Row erupts after ‘no cycling’ signs placed on bridge
A row has broken out over new ‘no cycling’ signs installed on a bridge spanning the river in Bath.
The chairperson of a cycling lobby group said there is now no legal way for disabled cycle users to cross Fieldings Bridge between Lidl and Locksbrook Road. Sustrans, the charity which maintains cycling networks across the country, said it was a “retrograde step” .
However, Bath and North East Somerset Council said the changes were made in the name of pedestrian safety after a number of collisions and they say they are looking into the feasibility of using a redundant rail bridge over the River Avon as a cycling and walking route,.
Fieldings Bridge previously had blue ‘cyclist dismount’ signs, which are advisory, at both ends of the bridge. Now red ‘no cycling’ signs place a legal requirement on cyclists to dismount.
But Cycle Bath chair Adam Reynolds said there is no sign for cyclists reaching the bridge at the Locksbrook Road end from the river path (as opposed to meeting the bridge directly from around Locksbrook Road).
He added that the new signage “breaks the connection” between two National Cycle Network routes.
England South director for Sustrans, James Cleeton, said: “Removing the key connection in the Two Tunnels circuit and a vital link of the local cycling network without first considering alternatives for vulnerable road users is a retrograde step.
“Doing so before ascertaining the scale of the problem and looking into options to either change behaviour or make improvements to the bridge itself would appear to be a hasty decision.”
He added: “We have requested an urgent meeting with senior officers to identify a way forward in the short term that restores this vital link for the people of Bath.”
B&NES Council said: “We want to improve safety for everyone using this stretch of public footpath. While it has never had recorded rights to cycle over it, of course, cyclists do use it.
“In recent months a number of pedestrians have complained they’ve been hit by cyclists riding over the bridge and so the new signs were put up to improve the safety of all users.
“We’re actively looking into the feasibility of using the redundant rail bridge that crosses the River Avon next to the Rosebery Place development on the Lower Bristol Road as a cycling and walking route.
“We will continue to work with partners, including Sustrans.”