Tarmac painted red in front of driveways to alert cyclists to the possibility of cars pulling out has riled up residents who have called it an "eyesore".
The red areas were introduced on Low Lane, in Acklam, Middlesbrough, as part of council plans to improve cycle facilities in the area.
But locals are divided on opinions about the paintwork, as well as the cycle route.
Frances Jackson, 83, who lives on Low Lane, believes the cycle route isn’t safe for residents.
“The point is, as soon as we go out there, we are not used to looking for bikes,” she said.
“So I think it’s a bit dangerous for the bike track to be here, I really do. We go out and you can get knocked over very easily.
“I feel sorry for them, the bike lot, but not everybody uses the route. It’s only the really young ones who go up and down, but they don’t abuse it or anything.”
Frances told Teeside Live she wasn't a fan of the red tarmac. “It’s just a mess, it’s an eyesore,” she said.
Married couple Gerry and Tony Butterfield, who live on Low Lane, agree.
Gerry, 76, described the paintwork as a “sledgehammer” to crack a nut.
“Cyclists will know there are drives coming out because there are houses there,” he reasoned.
While Tony, 76, added: “It’s gone from tarmac city to toy town. The road has lost its character with the grass verges gone. It used to have a character of its own but it’s gone now.
“It’s awful, why couldn’t they have done it green, even that wouldn’t have been so bad.”
Part of the frustration was that some residents didn’t believe the cycle path was even being used.
Tony said: “I think I have seen, five at the most, using it, they just stay on the road. It’s not worth it for them, they have to go to the traffic lights and change the side of the road. Cyclists don’t want to do that.
“We do get a lot of, almost semi-professional cyclists in their lycra, they do come down on a Sunday. Perhaps ten together, but they don’t use the lane.”
Cyclists have to cross the road using a toucan crossing between the northern and southern sides of Low Lane if they want to stick to the cycle path as the northern side isn’t wide enough for the two-way lane to just be on that side of the road.
Gerry said that she would like to see the grass verges back, or to have them repainted black rather than the current red.
On the flipside, Kenneth Spragg, another Low Lane resident, was pleased to see the red tarmac as he believes the area looks tidier without the grass verges.
However, he was in agreement that the cycle track is rarely used.
“The whole cycleway is a complete waste of time,” he said. “They still go on the road, they don’t go on the path. The red doesn’t bother me at all.
"The lane is a good idea in theory but the crossing halfway along makes a nonsense of it. It’s a complete waste of time and money but it’s tidied up the grass verges at least.”
One person, who wished to remain anonymous, didn’t have any issue with the cycle lane or the red tarmac and believed the new paintwork was a required precaution because the route was now a designated cycle path.
A Middlesbrough Council spokesperson said the red surfacing was designed to “highlight potential conflict locations” on the cycle route and remind users to approach with caution.
“These have been sited further away from the drive entrances than the existing footway to provide more space for improved visibility of faster moving users,” they said.
“This cycle route is part of a wider Council drive to create a cohesive network, enabling as many people as possible to undertake sustainable journeys.
“Low Lane and Ladgate Lane form a major strategic east/west transport corridor for the borough and beyond, and this scheme is part of our long-term aim of creating a more joined-up network for all highway users.”
