Cycle lane plans fail to win over all of road.
Byline: EMILY CRAIGIE [email protected] @EmilyCraigiePLANS for a new cycle lane along Linthorpe Road have sparked mixed reactions from those who work and shop along the busy street.
Middlesbrough Council's executive has approved a scheme for a segregated cycle lane to run in both directions along Linthorpe Road between Ayresome Street and Devonshire/Cumberland Road. The speed limit will also be cut from 30mph to 20mph. The project is funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority with cash from the Government and is expected to cost between PS1.3m and PS2.4m.
It is the second phase of the Linthorpe Road scheme and works on a cycle lane on the stretch between Borough Road and Ayresome Street are already under way.
Sleep Centre worker Danny said that the disruption was affecting business.
"We could do with more parking spaces but the council is removing them," he said. "It's creating a big impact because people are avoiding the area so it's affecting business already. Turnover has decreased and the number of people walking by has decreased.
"It's a very busy road. Buses are struggling to get through. People are double parking just to take goods inside to shops...and they have no choice."
As part of the first phase of the scheme, 50 car parking spaces will be lost; however, the council believes that the car park on Amber Street, which has 86 spaces, is currently underused.
Danny is also worried that the cycle lane will allow criminals to flee on bikes more easily. He said: "You see drug peddlers along here all of the time. They [the council] are just giving people a getaway. Shoplifters that go into Iceland and Tesco and park their bikes outside for a second, run in, take whatever it is and then disappear.
In every everybody due to rising now this Abdul's Carry
Abdul's Cash and Carry has been open for more than 20 years and every morning it receives a delivery, which the store's manager, Zaffar, and owner Mr Halif believe will be impacted by the cycle lane.
Mr Halif, 62, said: "We are going to find it very, very difficult to get the trucks in and unload the trucks. It's a struggle as it is.
"We were the first cash and carry and now there are several, all selling the same products; we are all fighting against each other just to get trade. Now we have got these bicycle lanes coming down."
He went on: "In every trade everybody is struggling because of the [cost of] diesel, the electricity, the gas...and now this happens."
Mr Halif said he wanted to see a reversal of the plans.
Further south on Linthorpe Road, where the phase two plans have just been approved, business owners were also unhappy about parking, with 19 of the 42 spaces set to go under the new plans. The five disabled bays will all be kept, although they will change location.
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David Spencer, 61, who coowns The Art House on Linthorpe Road, and is a cyclist himself, is concerned about the impact on customers. He said: "To lose any more spaces would not be good for business. You don't see a lot of cyclists coming down here. I don't think it's a safe road for cycling anyway, but that's just my opinion. With our business, if they are picking up a big picture, and then they can't park nearby, then we have to go and carry it out to the car."
A worker at Ride On Cars, which sells toy vehicles, expressed similar concerns, but added: "I think there should be cycle lanes. It doesn't really concern me. It's just a parking issue for customers. I don't oppose it."
Lisa Ellis, 42, who owns the florist Daisys and Edwinas, is worried about her elderly customers, saying shopping might become "awkward" for them if they can't park outside the business. She added: "People are just a nuisance on bikes, they're always in the way."
Genevieve Kerr, 72, who was walking along Linthorpe Road, said: "Long live the cyclist! I am a driver, I am not a cyclist any more, but they need to be protected.
"You can't cycle with cars weaving around you. When I was a cyclist I used to resent cars driving very close. Hopefully, it will be accepted and become part of the landscape."
Speaking at the council's executive meeting on April 5, Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston said: "It might make it a little bit more difficult for some of their customers to park sometimes. I do think it could change the environment and the way we operate and create a more pleasant experience for those who shop, and it might get more people out over time."
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How Linthorpe Road could eventually look and how it is today
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