North Tyneside seafront cycle lane work starts amid objections

The council said the plans would make visiting the coast "safer, greener and more accessible"

Work on a cycle lane which has divided opinion and been described as "hair-brained" is due to start on Monday.

The 8km (5 mile) Seafront Sustainable Route along the North Tyneside coast will be a permanent, segregated, two-way lane for pedestrians and cyclists.

Tynemouth Conservative councillors said it would cause disruption and "chaos".

But Labour-run North Tyneside Council said it would provide a "safe and sustainable" route from North Shields' Fish Quay to St Mary's Lighthouse.

It would "greatly improve the look and feel of the coast" and connect communities, businesses and attractions, the authority added.

Tory councillor Lewis Bartoli said "prioritising a small handful of cyclists over thousands of commuters" would increase the risk of collisions.

"This hair-brained scheme will cause congestion, inconvenience, pollution and chaos along our beautiful coastline," he said.

A pop-up cycle lane set up during the first Covid lockdown received both praise and complaints

Mr Bartoli said he accepted the scheme was "of high quality" but argued it would "effectively turn Tynemouth into a one-way system" and had a "huge gap in the middle at Cullercoats".

The council said it wanted to build on the success of a temporary cycle route set up during the first Covid pandemic lockdown in 2020.

A six-week public consultation in 2021 recorded more than 11,000 comments, of which 6,965 were in favour, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

More than 50 doctors and nurses signed a letter in February urging the council to continue with the cycle lane on health and environmental grounds.

Whitley Bay GP Dr Sian Williams said she hoped it would "provide a safe space to encourage more cyclists of all ages" and that air quality would be improved.

The route would have a 600-metre gap in Tynemouth

The first phase of the project, from Tynemouth Front Street to the Beach Road roundabout, is due to be completed in spring next year.

Traffic speeds will be reduced to 20mph and there will be additional traffic calming measures, including raised crossings.

Motorists will continue to be able to travel along the seafront between Whitley Bay and Tynemouth in both directions.

The whole route is expected to be finished by 2025.