'Birthplace of bicycles' is run down and unsafe, according to local cyclists: 'So actively dangerous'
Cyclists in an area that's known for being the birthplace of the inventor of the bicycle are frustrated after years of local government allegedly ignoring poor cycling paths.
The birthplace of the man who was deemed the creator of the pedal bike might be going downhill as people are claiming the roads are in unsafe cycling conditions.
Dumfries and Galloway is one of the council areas of Scotland that is known as the birthplace of Kirkpatrick Macmillan — a blacksmith who is credited with inventing the pedal cycle, according to the National Records of Scotland.
In the area, he has a bridge named after him and a sculpture displayed in his honor.
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Bikers who cycle in Dumfries and Galloway have been struggling to successfully get around for years, according to Sally Hinchcliffe of Cycling Dumfries, a campaign that makes efforts to improve cycling conditions in the area.
She told SWNS that the issue is a "huge mixture of things," including "paths where you have to dismount, go across the road slowly or the entire cycle path just ends."
Hinchcliffe, 55, also said that some roads don’t connect, some roundabouts have bike paths that go outside the flow of traffic or some areas have no path.
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"There are massive roads and nothing for bikes at all," she said, adding, "These problems are so actively dangerous."
Cyclists have reportedly been knocked off their bikes at one particular roundabout in town, and Hinchcliffe said the tiny lanes are less than a few feet from speeding cars.
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Hinchcliffe said that Cycling Dumfries has been trying to get the Dumfries and Galloway Council to do something about the poor cycling conditions since 2012, but "barely anything has changed."
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She told SWNS, "The council comes out with strategies, but you can’t ride on a strategy."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Dumfries and Galloway Council for comment.
Macmillan is credited for creating the first pedal cycle in 1839 — but without a patent, others were able to make replicas of his invention.
The National Records of Scotland said Macmillan ended up taking over his family’s business instead.
