Cyclists with bike lane urged to ride in middle of the road

A COUNCIL is encouraging cyclists to take up a “prominent” position on a main road despite providing a dedicated bike path.

Although cyclists have the use of the 7ft-wide bike lane alongside the A35 in Boscombe, in Dorset, large bike symbols have been painted in the middle of the road as well.

This is because town hall officials want them to take a “more prominent position” on the busy road so they can be seen by traffic, which will then be forced to slow down.

A spokesman for Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole council said: “We undertook carriageway resurfacing and have widened the cycle lanes in line with current standards. The road markings highlighted are there to encourage cyclists to take a prominent position in the lane, so therefore make them more visible to other motorists.”

The move has angered drivers. One said: “You put cycle lanes in and then paint cycle symbols on main carriageway. Cyclists now seem to think they own all the road and won’t move over.”

Another added: “It should be in the Highway Code that cyclists must use cycle lanes if available.”

In 2019, the council declared a climate emergency, pledging to make all its operations carbon neutral by 2030.

On its website, officials claim to have “improved the safety of cyclists and walkers at key transport locations using the £312,000 Government Emergency Active Travel grant”.