Drainage concern on part of £40m cycle route

The council says it is aware of the issue and is working to fix it

Councillors have raised concerns after a lack of drainage along part of a £40m cycle route caused flooding on a stretch of the newly installed city centre route.

Gloucestershire County Council is in the process of linking Bishop's Cleeve to Stroud via Cheltenham and Gloucester with a 26-mile multi-million cycle spine.

But, after noticing rainwater accumulating where it meets the road at the new crossing on Kimbrose Way, Gloucester, councillor Rebecca Trimnell said she was astonished decent drainage had not been planned.

The council has said it is aware of the issue and working to fix it.

"I was concerned to see a significant pool of water at the new pedestrian crossing at Kimbrose Way on Wednesday and that was after light drizzle," Trimnell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"I am astonished that decent drainage was not thought about prior to this work.

"I had presumed the pedestrian crossing was to reopen at the end of October, and it seems this could be further delayed if work is now needed on a drainage solution.

"It's about time work was completed".

Highways cabinet member Joe Harris said the council was already aware of the drainage issue and contractors were working to rectify it.

"It's always best when councillors raise local issues with us directly so we can get them sorted quickly rather than going to the press first," he said.

"In this case, we were already aware of a drainage issue.

"We're making great progress in delivering high-quality infrastructure that supports convenient and healthy active travel options, including walking, wheeling and cycling, across the county."