A CONCERNED councillor says a new pavement layout beside a popular beauty spot in Gourock is forcing pedestrians onto the road.

Chris McEleny warns that pedestrians walking past the Cloch Lighthouse are having to move out on to the road to make way for people on bikes.

A cycle lane has been marked out in green at the lighthouse and Mr McEleny fears that it will pose a safety risk.

The Gourock councillor, who has also been a critic of the new cycle lanes installed in Greenock, said: "People walking along this road have lost a pavement at the lighthouse stretch.

"Pedestrians have nowhere to go and it looks like cyclists have priority.

"We seem to be creating space for cyclists and forgetting about pedestrians.

"They must always take priority over cyclists and motorists.

"We have to keep pedestrians safe."

The Alba Party man says the green surface with cycle symbols is at totally odds with the number of people who use the pavement daily walking along the waterfront.

He said: "This is popular with people walking to Lunderston Bay.

"It is another example of poor planning for cycle lanes."

But council bosses reject the councillor's criticism and have moved to clarify the set-up at the lighthouse.

An Inverclyde Council spokesman said: “The work at Cloch Lighthouse in Gourock is completely separate to the Greenock cycle route project and is to improve and increase the existing shared pedestrian and cycling space that has been there since around 2011.

“The pavement is for shared use by both pedestrians and cyclists along the majority of Cloch Road but it narrows over a short distance at the lighthouse, so a green surface and cycle symbols have been placed on the pavement to remind pedestrians that the route is also used by cyclists and to reassure cyclists that they are legally riding on the pavement.

“The section used to be much narrower because cars were allowed to park there, so the creation of parking spaces has increased the amount of space available for both pedestrians and cyclists to use."