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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Iuliia Vlasova

Worried Edinburgh dad films near miss with cars while cycling past primary school

A worried Edinburgh dad has shared frightening footage of near misses with cars while cycling near a city school.

The headcam clip shows him being overtaken by cars before they encroach into the cycle lane to avoid a pedestrian island in the middle of Braid Road, Greenbank.

He said he fears for the safety of cyclists - including those travelling with kids to the local South Morningside Primary School.

READ MORE - The Edinburgh streets you are the most likely to get a parking fine

The man said: "Asking kids to cycle to primary school like this is not much different to giving them painted on seat belts in the back of the car.

"I do think those "swollen lanes" are better than nothing, but how about using a 21st-century road treatment instead of massive islands?"

His tweet has now attracted plenty of comments from posters stunned at the road layout.

Many questioned the use of a pedestrian safety island which the drivers were avoiding when they crossed into the cycle lane.

One Twitter user said: "This is my bike route home, and the island is a source of anxiety. I'd say one in four drivers leave the decision not to pass until they are alongside just before the island.

"I appreciate the island when walking my kids to school, though."

Another social media user posted a video of himself taking the same route on his bike and getting into an identical situation when he was overtaken by a car.

The Edinburgh dad said: "I guess many more kids walk to the primary than take a bike, and few will bike to a high school anyway since it's so far and has many worse dangers.

"However, safe streets are a prerequisite for moving away from cars, even if not sufficient on their own."

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson said: "The island is there to provide a safe crossing point for pedestrians and road markings advise drivers not to overtake people cycling next to it."

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