‘Barely-used’ cycle lane now set for £1M extension

Plans for a £1million cycle path extension will pressure owners to drive half-a-mile to get to their properties and ship as much as 1,000 automobiles a day down a tiny residential road.

Residents residing alongside Clifton Drive North in Lytham St Annes, close to Blackpool, have slammed the council’s plans to increase a cycle path by 270 metres.

They mentioned the event is an ‘pointless waste of cash’ and is a ‘ridiculous answer to a non-existent drawback’.

The extension to National Cycle Route 62 – which follows the west coast of Lancashire – would imply drivers will not be capable to flip from the principle arterial Clifton Drive – which hyperlinks St Annes with Blackpool – into Todmorden Road, the key hyperlink street onto the favored promenade.

According to a resident’s survey, virtually 2,000 automobiles use Todmorden Road to go to and from the promenade every day however below the proposed plans, this street might be become a one-way road and half of these automobiles should squeeze down a smaller residential street as a substitute.

Locals say that is going to ‘create issues fairly than clear up them’ and are anxious their roads will change into ‘busy and harmful’.

Due to the one-way system, these residing on Summerfields Estate down Todmorden Road might be compelled to drive half-a-mile round simply to get to their driveways – that are simply 18 metres away from the street.

The present cycle path was put in in 2021 – collectively funded by biking charity Sustrans and the county council – costing over £1million.

Lancashire County Council says the three-metre-wide cycle observe has boosted the variety of cyclists alongside the route, growing by a mean of 212 per cent between August 2021 and August 2022 – with the best one-day rely at 1,084.

But Damian Calderwood, who lives on the Summerfields Estate, claimed these counts have been artificially inflated by happening on the busy Blackpool Air Show weekend.

The 55-year-old added that the survey failed to match like-with-like – as a result of the August 2021 occasion was cancelled on account of the pandemic.

So the resident did his personal rely of bikes utilizing the one-and-a-quarter-mile cycleway, and mentioned ‘on the peak of the height time, I counted six cyclists in a single hour’.

Under the plans, the principle entry path to the promenade might be become a one-way road.

This means – in keeping with a survey carried out by Mr Calderwood – 1,000 automobiles should journey down Bentinck Road which is simply six metres broad as a substitute of Todmorden Road, which is eight-and-a-half metres broad. 

Mr Calderwood mentioned it’s ‘foolish’ and different locals are involved this may ‘large parking issues’ and issues with visitors which is commonly ‘jammed stable’.

Mr Calderwood informed MailOnline: ‘The street between Blackpool and St Annes is kind of lengthy and busy. Two or three years in the past they determined to slender the street and put in a cycle path.

‘Now they need to be a part of it up and make it simpler for cyclists. They despatched by the utilization information for the cycle path and mentioned there had been a rise in bikes.

‘But they did the survey on the busiest weekend of the yr – when the Blackpool Air Show was on – and in contrast it to the identical time because the yr earlier than, when it was cancelled due to covid.

‘The places the place they selected to conduct these counts simply occur to be on the backside of the Airport’s runway the place everybody congregates to see the Red Arrows take off and land.

‘It’s so disingenuous of them. So I did my very own rely. At the height of the height time, I counted six cyclists in a single hour. If I did the survey now, I’d be fortunate to get six in sooner or later. It is used, however solely often.

‘They need to slender the street much more and put an extension on the cycle path which is able to go throughout individuals’s driveways.

‘They’re additionally going to offer cyclists precedence over drivers turning into the seaside’s automobile park – it is harmful. Drivers aren’t going to cease for them.

‘Todmorden Road is the principle entry level to the Promenade – which is what St Annes is all about.

‘I stay close to there and it has been become a one-way road. If I need to go into my home I’ve to drive half-a-mile round. All of us who stay right here have this drawback.

‘All we will do now’s make noise’. 

