No work on cycle stretch until review - council

A council has said that no will be work undertaken on a controversial £48m cycle path scheme until the route is reviewed as more than 350 people have now backed calls for a rethink.

People living and working nearby fear the latest stretch of the 26-mile cycle spine plan, which aims to connect Stroud to Bishop's Cleeve via Gloucester and Cheltenham, will lead to a loss of parking spaces in an already busy area and will be unsafe.

Gloucestershire County Council has said "there will be no spades in the ground" until it has "properly reviewed the proposals".

More than 350 people have signed a petition calling for local authorities to reconsider proposals and work with residents.

Gloucester city MP Alex McIntyre attended a cycle spine public meeting alongside local people last month.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service residents were "not opposed" to investment in cycling infrastructure.

"But this route has the potential to cause more problems than it solves," McIntyre said.

"It is absolutely essential that residents' voices are heard and that the county council look again at their plans."

Liberal Democrat councillor Roger Whyborn said when residents raise "legitimate concerns" it was the council's job to "listen and act".

He said: "We are not an administration that will press ahead with a scheme simply because plans have already been drawn up.

"I can confirm that there will be no spades in the ground until we have properly reviewed the proposals."

He went on to explain that alternative routes, designs and a comprehensive survey of parking pressures, looking at demand at different times of the day, would also be part of the review.

"We remain committed to delivering a cycle spine," McIntyre said.

"But better cycling infrastructure should not come at the expense of the communities it is designed to serve. "

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