Fury at Britain’s ‘most expensive’ cycle lane costing taxpayers £4k per metre

The 1.2km long cycle lane cost more than £5 million to build, which adds up to about £4.1k per metre, something its critics have called a “monumental waste of money”

A 1.2km long cycle lane which cost more than £5million to build has been branded a “monumental waste of public money” by some of its critics.

The final bill for the strip of blue tarmac, which goes on for less than a mile, cost a total of £5,037,792 – the equivalent of £4,198 per metre – making it Britain’s most expensive cycle lane.

Business owners and locals have slammed the project which has been under construction in Willenhall, West Midlands, for over a year.The scheme consists of a 680m (2,230ft) cycle lane and a 520m (1,706ft) shared footpath and cycleway.

The route – which is still not fully completed – starts at Pinson Road and runs next to the newly built Willenhall Railway Station before ending at Rose Hill less than a mile away.

Due to the “disjointed” nature of the lanes on either side of the street, pedestrians and cyclists must cross the road a total of eight times to re-join them.

Labour councillor Simran Cheema, ward member for Willenhall South, branded the scheme a “waste of money” and called for compensation to be paid to businesses.

She said: “At a cost of more than £5million the scheme is not value for money and has caused major disruption for residents and businesses.

“The design of the lanes is disjointed and confusing with people having to keep crossing the road to re-join the lane every few hundred metres.

“Willenhall is not a cycling town like Oxford or Cambridge so I don’t know who will use the lanes anyway.”

Cllr Cheema also said the cycle lane was almost as wide as the road which was narrowed, meaning lorries and vans have less space when driving past people’s homes.

Fed-up locals have also blasted the cycle lane, describing it as “unwanted”, with some saying the costs are “crazy”.

Business owners also say the disruption to traffic is “horrendous” and has severely damaged trade as a result.

Local Angie Watson, 40, said: “When I heard about the final cost being more than £5million I was honestly gobsmacked.

“How on earth can anyone justify spending such a crazy amount of money on a cycle path? Especially one which is all over the place and not even a mile long.

“The council say the lane is 1.2km long but the actual cycle lane bit is only a few hundred metres long. It hardly seems worth it.

“It’s a monumental waste of public money and the council leaders should hang their heads in shame.”

Businesses say trade has also been badly affected as customers struggle to negotiate the building work.

Jack Taylor, 24, assistant manager of Angling Direct, said: “Part of the cycle lane is open but I have not seen any cyclists using it.

“It strikes me as a waste of money. Since the work started last year we have definitely noticed a drop in footfall.

“I think the money would have been better spent fixing the potholes in the roads rather than providing a blue path for a few cyclists.”

Shah Ali, owner of Bengal Relish restaurant, said: “I don’t know how my business is going to survive.”

The project was funded via the Active Travel Fund provided by the Department for Transport.

Work on the cycle lane started last April, one month after roadworks for the construction of the new railway station.

Leader of Walsall Council Adrian Andrew said: “This scheme, along with the other transport schemes currently being delivered in Willenhall, will help make cycling more direct, safe and attractive.

“Improving our connectivity across the borough and the wider Black Country means more opportunities for local people to travel for work and leisure.”