In a letter objecting to the plans, Mr Calderwood wrote: ‘It would appear that the persevering with battle in opposition to motorists is now being prolonged to owners, residents and certainly vacationers and all to learn the smallest minority of cyclists.

‘Todmorden Road is what I believe planning individuals name a ‘pseudo-Node’ because it flows on to the promenade with out the necessity for any turns or queuing. 

‘It is subsequently the first entry path to the promenade for locals and extra importantly vacationers coming from the path of Blackpool.

‘If such a visitors scheme was to be launched visitors might be compelled to entry the promenade from the following accessible turning which is Bentinck – this can be a small residential turning measuring simply 6.5 metre-wide in comparison with Todmorden’s 8.5-metre width.

‘Traffic will construct up queuing all the way in which again to Clifton Drive as automobiles wait to activate to the promenade.’

Retired engineer-surveyor Frank Whittaker, 76, additionally lives on Todmorden Road.

Mr Whittaker mentioned: ‘It’s going to make life unnecessarily ridiculous, simply to get 20 yards from Clifton Drive to our properties.

‘We’re going to must drive all the way in which spherical and there are additionally going to be large parking issues.

‘It is only a ridiculous answer to a non-existent drawback. It is some huge cash, for nothing.

‘There is not any actual visitors issues right here in the meanwhile. That will change.’

When MailOnline visited the street on a brilliant and sunny afternoon, a small handful of cyclists have been noticed peddling on Clifton Drive North – roughly one bicycle owner for each hundred motor automobiles.

And, of the few cyclists seen, none of them obeyed the present indicators, telling them to dismount to make use of the pavement linking route 62 to the cycle lanes on the street.

John Spirling has lived on the junction of Bentinck Road and North Promenade for 38 years and has objected to the council’s cycle route plans.

The 78-year-old, who enjoys taking his Cruft’s profitable Giant Schnauzer Ragnar for his each day walks, fears the street will change into very busy and harmful for pedestrians and different street customers.

He additionally identified that extending route 62 will create a visitors snarl up on the junction with Highbury Road.

The canine proprietor mentioned: ‘At the second, each morning and night – throughout rush hour – visitors coming into St Annes or going out of St Annes is jammed stable both aspect of the Highbury Road junction.

‘Throw into that vacation visitors and the issue turns into even larger. And the pinch level is the present Highbury Road junction.

‘If they do what they’re proposing with the cycle route, the street goes to be narrowed so the visitors turning proper into Highbury Road will be unable to queue alongside the visitors going ahead in direction of Blackpool. It will cut back the street to a single line of queuing visitors – that might be an issue created.

‘Particularly in summer season it will jam up visitors all the way in which again to St Annes.’

He mentioned the plans to position two pelican crossings close to Highbury Road will additional gradual the visitors.

‘As for the Todmorden Road scenario, that street was designed with an extended gradual bend onto the promenade so visitors does not must cease when it’s coming from Clifton Drive onto the promenade,’ he mentioned.

‘If visitors comes up Bentinck Road, which it should do, it will meet a T-junction.

‘I’m not pleased and I’ve raised my issues with the council.’

Responding to the issued raised by Mr Calderwood, a spokesperson for Lancashire County Council mentioned: ‘The Fylde coast is a well-liked place for individuals to journey their bikes because of the present routes being largely freed from visitors and our proposals to increase the route on Clifton Drive North additional in direction of St Annes goals to make it safer for individuals to barter various busy junctions.

‘We’re grateful to individuals for responding to the session. If we obtain any objections, all responses might be mirrored in a report back to our cupboard for a call after the session closes on Thursday 23 November.’

The proposed Clifton Drive North scheme is one among a number of being funded throughout Lancashire – primarily within the east – from a £5.5million grant that the county council acquired earlier this yr from the federal government company Active Travel England. 

County Hall acquired a 29 p.c larger share of the nationwide pot on account of the energy of its bid, cupboard members have been informed.

MailOnline has contacted Lancashire County Council for remark.

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