A councillor has said residents in a Nottinghamshire town are "up in arms" over "reckless" plans for a new cycle path. Earlier this year, Nottinghamshire County Council hit national headlines after spending £535,000 on a cycle lane in High Pavement, Sutton-in-Ashfield.
One council leader branded that three-metre-wide, two-way route as "dangerous" and "the biggest waste of money I've seen in all my time". Now, Ashfield Independents, the group which runs Ashfield District Council, said the county council looks set to "repeat its mistake" just a few miles away in the town, on Kirkby Folly Road.
According to Ashfield Independents, it is one of four new cycle lanes planned in the county at a cost of £4.6million using Government funding, and the proposed work includes ripping up mature trees and causing other "environmental damage". Ashfield Independents claim the proposals go "too far" and believe a "more modest scheme is the right thing for cyclists, road users and residents".
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The group also raised concerns that the county council's online-only consultation "excludes many local residents from the process". Ashfield Independents Councillor Matthew Relf, who represents Sutton Junction and Harlow Wood on the district council, said: "It is very frustrating to see the Conservatives at County Hall have not learned their lessons from the expensive debacle on High Pavement. Residents are up in arms.
"They are planning to rip up mature trees, asphalt over green spaces next to the service road and Kirkby Folly Road and make the road more dangerous for cyclists. What is the point of encouraging green transport if we destroy our green spaces in the process.
"It's reckless, rushed and I have fed back that their proposed cycle lane is a non-starter. People are tired of seeing the Tory Government pushing huge pots of money out on the latest whim from ministers rather than leaving local people to decide what their area needs."
Cllr Samantha Deakin, who serves Sutton East and Central for Ashfield Independents on the county council, added: "It would appear that absolutely no lessons have been learned by the county council over High Pavement. They want to rip up much-loved trees and their plans makes Kirkby Folly Road more dangerous for cyclists.
"It's barmy. The best investment they can make for cyclists is to actually do their job and fix our broken roads and pavements.
"Our highways remain in a terrible state – that is the biggest obstacle to cycle use. The best thing the county council can do is to negotiate with the Government and use any money allocated to this scheme fixing the potholes and pavements properly.
"They are the biggest obstacle to active travel." Nottinghamshire Live has asked the county council for a response.
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