RENEWED calls have been made for safety barriers between the recently opened Eddleston Water Path and the A703 following another accident.

Last Thursday afternoon, the A703 was closed for many hours and two people from the vehicles were taken to Borders General Hospital.

Following the incident, more than 160 people commented on social media, including Facebook, about the need for some form of safety barrier.

Although not everyone was in favour of this solution.

Steven Wilson started the thread and said: “When are they actually going to put barriers up?

“Is it going to take a loss of life on it before this happens?

“When these areas were fields it wasn’t a concern as no innocent people [were] in danger. Now planners have put a pathway there for people to use themselves or with children and have put them in a dangerous situation or location. This path has been specifically built to get children and families out cycling in the countryside, who wants to have traffic flying past at 60mph?”

Taxi Dave also commented saying: “Would you suggest they put barriers up on all pedestrian walkways across the country?”

Following the incident on Thursday, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a crash involving two vehicles on the A703 near Eddleston around 3.20pm on Thursday (July 27).”

Two ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

Tweeddale West councillor Viv Thomson said: “I hope that the people injured in the accident make a full and speedy recovery.

“With regard to the multi-use path, a road safety audit was completed in March this year prior to the path opening and as a result delineation markers were installed by Eddleston village.

“There were no other actions highlighted at that time.

“However, as a result of this unfortunate accident, I will go back to officers and ask that the road safety audit be revisited to assess if further interventions are required.”

Fellow Tweeddale West councillor Drummond Begg said he had reported the concerns to Scottish Borders Council (SBC).

He said: “The path is part of a longer term ambition to connect Peebles to Edinburgh, the next phase extends the path north to Shiplaw and has been given the go ahead.

“I understand that the path passed an external safety audit prior to being handed over by the project team.

“In view of the recent accident I have, however, asked the relevant SBC team who now have responsibility to review the section of path affected.”

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “An independent road safety audit did not determine a barrier was required along any sections of this multi-use path.

“Across the country it is not at all unusual for a path to be adjacent to national speed limit roads without the presence of any form of barrier, including for example the A68 at Earlston and the A7 south of Galashiels.”