Cyclist fears for her safety on the A77

Karen Hood, from Clarkston — a member of Glasgow Green Cycle Club — says she regularly suffers abuse for using the road instead of a dedicated cycle lane.

She told The Extra: “Cyclists up and down the country face this dilemma, but the A77 is the worst I’ve cycled in Glasgow.

“It’s intimidating — every time I’m on my bike I have to deal with someone with a half ton of metal revving up close and shouting abuse.

“It clearly says on the highway code that we don’t have to use the cycle lane — and we can’t because it’s used by other pedestrians and families cycling. It’s too dangerous for us to reach speeds of up to 30mph there, and too many loose stones often lead to punctures.

“There is no other situation where you’re allowed to be subjected to such verbal abuse and the council or the police should do something to educate drivers.”

Inspector Alan Dickson said community cops are unaware of problems on Ayr Road — but he added: “Cyclists are absolutely entitled to use the roads, and if they have any concerns about anyone’s driving, we would ask them to contact us. People need to be patient and courteous — and that goes both ways.”

An ERC spokeswoman said: “The path is cleared as part of scheduled maintenance but with regular traffic and rain, debris and stones will end up kerbside.

“We have recently widened the cycle lane on Ayr Road from 1.5 to 2 metres, which gives cyclists more space.”

She added: “Cyclists are entitled to use any road and we would encourage everyone to respect other road users and stay safe.”