A woman is calling for a cycle track to be added to a busy stretch of road after she was nearly knocked off her bike.

Helen Knell’s handlebar was clipped by the wing mirror of a car trying to overtake her as she was heading along Lower Road, Minster, between Cowstead Corner roundabout and Barton Hill Drive, about three weeks ago.

She managed to stay upright but says near misses are common along that section.

The grandmother, of Cliff Gardens, Minster, said: “If that person had been just a fraction of an inch closer I don’t care to think about what could have happened.”

The 63-year-old retired teacher is a member of the Cyclist Touring Club which champions the interests of bikers.

She said Lower Road was the only reasonable option for people travelling between the east end of the Island and the mainland on two wheels, adding: “Cycling on the Island is generally very good. There are lots of cycle routes. So it doesn’t make sense that there’s this blackspot in the provision.

“I drive, so I can see it from both points of view. The road is just wide enough for two cars and they don’t want to wait so people will try to overtake when there’s not enough room.

“I would like to see a cycle track rather than a cycle lane. I understand the constraints everyone is under but when there is enough money available something needs to be done.”

Swale Central county councillor Roger Truelove (Lab) has been lobbying Kent Highways for improvements in Lower Road which is regularly experiences a “log-jam” at peak times.

He said: “I think if you were going to get a cycle path it would have to be part of general improvements to that road.

“We get a lot of discussion about the traffic lights but that’s almost based on the acceptance that we are not going to do anything about the road itself.”

A Kent Highways spokesman said it had to make tough decisions on where to improve traffic and road safety and it had to look at the sites most in need, which had the support of the whole community.

He said the local authority was happy to consider all requests, if residents first checked if there had been any crashes involving personal injury in the last three years on www.crashmap.co.uk