Cycling path scrapped in regeneration scheme

Cycling campaigner Beth Huntley said a cycle path should not have been dropped from regeneration plans for Torquay

Cyclists are furious that a cycle path has been scrapped from multi-million pound redevelopment plans for a seaside resort.

Torbay Council has dropped the cycle path from its regeneration of Torquay's harbourside, and cyclists will now have to use a busy single-lane road instead.

Beth Huntley, a cycling campaigner, said she was angry that the £4m regeneration scheme would leave cyclists worse off than they were before.

Torbay Council said it had to move the location of planned trees after identifying water pipes underground, and that meant there was no room for the cycle path on the Strand.

Previous plans for Torquay harbourside included a two-way cycle path

Before the redevelopment, the road was two lanes in both directions, which made it easier for cyclists to use, according to Ms Huntley.

She said: "They've just scrapped the cycling infrastructure and they've not put anything in as a replacement.

"This project should not be delivered without some form of cycling infrastructure."

Ms Huntley said the new scheme meant cyclists would be "in direct conflict with motorists" on the busy stretch of road in the centre of the resort.

She said: "Less confident cyclists and children won't be able to use it and it will encourage drivers to close-pass."

Torbay Council states on its website that it is "working to improve the environment so that active travel is better supported by the infrastructure in Torbay over the long term".

Ms Huntley said: "This really does not support that view at all."

Chris Lewis, cabinet member for place development on Torbay Council said he is confident cyclists will be pleased with the end result

Torbay Council said the water pipes were identified in an area that had been marked out for tree planting.

Chris Lewis, the Conservative cabinet member for economic growth on Torbay Council, said it was a question of keeping the trees or keeping the cycle lane.

He said a new 20mph speed limit would be introduced and the road would be "a lot safer than before".

He said: "In the past the Strand was really a bus terminal, now it will be traffic running smoothly through the Strand which only stretches for about 200 yards (183m).

"I think when the scheme is finished the cyclists will be pleased with what they see."

The £4m scheme is being funded with part of the £21.9m awarded to Torquay through the government's Towns Fund.

Torbay Council said the Strand would have to close again at some point after the summer holidays for more work to be carried out, with the whole scheme due to be completed in the autumn.