AN ambitious cycle route project to get Dunfermline biking shifts into gear this week – with work expected to be finished by the end of the year.

The £100,000 project will link the Public Park to Pittencrieff Park and provide West Fifers with safe cycle routes to get in and around the city centre.

One of the routes will link the Public Park, Park Avenue, New Row, Canmore Street and Maygate to Pittencrieff Park, while the other will lead from the south side of Pittencrieff Park to Monastery Street, St Margaret Street, Buchanan Street, Priory Lane, Comely Park and West Drive to the Public Park.

The project is part of a two-year, £2.2million investment in new and improved routes in Dunfermline, and Phil Clarke, Fife Council engineer/planner, was set to provide an update to the City of Dunfermline area committee yesterday (Wednesday).

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Clarke told the Press, “Work is due to start this week or imminently and the expectation is that it will be completed by the end of the year.

“What we were asked to do was create cycle routes between the two parks so people can use the parks and connect to the town centre.

“We want to make it as family-friendly as possible and have identified two routes, one east-bound and the other west-bound. Dunfermline town centre is fairly compact and we’re looking at something mainly on-road but also looking at junctions and safety at junctions.” He said short sections of the cycle routes would be traffic-free but most of it would be on the carriageway.

He continued, “We’ll be looking at putting up advisory crossing signs so people get across a lot safer, improving sightlines so people can see traffic coming, putting in little bits of infrastructure and road markings that it’s a cycle route.

“You have the standard bicycle markings on cycleways but we’re looking at maybe a red background to make it stand out a bit more – we want to make it clear so people who are driving are absolutely aware there are cyclists.

“A few streets in the town centre have a 20mph limit and we’re looking at putting in more 20mph limits within the area to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.” Over the next two years, West Fifers will also get cycle links between Bothwell Gardens to Rosyth train station and from Duloch to Rex Park.

Mr Clarke added, “The second phase of the Linburn corridor project will be rolled out towards the end of the year.

“Last year we did work from Rex Park to Woodmill Road and this year we will do the rest from Woodmill Road to Linburn Road.

“The other project we’re looking at over two phases is from the Bothwell roundabout to Rosyth station.

“We hope to roll out the first phase from the roundabout to Hospital Hill this year – we’ve just started the design and maybe at the January or February committee we’ll have a lot more background.”