Has Stroud been saddled with Britain’s – and possibly the world’s – smallest cycle lane?
There is already debate around whether it takes less than two seconds, or as much as two-and-a-half seconds, to cycle through the area.
The cycle lane is sandwiched between two bus stops along Cainscross Road.
Cyclists in the area have said the lane is “completely pointless” and a “crazy waste of taxpayers’ cash”.
Keen cyclist David Bashir, who moved to Stroud from Bristol last month, said: “It has got to be the most pointless cycle lanes in the UK. You’re on it for two seconds, if that.
“I thought cycle lanes were supposed to make travel safer but what’s the point of this tiny section?”
Yakub Mulla, local highways manager for Stroud at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We appreciate the markings could be mistaken for a smaller cycle lane but they are in fact part of a longer, advisory cycle lane. National legislation prevents us from painting over bus lanes, and so the advisory cycle lane conditions continue underneath.
“We are keen to promote cycling around the county and this lane is part of that commitment. When we put cycle lanes in we consult with cycling groups on what they require. Feedback we’ve had shows that some form of road marking, highlighting the presence of cyclists, is better than none at all.”
