(apparently)..
Council condemned over 'Britain's shortest cycle lane'
A council has been condemned for wasting taxpayers’ money after it built a cycle lane just 8ft long.
By Murray Wardrop
Published: 8:00AM BST 03 Apr 2010
Kevin Hughes with the small cycle lane that has been painted on a road in Cardiff. Photo: Wales News
At little more than the length of a single bicycle, the £2,000 road marking has left cyclists in Cardiff bemused.
The feature, thought to be the shortest cycle lane in Britain, has been installed to encourage green transport. Cardiff Council claims that it will help riders safely navigate a turn on a new road layout.
But riders in the city say the brevity of the red and white marked stretch of road renders it pointless.
Kevin Hughes, 47, a cyclist from the Welsh city, said: "It's just hilarious. I saw it as I was cycling past and couldn't believe my eyes.
"Obviously nobody could cycle in it because it is so small. You just have time to get in the saddle before getting off again."
Mr Hughes, a member of Cardiff Ajax Cycling Club, added: "I posted a picture of it on the club forum and it's started a bit of a laugh.
"I've got no idea why it would be there. You couldn't ride a bike down there anyway because cars go flying past."
Campaigners also questioned why the local authority has spent money on the cycle lane, which takes less than a second to cover before rejoining the main carriageway.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It is just this sort of waste that raises the hackles of taxpayers.
“At a time when taxes are rising, people are rightly angered when they see their hard-earned money being thrown away on schemes like this.”
A Cardiff Council spokesman said the lane is intended to "highlight the interface between the eastbound carriageway and the beginning of a new contraflow facility".
He said it would help cyclists cross the busy city centre and give them somewhere safe to stop before turning.
He said: "The purpose of the new facility is to enable cyclists to ride safely and legally in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic.
"The marking helps to highlight the point at which cyclists can turn left off the carriageway to join the contraflow facility."
Council condemned over 'Britain's shortest cycle lane'
A council has been condemned for wasting taxpayers’ money after it built a cycle lane just 8ft long.
By Murray Wardrop
Published: 8:00AM BST 03 Apr 2010
Kevin Hughes with the small cycle lane that has been painted on a road in Cardiff. Photo: Wales News
At little more than the length of a single bicycle, the £2,000 road marking has left cyclists in Cardiff bemused.
The feature, thought to be the shortest cycle lane in Britain, has been installed to encourage green transport. Cardiff Council claims that it will help riders safely navigate a turn on a new road layout.
But riders in the city say the brevity of the red and white marked stretch of road renders it pointless.
Kevin Hughes, 47, a cyclist from the Welsh city, said: "It's just hilarious. I saw it as I was cycling past and couldn't believe my eyes.
"Obviously nobody could cycle in it because it is so small. You just have time to get in the saddle before getting off again."
Mr Hughes, a member of Cardiff Ajax Cycling Club, added: "I posted a picture of it on the club forum and it's started a bit of a laugh.
"I've got no idea why it would be there. You couldn't ride a bike down there anyway because cars go flying past."
Campaigners also questioned why the local authority has spent money on the cycle lane, which takes less than a second to cover before rejoining the main carriageway.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It is just this sort of waste that raises the hackles of taxpayers.
“At a time when taxes are rising, people are rightly angered when they see their hard-earned money being thrown away on schemes like this.”
A Cardiff Council spokesman said the lane is intended to "highlight the interface between the eastbound carriageway and the beginning of a new contraflow facility".
He said it would help cyclists cross the busy city centre and give them somewhere safe to stop before turning.
He said: "The purpose of the new facility is to enable cyclists to ride safely and legally in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic.
"The marking helps to highlight the point at which cyclists can turn left off the carriageway to join the contraflow facility."
