this must be a great improvement to mothers with pushchairs and prams, it also appears to offer some excellent opportunities for skateboarders and roller skaters.

By: Mike Haseler