A NEW council garden at South Fremantle’s Wilson Park is dangerous and senseless, say locals.

Irate mum Jane Robertson says kids riding bikes are forced to negotiate heavy traffic at the South Terrace and Douro Road roundabout because of a cycleway that now “leads nowhere”.

The new garden is a barrier between the shared path and the park and “children have to … ride down Marine Terrace, get off their bikes and lift their bikes over the kerb”.

Alex Murray, the owner of adjacent South Beach Cycles, describes the intersection as “the most dangerous roundabout I’ve ever seen”.

While the Herald spoke to Mr Murray a police car had a minor bingle with a truck, which had mounted the kerb in order to turn.

• Molly (left) and Jane Robertson at the new garden and path to nowhere at Wilson Park. Photo by Jacob Nazroo

Ms Robertson says her nine-year-old daughter and her friends frequently ride or walk to the beach and she’s concerned about their safety.

Fremantle council acting infrastructure director Lionel Nicholson defends the garden, saying a mulch path connects the blocked footpath and Wilson Park.

He says the footpath should reach the railway line by the end of the month.

Ms Robertson says council staff only thought of the mulch path following her complaints to mayor Brad Pettitt, and it’s so poorly defined that pedestrians still walk along the road.

A resident who’s lived across the road from the park for 11 years says the garden and mulch path will end up looking shabby and full of rubbish.

“Lots of money is being wasted on this,” he says.

by JACOB NAZROO