Danger driver caught using new cycleway to avoid traffic
DASHCAM FOOTAGE CAPTURED MOTORIST TEARING DOWN INSIDE LANE
A LOCAL resident from Coventry was left stunned after a motorist used the newly-built Binley Cycleway to avoid the queues on the main road.
The driver has been slammed by a councillor who said they could’ve killed someone - and now police are investigating.
The local resident was on Binley Road at around 1.30pm on Sunday, July 2, when they captured footage on dashcam (right) of a navy blue Ford Puma driving through the cycleway to beat traffic.
The local resident said it was their first time driving up Binley Road with the cycle lane complete. He said: “I have noticed it’s busier than usual as it’s now down to one lane going in the same direction but there was still temporary lights in use.”
The local said they were ‘shocked’ and added: “The lane gets narrower as you go along, and there could have been a serious accident if someone was using the cycle lane. The cycle lane always looks empty and not enough people take advantage of it, but driving on them is not the answer.”
Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, Councillor Jim O’boyle, said: “We have shared the footage with the police so they can investigate and take the appropriate action. This dangerous and reckless behaviour could very easily have ended in tragedy and it’s by luck that it didn’t.” A total of £8.6m was approved by the West Midlands Combined Authority to fund the Binley Cycleway, including a £61,000 payment from Coventry City Council. It is part of the Government
The lane gets narrower as you go along, and there could have been a serious accident if someone was using the cycle lane
£200m scheme to improve walking and cycling routes across the country to get people more active and make cycling a viable option.
The 6km cycling route runs from the city centre to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire through Binley Business
Park, and also connects to historic sites like Charterhouse.
The works was scheduled to be completed by end of June, but works are set to be in place for another six weeks to complete the rest of Binley Road up to Binley Mega Chippy and parts of Brinklow Road.