Residents of a seaside town have vented their fury over their hard-up council’s decision to spend £5.3 million of taxpayer cash upgrading cycle lanes on a road described as one of the ‘widest and safest’ in the area.
In Bournemouth, Dorset, Glenferness Avenue already has bike lanes installed on both sides.
However, resurfacing, expanding, and adding a step to serve as a barrier between cyclists and vehicles are now costing millions of pounds.
The cycle lane splurge comes after two new bridges solely for pedestrians and cyclists were installed further along the leafy avenue.
Drivers and locals have criticised the improvements as a waste of money, pointing out that the local council is already £251 million in debt.
Some people suggested that the money would be better used to patch potholes and make the roads safer for cars.
John James said, ‘Glenferness is one of the widest, safest roads in Bournemouth. It has an existing bike lane, which is hardly used.
‘It seems this is just a rush to spend government money without proper thought or consultation.
Lorraine Mirams said: ‘The money would be better spent on repairing potholes and improving the roads in general for motorists.’
Ian Large said: ‘Glenferness Road already had two substantial cycle lanes, one on each side. This is definitely a waste of money.’
An unnamed resident of Glenferness Avenue claimed hardly any cyclists use the road.
He said: ‘It’s a complete waste of money and it’s been hugely disruptive to us.
‘The road is wide enough anyway and we don’t really see cyclists going up and down here. And there are existing cycle lanes already.
‘They have only spent the money because they have got a grant. The whole road needs resurfacing, but they are not going to do that—it’s ridiculous.’
Another local said: ‘We only have three or four cyclists a day going down this road; it’s a complete waste of money. The problem is the government has given them the money so it’s earmarked.
‘The cycle lanes are going to be two metres wide on each side, so there is now only just enough room for two cars to pass. When the dustbin men or delivery drivers come round and need to stop, it just brings everything to a stop.’
Another homeowner said: ‘The bridge work had to be done because it wasn’t very safe, that’s fair enough but the lanes didn’t need improving.
The government’s contentious Transforming Cities Fund is providing funding for the project, which will also see the installation of more crossings.
This isn’t the only council wasting money on road works that aren’t necessary; there’s a concerted effort to add humps, traffic islands and one-way systems to prevent cars and buses from travelling while potholes are left getting bigger. If car owners and bus companies claim against councils because of pothole damage, they’ll be mended in no time at all.
The percentage of bike trips hasn’t improved at all despite all this spending, but bikers still insist on utilising road space because they can, which is a complete waste of money on a vociferous minority.
The majority of people I see on bikes are Deliveroo riders who were born outside of the UK, after sailing across the channel—well, they certainly didn’t peddle over.
Although they now do as they like rather than what is necessary, councils need to be held accountable because, of course, it’s easy to spend other people’s money.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 