Work on controversial £2.35m cycle path paused

Work on a controversial £2.35m cycle path has been paused after a council revoked its own permission to build it.

Bath and North East Somerset Council began work on the cycle lane at Royal Victoria Park in Bath on 19 October despite objections from people concerned about the safety of it.

However, on 22 October the council revoked the formal order permitting the scheme as it admitted it had missed a major objection because of a "technical and administrative oversight".

Councillor Lucy Hodge said: "We are putting this right by reviewing the decision, with the previously omitted objection considered alongside all other objections received."

The new lane would have run along a one-way 10mph (16km/h) road that circles the park as part of a 3.7-mile (6km) cycle route between Weston and Bath City Centre.

Local resident Josephine Vercoe joined a protest that gathered to oppose the lane on Sunday.

She said the path was "dangerous" and "not necessary".

Vercoe said: "I'm an extremely keen cyclist. I cycle virtually everywhere so I'm not against cycling.

"What I am against is putting people's lives at risk.

"If you cycle down here downhill in a 10mph speed limit, unless you are very seriously braking, you will be cycling at 20 or 30mph."

Teenager Max Hirst agreed that it was not safe.

"The cycle lane is going in the opposite direction to traffic and when it's wet and slippy, cyclists could quite easily come off their bikes and run people over down here," said the 14-year-old who lives in Newbridge.

Gerry Scallan, who lives in Fairfield Park, said he did not think the path was money well spent.

"It's not needed," he said.

"It's destroying the park. It's an absolute disaster zone."

Cyclist Sevim Sangwell described the path as "a total waste of time, waste of money and resources".

She said: "This is already a safe cycling route, so there's no need for this."

Hodge said the council would review the decision before a new plan could be made.

"Meanwhile, work on footways and lighting which were approved under separate Traffic Regulation Orders is progressing in the park," she said.

"Precautionary measures are in place to ensure we protect tree roots as we install the new lighting columns and an arboriculturalist is on site to oversee the work".

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