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Locals Outraged By 11ft Cycle Path Next To 9ft Road Lanes

Locals Outraged By 11ft Cycle Path Next To 9ft Road Lanes

Dorset Council says the cycle lane is part of a scheme 'encouraging people to leave the car at home'

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

One of the widest cycle lanes in Britain has sparked outrage amongst motorists.

The cycle path, on Wimborne Road West in Wimborne, Dorset, measures 11ft 2ins across, which is larger than the 9ft 5ins B-road lanes alongside it.

Cars, lorries, busses and emergency vehicles will have to watch out for their wing mirrors.

BNPS

Residents have reported chaotic scenes since the new path was implemented.

A 38-year-old woman, who works at garage along the B3073, said: "There's more room now for cyclists than there is for drivers.

"Just the other day we had two artic lorries smashed their mirrors trying to pass each other on opposite sides of the road.

"It's an absolute shambles. There is the same amount of traffic going in and out of the town, but now half the amount of space."

Amazingly, the woman said there are some cyclists still using the road instead of the cycle path. Madness.

BNPS

A 62-year-old man who has lived in a house beside the cycle path for years said he is finding it very difficult to understand the council's latest decision.

He said: "Back in the 1960s, the council took away our front gardens to make the road wider and safer - now they have narrowed it again at a time when traffic is far heavier than it was then.

"People here are not very happy with the over exaggeration of the cycle path. We were never informed and no letters came through our letter box about it. I noticed one morning in January that they were building it.

"Around 50 percent of the vehicles on the road are trade and heavy goods vehicles. It's chaos."

Meanwhile, the AA said the cycle lane should make the road safer for cyclists.

BNPS

AA spokesman Jack Cousins said: "The cycle lane actively encourages drivers to look out for cyclists and maintain a safe distance.

"From a design point of view, they could have made equal room for both cyclists and drivers and built some kind of barrier or raised curb to separate the cycle lane.

"That may encourage cyclists to use it instead of the carriageway."

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: "Almost 80km of new cycle lanes, pedestrian pavements, and bus service improvements are being constructed in south east Dorset

"They form a major part of the region's Transforming Travel programme.

"This programme is looking to promote change in the way people travel by providing safe infrastructure for alternative, green forms of transport and encouraging people to leave the car at home, particularly for shorter journeys."

Featured Image Credit: BNPS

Topics: UK News