Some drivers insist this is what ‘absolute madness’ looks like (Picture: Wales News Service)
Motorists are trying to kick up a fuss over changes to a road which widened the pavement enough to add a cycle path to it.
The Welsh government’s ‘Active Travel’ scheme aimed at improving safety near schools, workplaces and hospitals include works to link Bangor’s railway station to existing bike paths in the town.
To achieve this, an eight-foot wide pavement with a grass verge was resurfaced with asphalt and extended by a couple of feet to create a shared-user path for bicycles and pedestrians.
But some drivers are fuming over the fact that the path is now wider than one of the road lanes.
Vehicles can still use the road and no longer need to share with cyclists (Picture: Wales News Service)
One local told North Wales Live: ‘It’s utterly absurd that the cycle lane is broader than car lanes!
‘This leaves drivers desperately squeezing past potholes, which the council seems utterly oblivious to. Absolute madness.’
Another said: ‘They’ve completely lost the plot. Even the cycle paths in Amsterdam with thousands of people using them are not this wide.
‘This is nothing more than an attack on your right to drive a car.’
Many bike paths in the Dutch capital are in fact wide enough to accommodate two opposing lanes with enough space for two cyclists to ride abreast in each.
It’s not clear if those complaining are aware that the path accommodates two types of traffic, each travelling in two directions.
The narrowed road lane is still wide enough for all vehicles to travel down it.
Councillors said locals had been experiencing safety issues with the previous design (Picture: Wales News Service)
What’s more, drivers no longer have to share it with cyclists, meaning they will no longer have to slow down behind them or worry about overtaking manoeuvres.
The road lane is also only going to be this narrow on a temporary basis: officials say the road markings will soon be repainted to divide the road evenly.
Gwynedd Council said the road meets design standards and ‘remains safe for all vehicles’.
In a statement it added: ‘The work is ongoing, and whilst we appreciate the impact the development may cause in the short-term, the road will be realigned as the work is completed in the coming months.’
Councillor Dafydd Meurig said there had been a ‘real desire from local residents for years to improve the situation and make it more convenient for people in the area to be able to walk and cycle safely’.
‘While we accept that the temporary work will cause some inconvenience in the short term, I am confident that the people of the area will see the benefits of the improvements very soon’.
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