Cyclists baffled after council splash out on ‘weird’ bike lane
Locals have been left scratching their heads after the surprise appearance of a ‘weird’ semi-circular cycle lane on a town’s main road.
Calderdale Council created the ‘confusing’ road markings, measuring roughly 2.5m, in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Officials dipped into a £4.9 million fund, intended to improve local transport links, to create the cycle lane.
Residents soon queried ‘what is it for?’ while others branded it a ‘waste of money’.
James Baker, 38, the Liberal Democrat leader in the council, even claimed the markings could be a ‘danger'” to road users left unsure of how they were supposed to be interpreted.’ to confused road users.
He said: ‘They have created this little weird semi-circle, and it’s left most local residents completely at a loss as to what it actually even means.
‘It’s at a perpendicular right angle to the road. So it’s not even like you’re on a cycle lane and then suddenly enter it. We are trying to guess what it means.
‘And confusion on the road is dangerous. If a cyclist misunderstands that or basically thinks it was something different, it could cause an accident.’
James said he first noticed the markings on Kings Road, which runs through the centre of the busy market town, a few weeks ago.
He claims that most locals are still struggling to work out the exact purpose of the paintwork.
Some vented their anger on Facebook about how their local authority had chosen to use their hard-earned cash.
One wrote: ‘FFS! What is the point of that? Could have spent the money fixing all the potholes everywhere! Useless waste of money!
Others took turns to guess what bizarre road markings could mean, while coming up with their own hilarious suggestions.
One suggested: ‘It’s a magical Calderdale forcefield for bikes, you can leave your bike and it won’t get nicked.’
Another quipped: ‘Got it!! It’s a gun turret to shoot van drivers that park on the pavement or town planners’
Calderdale Council got the money for the project through the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund, and they were awarded a total of £4.98mil for the work.
Adrian Gill, assistant director of strategic infrastructure, explained: ‘The new cycleway and footway improvements at King Cross aim to make it easier for people to walk and cycle in this traditionally car dominated area.
‘As part of the design, there is a dropped kerb that allows cyclists to safely leave the carriageway to access the shared area for pedestrians and cyclists.
‘The design markings on the dropped kerb reflect the requirement for cyclists leaving the carriageway to give way to users of the shared space.
‘It has been designed this way due to the limited space available and its effectiveness will be reviewed in the coming months.’
Mr Gill added that the cycleway had been ‘designed to national guidance.’
The controversy comes just days after another bizarre traffic scheme where North Somerset Council painted a set of ‘bonkers’ wavy road markings.
The section of road along the seafront in Clevedon has been described locally as looking like a lane for drink drivers.
People in the town have even launched a petition against it.
The appearance of a small army of bollards in Birmingham has also left a council recently red-faced.
Locals were left literally scratching their heads after spotting the spectacle on the A38 Bristol Road between Longbridge and Northfield.
Some claimed the ‘unnecessary eyesore’ could prove dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians trying to navigate the street.
Mum-of-one Jessica Grant, 38, who lives nearby, said: ‘We’re all for traffic safety around a primary school but this just looks like a weird slalom of posts more suited to the Winter Olympics.’
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