Potholed road ‘is a danger to cyclists’

A FORMER councillor is calling on Calderdale Council to remedy the “appalling” condition of a road to avoid cyclists getting injured.

Andrew Tagg says Brackenbed Lane, Halifax, is “just appalling”, with potholes posing an injury risk to bike riders.

He said the road was resurfaced two years ago but said a lack of adhesion between newer and older surfaces had resulted in much of it being washed away.

Mr Tagg said Calderdale Council was encouraging people to leave their cars behind and get on their bikes as this brought health and environmental benefits but to do so road surfaces had to be suitable for cyclists to ride on safely.

Though some routes had benefitted from much better surfacing because they had been upgraded for the Tour de France and latterly Tour de Yorkshire, others had been ignored, he said.

Mr Tagg said the poor potholed surface could lead to serious issues for cyclists, particularly going downhill.

“The council is making the statement ‘We are a cyclingfriendly council’ but how many more roads are like this?

“It’s awful – what the potholes make you do is to pull out into the main road to avoid them.

“Some of them are quite long and if you hit them it can throw you off,” said Mr Tagg.

He said he suspected other places in Calderdale faced similar situations but if a council was asking people to take up cycling the surfaces must be suitable.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet member for Regeneration and Resources, Jane Scullion, said it was doing all it could to maintain good-quality roads and was constantly reviewing policies and procedures to ensure it delivered value for money.

She said: “Although Brackenbed Lane in Halifax has not recently been resurfaced, we will now carry out a safety inspection and any necessary repairs.”