Problems
- The refuge in the middle is very small, making it difficult to negotiate with a bigger bike, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and buggies. It cannot accommodate more than four people crossing at a time, fewer if there is a mix of types of user. This encourages people to bypass the refuge and stand in the road to find enough space.
- You can wait over a minute for the green man at each stage of the crossing.
Proposals
Upgrade all the crossings so that pedestrians (and cyclists where allowed) can cross in one go, removing the need for barriers. This would allow people to cross much more quickly, in comfort and it would discourage people from nipping across during a gap in the traffic (which can be dangerous as sometimes the cars are coming from behind if they’re turning right off the Whitesands).
Benefits
- Increased safety at crossing due to less pressure on limited space. Reduced wait times discourage crossing on red lights.
- Quicker crossing times to all users of the park , leisure users or commuters alike.
- Increased use of active travel infrastructure due to the removal of physical barriers that discourage less confident users.
- It shows that walking and cycling are welcomed as a healthy and sustainable form of transport.
At a glance
Council Ward:
9 - Nith
Total route length:
Travel times:
By bike ≈ / e-bike ≈
Total gap length:
Around the route
Communities served:
All of Dumfries, Castledykes, Kingholm Quay, Crichton Campus, tourists on the NCN 7
Amenities en route:
Town centre, Dock Park, Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries Museum and Whitesands bus stops. Communities served: All of Dumfries, Castledykes, Kingholm Quay, Crichton Campus, tourists on the NCN
Placeholder photo
Explore the gaps on Missing Link #22
- Dock Park and St Michael's Bridge Crossing
The Details
The Dock Park crossing is another of those ‘low hanging fruit’ issues. The council have acknowledged that that the crossing is unsuitable for the level of usage it gets and inaccessible to many cycles and mobility aids especially when it’s busy. For this reason, Cycling Dumfries have stopped using Dock Park as the staring point for our rides.
This is not any old crossing. Dumfries is rightly proud of Dock Park. It’s a vital green space for the people of the town and a commuting route. It’s also part of the National Cycle Network and the gateway into town for touring cyclists from the east. The traffic light cycles were set when the infirmary was at Mountainhall and traffic in this part of town was much worse. The infirmary has long since moved and we have an opportunity to take back some of that time for pedestrians and cyclists.
Red - No progress
There are no gaps in this category
Amber - Some progress
2 gaps in this category
Dockhead junction toucan crossing
The main crossing from the Whitesands cycle path to Dock Park is a two-stage crossing that can require a long wait to cross, especially for the second stage into Dock Park (about 90 seconds to get the green light, which is then on for only 3 seconds). The island in the middle is caged in making it hard to negotiate with an adaptive bike or with more than two or three people wanting to cross. The long wait for the lights means many people choose to take their chances and cross on red, which is risky.
Dockhead pedestrian crossings
The rest of the pedestrian crossings at Dockhead junction are also two-stage crossings with pedestrian guard rails making the whole junction feel designed for cars rather than for people, despite this being the gateway into Dumfries's flagship park.
Green - Closed Gaps
No gaps have been closed yet
