Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Cycle lane still a danger after changes: residents
SOME Keynsham residents yesterday criticised works to make “Britain’s worst cycle lane” safer, claiming it is still dangerous – despite the council claiming it was fixed.
Officials said they had undertaken works overnight to make the optical illusion lane “clearer to pedestrians and prevent further trips and falls’’.
The infamous pathway in Keynsham has seen more than 100 people injured after tripping over a curb.
But despite the local authority saying the work done on Thursday evening would end the issue, some people yesterday said it was still a hazard.
At around 7pm on Thursday council contractors repainted a solid white line making it a dashed white line in the hope it would be clearer for pedestrians.
Resident Nigel Hammond, 67, said: “It’s a disaster. The amount of people falling over. I’ve had a friend injured. He was walking backwards and fell over the kerb, slicing his arm with his keys.
“The black lines ain’t going to stop [people tripping], it’s just not going to happen.
“They have fixed nothing so I don’t know why they claim it will stop the injuries to people.
“They had one where a pensioner fell over, she broke both her eye sockets. She was elderly... but the council said she can’t make a claim.’’
Alan Flyng, 72, said: “They’ve put these black markings on the white?
“I never noticed. I get caught out with this – you’ve got two levels.
“You go down the first kerb and think you’re there, then there’s another one. I’ve nearly tripped over twice.
“All they’ve done is they hide half the white line there, so you’ve completely gone onto the road then, as opposed to the white one that showed the edge.
“But you can’t tell them anything because they won’t do anything about it anyway; you get ignored.
“People have been talking about this for ages but nothing has changed. They came out and put the black line that doesn’t help; I could have done that.
“It always costs the taxpayer money, they don’t worry about what costs the taxpayer money, as long as they get one less letter in or one less person will fall over.
“I’ve never seen a bicycle actually in this lane. It’s a one-way bicycle lane, so you’d have to go on the road to go the other way.”
Esme Brooks, 76, said: “I don’t think the council painting the black lines will fix the problem.
“It probably helps in the summer, like now while it’s light and people are alert but when it’s cold and wet you’ve got umbrellas, I don’t think it will fix the problem.
“You see people, they walk along, move out into the cycle lane to pass people on the path and you can quite easily put your ankle over.
“I think, from the beginning, this has been a waste of time and money.
“It’s one-way but cyclists and electric wheelchairs come the wrong way up it. It defeats the object of having it – they need to pedestrianise the area.’’
“I’ve not tripped myself but I have seen people fall, including one who needed an ambulance. Two of my friends have tripped too.
“I think we desperately need better bus services – the money could have been spent on that. There’s loads of houses being built without any infrastructure in place.
“They should invest in that, not making this worse and worse.’’
Walkers on Keynsham High Street have repeatedly missed and tripped on a ‘hidden’ curb, which they say looked like a flat line as it is painted white.
Since it was installed by Bath and North East Somerset Council in March 2022, more than 100 people have been injured on it.
On Thursday evening Bath and North East Somerset Council began repainting the solid white line as a broken line.
It was hoped it will stop the confusion and the injuries. Work was carried out overnight to avoid disruption to firms and cars.
Paul Roper, the council’s cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development, said on Wednesday: “This mitigation should make the change in levels clearer to pedestrians and prevent further trips and falls.’’
They have fixed nothing so I don’t know why they claim it will stop the injuries RESIDENT NIGEL HAMMOND (PICTURED LEFT)