We live in 'birthplace of the bike' but it's a no-go zone for cyclists

Locals living in the 'birthplace of the bike' say it has become a deadly no-go zone for cyclists thanks to the area's dodgy roundabouts and missing or run-down cycle lanes.

Residents in Dumfries and Galloway, in Scotland, say the poor network of cycle routes has transformed it into an accident hotspot for bikers.

The area is known for being the birthplace of Kirkpatrick Macmillan - a Scottish blacksmith who is credited with the invention of two-wheeled travel.

A plaque in the village of Keir honours him as the builder of the first bicycle, while in Dumfries there is a bridge named after him and a sculpture in his honour is located in Stranraer.

But today cyclists say the former home of the pedal power pioneer is now a death trap for modern-day bikers, due to its poorly signed lanes, unfinished routes and dangerous roundabouts.

Riders have been knocked off their bikes at a roundabout outside a supermarket, campaigners said. 

And a shoddy network of cycle lanes sees some routes abruptly ending, forcing cyclists to rejoin busy roads with some routes so worn they are 'actively dangerous'.

Photos show tiny cycle lanes dotted around a large, busy roundabout - which are only less than a metre away from whizzing cars.

Sally Hinchcliffe, 55, of Cycling Dumfries, organised a 'riding of the missing links' to protest about the 'gaps in the cycle network'.

Sally, who set up the organisation back in 2012, says there are too many obstacles in the way - including a national cycle route which does not up join up with the town centre.

'We're very proud of Kirkpatrick Macmillan here - but not enough to make it possible for anyone else to cycle,' she said. 

'Half of the problem is that there are paths where you have to dismount, go across the road slowly or the entire cycle path just ends.

Who was Kirkpatrick Macmillan, the pioneer of pedal power?

Born in 1812 in the village of Kier in Dumfries and Galloway, Kirkpatrick Macmillan was the son of a blacksmith.

He started working alongside his father at the age of 12, learning to hone his craft. 

At around that time he saw a hobbyhorse being ridden along a road nearby, and decided to make one himself. 

However, after completing his own design, he went about trying to radically improve it and make it so he could propel it without his feet touching the floor.  

This would lead him to an idea which would be the inspiration behind the pedal-powered bike. 

He completed his design in around 1839 and would often be seen riding his new machine around the local roads, regularly cycling about 14 miles.

In June of 1842 he completed his longest ride -  a 68-mile trip into Glasgow.

It took him two days and he was fined five shillings for causing a minor injury to a small girl who ran across his path while he was riding. 

Kirkpatrick is credited as the inventor of the bicycle, with a plaque honouring his achievement in Kier and a bridge named after him in Dumfries. 

He died on January 1878, aged 65.

'There will be like one little piece of infrastructure built - but it doesn't connect.

'There are a couple of big roundabouts too where the cycle lane goes outside it - which is the worst place you can be on a bike if you are not turning left.

'There is a whole section of town that is really hard to get to on a bike too - where it's just cars and traffic only.

'There are villages you could so easily cycle to directly - but there are no cycle paths.

'There are massive roads and nothing for bikes at all. These problems are so actively dangerous'.

Cycling Dumfries hopes its highlighting of these missing links, which have been expressed in a detailed report, can encourage action from Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Sally explained how since setting up the group in 2012, they revisited their main missing links project and 'barely anything had changed' after a decade.

She said it showed 'how slow progress had been' and argued there were still main missing links which had been addressed by the council, but no real change was executed.

Sally explained: 'The council come out with strategies but you can't ride on a strategy!

'We are really sick of seeing the council produce reports, produced by consultants who just look at Strava - but you don't put on strava when you're cycling to the shops!

'So we wanted to produce our own report and say this is where we think the gaps are, and what and how things can be improved.

'We are focusing on things that were glaring and where a tiny thing could open up a huge amount of different routes'.

Kirkpatrick Macmillan is generally credited with inventing the 'treadle' bicycle.

According to the research of his relative James Johnston in the 1890s, Macmillan was the first to invent the pedal-driven bicycle.

Macmillan completed construction of a pedal-driven bicycle of wood in 1839 that included iron-rimmed wooden wheels, a steerable wheel in the front and a larger wheel in the rear which was connected to pedals via connecting rods.

He went on to use his new invention to travel around the local roads. In 1842 cycled 68 miles to Glasgow over two days, in a trip that saw him fined five shilling for injuring a small girl who crossed his path while he was riding. 

A council statement said: 'Improving connectivity and sustainable travel in the region is a long-term process which requires a strategic approach.

'We rely on feedback gained through engagement with members of the public, businesses and other community groups to decide which projects move from design concepts through to build completion.'

It said many of the issues detailed in the 'missing links' report had already been identified by the council and it was working with others to 'find appropriate options for each area'.