Poorly-lit paths in an Ayrshire town have been described as ‘appalling’ by one resident who fears his dog walking route is 'unsafe'.
Concerns have been raised over stretches of the active travel route which threads through Troon.
The walkways are a popular route for dog walkers, cyclists and runners but are plunged into complete darkness in the winter months.
Stewart McConnell regularly walks his dog Daisy along the paths which run from the town’s Willockston Road before forking out towards golf courses and Marr College.
But with visibility so poor, he has had to go to extreme measures of carrying a torch and even invested in headwear with a bright LED light to see ahead of him.
The dad-of-two, 55, told Ayrshire Live: “The cycle paths are appallingly lit especially for this time of year.
“When I take Daisy out, I struggle to see where she is going.
“She walks behind me and I am always trying to keep an eye on her but that’s only good if she stays close.
“You need much more brightness, I’ve tried using a torch. I've even got a hat with an LED light which only does so much but it doesn’t help you see what is ahead of you.”
Stewart worries that the darkness of the paths could be potentially hazardous after stumbling on previous occasions.
He added: “I can hardly see anyone until they are right next to me.
“The path is almost in complete darkness but for two ‘cat eyes’ red lights.
“It could be scary in certain situations, you don’t know who you are coming up against.
“I have stumbled a couple of times.
“As a parent I worry about it, my kids will walk there coming home from school but they are with other people.
“But women wouldn’t want to be walking there alone; they don’t know what they could be coming up against.”
Stewart feels the time is now for South Ayrshire Council to light the way in making the popular paths safer.
He added: “Lockdown has led to people taking more opportunities to exercise, it has reawakened the great outdoors.
“Much more people are walking and cycling but it would be great to see better facilities to accommodate that.”
Troon councillor Craig McKay would like to see an improvement in active travel routes in the town.
However, he admits that the council won’t be able to address the issue this winter.
He said: “There’s a lot of potential to improve our active travel routes.
“For much of winter it is dark, it's dark before work and when you come home, that lasts for four months so lights are really important.
“It is something I can take on board but any improvements aren’t going to happen this winter.”
A council spokesperson said: "We are not aware of any issues with the lighting on the section of path between Willockston Road and Dundonald Road.
"At the moment, there are no proposals in place to provide lighting in this area, however this may be looked at in the future."
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