Cycle path plans for Northampton's Rushmere Road were chosen out of 1,950 other ideas by residents

Residents embroiled in the ongoing argument about a cycle lane on Rushmere Road in Northampton are asking why it in particular was chosen out of 1,950 ideas given to the council in a consultation last year when only three poeple asked for it.

Last year, the county council asked residents to set out exactly what they wanted to see done with £X.Xxm of Government money.

By asking residents to pin on an interactive map what problems they saw with roads and pavements, the council gathered more than 1,951 ideas from residents.

Now, a residents group is asking why the controversial works to build segregated cycling on Rushmere Road has been such a focus for the council when only three comments out of those 1,950 asked for it.

The map lists three comments from residents saying they were unhappy with cycling on Rushmere Road.

In comparison to these three comments:

■ Four comments called for the nearby junction with Billing Road to be improved to make crossing and turning right safer.

■ A consultation over the works received 167 replies, of which 61 called for the works to be scrapped

■ Out of those 167 replies, only 39 votes were for one of the four options. 107 were for "other", of which 61 were to remove the wands altogether.

■ This same consultation also included a poll of 38 cyclists about if the wands should be retained. 32 said no.

The argument between residents and the county council began last year after a set of orange traffic wands were installed using the Emergency Active Travel fund, which was released to make travel safer post-Covid.

Works began on February 22 to remove the wands and replace them with "Option D" from the consultation, made up of flat-lying black-and-white 'orcas' on the road spaced 25 metres apart to create the cycle lane.

This option in itself, out of the four ideas put to residents in the consultation, was largely picked because it got the most votes from respondents if they "had to choose" on a plan - a total of 34, out of 167 replies.

Residents' group Living Streets Northampton, who also commented against the works in the consultation, said in a statement: "The controversial cycle lane in Rushmere Road is part of a wider picture of squandered opportunities and misspent funding.

"Out of the 2,000 comments that were made, we are not aware of any in Northampton that has been addressed.

"Instead, a few cycle counters have been installed, 10 metres of pavement was widened, and a short cycle lane has been installed on Rushmere Road which does not meet modern standards and has been criticised by residents and cyclists alike."

The full list of projects the county council has used the emergency active travel fund for is available on their website.The expected final cost of the Rushmere Road works, including the currently planned orcas and the orange wands, is £50,000. The council aims to trail the orcas for a period of 12 months.

The county council has been contacted for a comment.

Below are all the comments that were made on Rushmere Road as part of the interactive map, as they were published:

- "Cars parking in the cycle lane and on the pavement force cyclists into the path of traffic"

- "Traffic build up on billing road turning right onto Rushmere rd. at traffic lights makes cycling and turning right dangerous. Parking of cars and vans on cycle route Ali g Rushmere rd add to dangers as cyclists have to pull out into traffic to avoid These parked cars."

- "It is not safe to cross this junction on foot. The light sequencing does not provide an interval specifically to allow predestrians to cross safely."

- "This junction is used by school children but there are no pedestrian crossing lights."

- "Have just one lane of traffic for all approaches to this junction, and make the nearside lane into a cycle lane."

- "Junction with no time for pedestrians used heavily by school children. Lots of cars jump red lights here and scene of many accidents."

- "Traffic lights for cars going out of Northampton on Billing Road (and wanting to turn into Rushmere Road) always go amber before all cars who have pulled forward to wait to turn have chance to turn. The lights for cars going between Rusnhmere Road/Park Avenue South then turn green without leaving sufficient time for people to cross safely. Junction is on route to NSB and Bridgewater Primary School - proper crossings needed"