This golf club has asked to remove bike lanes so cars can park on road

Golfers who belong to the Kingsknowe Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland are pushing to have a cycle track removed. They have even launched a petition urging the city council to get rid of it. Why? So that club members can park.

Kingsnowe golf club has started a petition to get Edinburgh Council to remove cycle lanes outside their private members club. They use that (public) road for overspill parking & are now horrified that ordinary people are cycling on it.

It's such a shame they can't afford taxis. pic.twitter.com/6CHfvZk0vm

— Rachel Coxcoon (@RachelCoxcoon) February 16, 2022

There’s a brand new 7 km of protected cycle track that borders the club. They were installed in 2021 as many other cities in the world also increased their cycling infrastructure.

“The members of Kingsknowe Golf club (Est 1908) request that the spaces for people measures be removed with immediate effect. Prior to spaces for people being introduced our members were able to use Lanark Road as an overspill for parking during major competition days,” the petition reads.

It goes on to say that since the tracks have been introduced, it has not been possible for people to park and that they have received a large number of complaints from members regarding this. Furthermore, due to the equipment used in the sport many of their members need to travel by car so that they can bring clubs, trolleys and other equipment.

Of course, the counter-argument made by many cyclists is that golfers are fully capable of hauling their gear round the Kingsknowe course which is almost 7 km long, therefore they should be able to carry it an extra hundred meters from their car to the golf club.

As of Thursday, 293 people have signed.