Council officials have been criticized for ‘wasting’ more than £10,000 of taxpayers’ money on a 150-meter-long cycling path packed with obstructions.
Worcester’s cycling path has been criticized by riders who must zigzag past several obstacles.
A cyclist must navigate a light, a tree, trash cans, and a speed camera in the middle of the cycling lane close to a busy main road.
Worcestershire County Council is now known to have spent $9,195 on the route, including $5,000 for painting white lines and erecting bollards.
The cycling lane on New Road in Worcester contains many impediments, including a speed camera in the middle of the lane… with a white line meticulously drawn around it.
The city council has made it difficult for bikes to enter the city center, despite its efforts to foster car-free transport. Cyclists must navigate a multitude of hurdles on their journey into the city.
In June of this year, blocking a portion of New Road for three days while the bike lane was built cost an additional £3,000.
The leader of a cycling advocacy group, Dan Brothwell, referred to the endeavor as a “embarrassment.”
The chairman of Bike Worcester stated, “I’m unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
The crowning achievement is the time spent painting a white solid line around the speed camera.
If the goal is to put Worcester on the map for humorous reasons, the council is taking the proper steps.
Instead of building infrastructure that benefits pedestrians and cyclists, we are confronted with this disaster.
This offers nothing to enhance the connection or continuity of the shared-use path currently present on New Road.
This is a complete waste of time, effort, and resources that might have had a far greater beneficial impact elsewhere in the community.
Janine Fowles, a 58-year-old grandmother from Worcester, stated, “I rode my bike for the first time after it was erected, but I was astonished by the quantity of things blocking the way.”
Cyclists have criticized the lane, claiming it is more unsafe than the main road. Janine Fowles, who cycles from Claines to St. John’s for work, was surprised by how difficult it is to use the bike path.
Jon Marshall, a 23-year-old cyclist, stated that he had nearly wrecked twice while using the bike lane.
He stated, “I cannot believe the city council wasted $10,000 on something that is worse than the road.”
“I was on the verge of falling into the road when I had to swerve around a trash can and then saw a tree in front of me.
Another time, I had to swerve to avoid a speed camera, but almost collided with an opposing cyclist.
Despite widespread criticism, the council maintains that the bike lane has been a success, causing “very little conflict” between cyclists and pedestrians.
Councillor Mike Rouse, cabinet member for highways and transportation, stated, ‘Cycling infrastructure of any kind, which must adhere to strict government guidelines, is costly, and this is one of the reasons we cannot install as much as we would like as a council.
In addition to speed cameras and lampposts, the new cycle route is dotted with trees that cyclists must weave around.
We received a number of complaints regarding the conflict between pedestrians and cyclists on the New Road’s combined footpath and cycleway.
Since the installation of the scheme, monitoring has revealed that the scheme has been successful and that there is now very little conflict between pedestrians and cyclists, which is great news for both.
The council must make up for years of lost ground on active travel after losing more than £500,000 in extra walking and cycling funding due to two ‘lackluster’ bids and one outright rejection.
Active Travel England, the new government organization responsible for walking and cycling funding, gave the under fire council the worst possible score of zero.