Following a scary incident on Sunday on a cycle path in North Edinburgh, resulting in a dog being injured, the council says it will look at installing bollards at some exits from the path if possible.
On Sunday afternoon around 4.20pm, a blue BMW car was driven along the cycle path between South Trinity Road and Wardie Road. Michele Bernardini who was walking on the path, filmed the car travelling at speed, and published it on his Instagram feed. He said in his social media post that there was a family with children and a dog behind him – and that unfortunately the dog was hit and injured.
Despite police officers following the car, according to Mr Bernardini the driver, possibly with a passenger, got away.
Diana De Rosa who was walking with her two children and five-year-old rescue dog Daisy, which was injured, said to The Edinburgh Reporter that it will take around eight weeks for the dog to recover – and even then full recovery is in doubt.
She said: “The real problem is that the tendons on Daisy’s leg have been completely destroyed. At the moment the PDSA cannot tell me whether to expect full recovery or not.
“I’ve already contacted a physiotherapist in Edinburgh as recommended by the vet, because as soon as she is able to then we need to start physio to allow the muscle and the nerve to reconnect in some way. They don’t really know what to tell me. She has been prescribed medication and will have weekly check ups. But her movements will be restricted for around eight weeks. She will only have short walks around the house for now.
“But this is more than just about me. It is about a place where you think you are completely safe. I thought my kids – who are 8 and 10 – were completely safe there even though they were playing in the bushes or running and finding their independence.
“I try to teach them responsibility and on the cycle path you think this is going to be good in a nice safe environment. That car just hit my dog. It would have killed me or my kids. That is why I don’t sleep at night. I am glad she is still alive and my kids are traumatised but we will work it out. I just cannot work out where this car could have entered. I came from Italy to have a better life here. Now we just have this memory.”
Diana said that the free treatment her dog has received from the charity PDSA has been “amazing”.
COUNCIL TO REVIEW
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I have no doubt that this was a distressing incident to witness and I’m incredibly conscious of the danger that this sort of reckless driving presents.
“There are a number of access points on the Ferry Road Path and Hawthornvale Path which we will now review. We’ll arrange for suitable access restrictions, such as bollards, to be installed at accesses that don’t already have measures in place.
“Safety is always a key priority for us and we’ll work alongside Police Scotland to make our paths as secure as possible.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Enquiries are ongoing to trace the driver of a BMW 5 series seen driving dangerously in the Leith and Trinity areas of Edinburgh on the afternoon of Sunday, 20 October, 2024.
“A dog was struck by the car and taken to the vet.”
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Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
