Cash-strapped council paints bike signs on road while potholes go unfilled

A cash-strapped council has been criticised for painting bike signs on a residential road with no cycle lane while a number of potholes remain unfixed.

Despite a lack of a cycle lane in Windham Road, Bournemouth, more than a dozen of the large bike symbols have appeared in the middle of the highway.

The local council in Bournemouth says the white markings serve to act as a “visual reminder to drivers that cyclists may be using this road”.

But local residents criticised Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s (BCPC) decision to spend up to £1,500 on the “confusing” signs.

Identical bicycle symbols have recently appeared in the middle of roads in Gloucester and Sleaford, Lincs, as well as in Bournemouth.

Gloucestershire Council said the signs were “to highlight the likely position of cyclists in the carriageway”.

In Dorset, BCPC has been accused of “a waste of money” at a time when it is more than £1.3billion in debt, with council tax set to increase by five per cent from next month.

‘Waste of money’

Phil Mountford, 44, a bank worker, added: “There’s no bike lane and cars don’t speed down the road because of the speed humps so they are a bit redundant.

“The council is apparently cash-strapped and things like this probably explain why.

“Not far from here there are some dreadful potholes, which are worse for cyclist safety.

“There’s reasonable access on this road as cars only park on one side, so the whole thing seems a bit strange.”

It is not the first time the council, which has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030, has drawn the ire of locals for apparently prioritising cyclists on its roads.

In a similar case in 2022, bike signs were painted in the middle of the A35 in Boscombe, Bournemouth, despite a 7ft-wide bike lane already in place.

At the time, residents said the council was letting cyclists think “they own the road”.

Similar criticism has been made following the latest controversy as residents said cyclists were being encouraged to “use the whole road”.

Confusion and conflict

One resident on Windham Road said: “There are no cycle lanes on this road. These signs are very confusing and all they are going to do is bring conflict between motorists and cyclists.

“They look like they are telling road users that this road is a cycle route and cyclists have priority. It also looks like they are encouraging cyclists to use the whole road.”

Sonia Latore, 49, an operations consultant, added: “I am a cyclist and my 12-year-old son cycles to school on the road every day.

“It is a busy road and if the signs warn other road users then it is a good thing for safety.

“But I still think they are random and there are potholes which endanger cyclists that I would prefer the money to be spent on.

“I suppose it is cheaper for the council to paint some signs than actually fix them.”

A BCPC spokesperson said: “The white cycle markings painted on Windham Road are a safety feature that act as a visual reminder to drivers that cyclists may be using this road.

“The work cost between £1,000 and £1,500 with money provided from a central government fund specifically ring-fenced for active travel facilities.

“White cycle markings are in use on other roads in the BCP area and will continue to be considered as a safety feature where appropriate.”