Hove residents want cycle lane closed
11:41am Monday 30th June 2008
Residents are fighting to have a new cycle lane closed after branding it a deathtrap.
People living next to the new cycle path along Grand Avenue and The Drive have written to Brighton and Hove City Council complaining that the route is so dangerous it should be completely scrapped.
Locals must cross the path to get from their driveways to the road and say they are blind to traffic on the lane - putting the lives of passing cyclists in danger.
Anthony Sklar, of Baltimore Court, The Drive, said: "It's crazy. Cyclists have been given right of way on a path that has people entering and leaving their drives right across it."
The council is conducting a safety review of the project.
Residents said there have already been three incidents in which cyclists have come off their bikes as a result of people trying to get in and out of residential drives.
Safety auditors will be advised of how the scheme is operating, of residents concerns and of any incidents involving the police. The review is due to be completed by the end of July.
Chris Todd, of Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton, has become a regular user of the cycle lane since it opened. He believes residents have nothing to complain about.
He said: "If zero visibility is the issue what did these drivers do before the cycle lane was in place?"
Geoffrey Theobald, the council's cabinet member for environment, said: "We are aware that some residents have concerns and we are taking their comments very seriously.