New path for cyclists runs WRONG way up tiny one way street

Is this the stupidest cycle lane in Britain? New path for bikes runs WRONG way up tiny one way street

  • The 100m cycle lane has been put into place in Bradford upon Avon, Wiltshire
  • It is so narrow, vehicle have no choice but to cross into the designated cycle lane 
  • Local John Boyce said: ‘It would be comical if it were not so dangerous’
  • Wiltshire Council received £681,000 from the Government for more cycle lanes 

A cycle lane that runs the wrong way up a one-way street wide enough for a single car has been dubbed the most ‘dangerous and stupid’ in Britain.

The 100 metre stretch of road in Bradford upon Avon in Wiltshire has been labelled a death trap as cars turning left have no choice but to cross over into the cycle lane because the road is so narrow.

Delivery vans take up almost the entire width of the road and any oncoming cyclist would have to take evasive action and ride up on the narrow pavement to avoid being hit.

Local John Boyce told MailOnline: ‘The scheme would be comical if it were not so dangerous.’ 

A cycle lane that runs the wrong way up a one-way street wide enough for a single car has been dubbed the most ‘dangerous and stupid’ in Britain

The 100 metre stretch of road in Bradford upon Avon in Wiltshire has been called a death trap as cars turning left into the road have no choice but to cross over into the cycle lane because the road is so narrow

Local John Boyce (pictured with his son) told MailOnline: ‘The scheme would be comical if it were not so dangerous’

The ‘death trap’ scheme was introduced in the picturesque town as part of a plan to make it more cycle friendly. 

The one-way road that has been turned into a contra flow system has left people in the town angered and baffled.

MailOnline watched as a delivery van edged slowly down Mill Lane with the driver given no choice but to drive in the cycle lane.

The driver, who asked not to be named, was staggered by the contra-flow system.

He said: ‘I just don’t get it. I don’t have a very big van and my vehicle takes up over half the cycle lane. There is no where else I can go.

‘What happens if there is a cyclist coming the other way. It is just plain stupid and a waste of time. There will be a bad accident here one day.’

Mr Boyce, a local traffic campaigner, also blasted the new cycle lane.

He said: ‘We have a contra-flow system on a narrow and badly rutted lane, into which incoming vehicles have absolutely no view of approaching cycles until too late, and they meet head-on. 

‘Anything bigger than a standard small saloon car cannot pass a bike in the other direction anyway.’  

The one-way road that has been turned into a contra flow system has left residents of the town angered and baffled

One driver said ‘What happens if there is a cyclist coming the other way. It is just plain stupid and a waste of time. There will be a bad accident here one day’

In the two hours Mail Online observed the road, only a single cyclist attempted to ride up the steep incline on the edge of Bradford on Avon town centre.

Numerous signs have been erected to point out the new traffic system.   

Another driver, who lives in a block of flats at the end of the road, said he could not understand why there had to be a cycle lane.

He said: ‘There are hardly any cyclists who use this way as the road is so steep. Why would they?

‘It is a bit of a death trap as cars turning into the road can’t see what is ahead of them until they have turned the corner and already in the lane.’  

In the two hours Mail Online observed the road only a single cyclist attempted to ride up the steep incline on the edge of Bradford on Avon town centre

Wiltshire Council received £681,000 from the Government to create more cycle lanes as part of the national drive to create space for social distancing and encourage more cyclists to avoid a car led recovery from the pandemic

Wiltshire Council received £681,000 from the Government to create more cycle lanes as part of the national drive to create space for social distancing and encourage more cyclists to avoid a car led recovery from the pandemic.

Another scheme in the town, recently named as one of the best places to live in England, has seen a busy road that runs to the nearby town of Winsley narrowed to accommodate a cycle lane.

Bridget Wayman, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: ‘Both cycle lanes were checked by a road safety auditor prior to installation and again once it was fully implemented and meet the Government criteria for the creation of this type of facility.’

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