Fury as cash-strapped council spends £5.3million upgrading cycle lanes on one ... trends now
Residents of a seaside town have vented their fury over their hard-up council's decision to spend £5.3million of taxpayer cash upgrading cycle lanes on a road described as one of the 'widest and safest' in the area.
Glenferness Avenue, in Bournemouth, Dorset, already has established cycle lanes on both sides.
But millions of pounds is now being spent on widening the paths, re-surfacing them and putting in a step to act as a divider between bicycles and cars.
The cycle lane splurge comes after two new bridges solely for pedestrians and cyclists were installed further along the leafy avenue.
The works have been blasted as a waste of money by local residents and motorists, with the local authority already £251 million in debt.
Some said the cash would be better spent on fixing potholes and improving roads for drivers.
The cycle lane on Glenferness Avenue, which is said to be one of the widest roads in the area
The £5.3million works come after two new bridges for pedestrians and cyclists were installed
The project will widen and re-surface the paths and install a step to divide bicycles and 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 Rd already had two substantial cycle lanes, one each side. This is definitely a waste of money.'
And 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.'
Some locals say the works are a waste of money and the cash should go on improving roads
But other residents hope the multimillion pound scheme will encourage more people to cycle
Another local said: 'We only have
