SETBACK FOR CYCLISTS AS COUNCIL PUTS BRAKES ON WEELSBY ROAD SAFETY SCHEME

                                                                 

The proposed Grimsby-Cleethorpes cycleway will not proceed

THE proposal to introduce a dedicated cycleway on a section of the A46 has been scrapped.

North East Lincolnshire Council says the decision follows extensive consultation carried out in late 2021. 

If support could have been secured, the new cycle lane on Weelsby Road would have run between Bargate and Peaks Parkway.

There was also a possibility it could have been extended from Bargate to Bradley crossroads and from Peaks Parkway to Isaac's Hill in Clethorpes.

At the time, the project came forward, NELC described it as "exciting".

But this week it claims the proposal "did not secure the level of support required through engagement surveys".

Says portfolio holder for transport Cllr Stewart Swinburn: "As a council that listens, we have taken on board the views of the public."

“A large number of people, including residents, business owners, cyclists who use the route, and staff and students at the Grimsby Institute, completed the most recent survey, and I thank them all for their comments."

By its decision, the council has forfeited the prospect of a £319,000 grant from Whitehall.

It says it will "continue to explore other avenues to improve cyclist safety along this route".

The Grimsby News says: Local authorities are supposed to be encouraging cycling as an environment-friendly alternative to motoring, so this is a serious setback. It looks very much like NELC has buckled to pressure from whatever source even at the risk of continued safety hazard for cyclists on a very dangerous stretch of road. The authority's claim that the project did not "secure the required level of support" rings false. Is it telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? If so, why not publish the results of the survey?