Get you up to speed: Britain’s ‘priciest cycle lane’ costs taxpayers £4,000 for each metre | News UK
Walsall Council faces backlash over a £5,037,792 cycle lane in Willenhall, deemed a ‘monumental waste of public money’ by locals and business owners affected by the construction.
Labour councillor Simran Cheema described the £5 million cycle lane in Willenhall as a ‘waste of money’ that has significantly disrupted local businesses.
Walsall Council leader Adrian Andrew defends the £5.04 million cycle lane project, asserting it will enhance local transport connectivity despite widespread public dissatisfaction.
What we know so far
Residents in Willenhall, Walsall, are expressing outrage over a newly unveiled cycle lane that has cost over £5 million to construct. This 0.8-mile route, stretching from Pinson Road to Rose Hill, has been branded a “monumental waste of public money” after its final bill of £5,037,792 emerged, amounting to £4,198 per metre.
Local business owners have voiced concerns that the ongoing construction is causing significant disruption, impacting trade and livelihoods. Jack Taylor, an assistant manager of a local shop, stated, “I think the money would have been better spent fixing the potholes in the roads rather than providing a blue path for a few cyclists.” Many residents have also described the lane as “unwanted,” with some noting that it is rarely used.
The project, funded by the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund, has faced criticism for its design, which residents claim is confusing and disjointed. Labour councillor Simran Cheema labelled the project a waste of money, urging that the scheme does not represent value for expenditure. As local discontent grows, the future of the cycle lane and its potential usage remains uncertain.
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Britain’s ‘most expensive cycle lane’ costs taxpayers £4,000 per metre | News UK
Locals are up in arms over a new cycle lane that is less than a mile long and costs over £5,000,000 to build.
Work has been underway for a year to install a new, segregated cycle lane in Willenhall, Walsall.
However, the 0.8-mile lane, which runs along New Road and Bilston Street, has been labelled a ‘monumental waste of public money’ after the full cost of the project was revealed.
Business owners have claimed the construction is causing disruption and even putting livelihoods at risk.
The price tag for the lane is exactly £5,037,792 – equivalent of £4,198 per metre – making it the UK’s most expensive cycle lane when it is completed.
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In comparison, a single divided zebra crossing typically costs between £37,000 and £52,000, while upgrading major motorway junctions can cost up to £100 million.
Residents said the lane design is too disjointed, and users have to cross the road several times.
Local Angie Watson, 40, said: ‘When I heard about the final cost being more than £5 million I was honestly gobsmacked.
‘How on earth can anyone justify spending such a crazy amount of money on a cycle path? Especially one which is all over the place and not even a mile long.
‘The council say the lane is 1.2km long but the actual cycle lane bit is only a few hundred metres long. It hardly seems worth it.
‘It’s a monumental waste of public money and the council leaders should hang their heads in shame.’
Labour councillor Simran Cheema, who is a ward member for Willenhall South, said the project is a ‘waste of money’ that has disrupted lives.
She said: ‘At a cost of more than £5million the scheme is not value for money and has caused major disruption for residents and businesses.
‘The design of the lanes is disjointed and confusing with people having to keep crossing the road to rejoin the lane every few hundred metres.
‘Willenhall is not a cycling town like Oxford or Cambridge so I don’t know who will use the lanes anyway.’
Businesses said their footfall has been hit as customers have had to navigate the building works.
Jack Taylor, 24, the assistant manager of Angling Direct, said the shop has noticed a drop in footfall since the work started last year.
‘I think the money would have been better spent fixing the potholes in the roads rather than providing a blue path for a few cyclists,’ he said.
(Picture: Emma Trimble / SWNS)
The situation is even more dire for the Bengal Relish restaurant.
Its owner, Shah Ali, said: ‘I don’t know how my business is going to survive.’
Leader of Walsall Council Adrian Andrew said: ‘This scheme, along with the other transport schemes currently being delivered in Willenhall, will help make cycling more direct, safe and attractive.
‘Improving our connectivity across the borough and the wider Black Country means more opportunities for local people to travel for work and leisure.’
Cycling crashes in Willenhall
Over the years, several crashes have left cyclists injured along New Road and Bilston Street alone.
A 17-year-old boy was seriously hurt in a crash with a driver in May 2015 while riding a bike on Rose Hill.
In September 2017, a 38-year-old cyclist was seriously injured in a crash on New Road, official collision data collated by CycleStreets shows.
Another cyclist, a 19-year-old man, was seriously injured in a crash at the junction of New Road and Pinson Road in January 2021.
And New Road, Bliston Street and Rose Hill – where the cycle lane now runs – saw nine slight injury crashes involving a cyclist between 2002 and 2024.
An 85-year-old man was killed on June 15, 2020, while riding a bike on Temple Bar, a major road further north in the neighbourhood, after a crash with a driver at a T junction.
How often do you cycle?
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A handful of times a year or less