On Friday as I cycled through the Dalmeny Estate, entering via the Burnshot Gate, I was pleasantly surprised by the new tarmac fixing the 3 or 4 minor blemishes in the road surface. However, as I approached the Chapel Gate I was greeted by new white gates barring egress onto the B924 which did open automatically as I approached. I cycled through again on Saturday (gates open) and Sunday (gates shut).
According to a notice affixed to the post for entry keypads these gates have been installed due to "repeated illegal entry to the Dalmeny Estate by unauthorised motor vehicle access". The notice goes on to say "Walkers and cyclists are, as always, welcome; the 'kissing gates' are designed to allow access on foot and with cycles and wheelchairs while preventing cattle and sheep from wandering onto the roads."
The gate infrastructure is still under construction but it looks like the 'kissing gates' are on the northern side of the cattle grid and are of a design that will make it impossible for me as a disabled cyclist to use on my recumbent handcycle.
At present new gates have been installed at the westernmost entrance of the Burnshot Gate but not on the easternmost so access here is not currently compromised. The gates appear to only have entry keypads on the external side which suggests the detection system will allow cyclists to exit the Estate without having to use the kissing gate. If this is the case it should be possible to traverse the Estate from west to east without having to use the kissing gate.
I ride through Dalmeny Estate using this route around 50 times a year, I'm already excluded from riding through the Estate using NCN76 by the (probably illegal) gate/barriers at each end of the NCN76 route, namely the East Craigie and Long Craig gates so I will be extremely upset if these new barriers lead to further erosion of legitimate use by disabled cyclists.
Does anyone know if there was any consultation over this access arrangement?
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