At a reported 8ft, a new bike lane in Gloucestershire looks barely fit for purpose, but that did not stop it from being painted on to a road in Stroud, potentially taking the record for the shortest cycle path in Britain.
The path, on Cainscross Road, appeared after the road was recently resurfaced. Cyclist and photographer Alexander Caminada snapped a picture of the lane when he came across it and posted it on Facebook.
He wrote: “Stroud has finally got a resurfaced Cainscross Road and look, we’ve now also got Britain’s shortest cycle route.”
Stroud has finally got a resurfaced Cainscross Road and look, we've now also got Britain's shortest cycle route. It's...
Posted by Alexander Caminada on Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Previously, the shortest cycle lane in Britain was thought to have been in Plymouth, where an 8ft 2in cycle lane in Plympton has been painted next to a roundabout.
But Stroud’s new cycle lane reportedly undercuts this record by two inches.
According to StroudLife, the stunted path sandwiched between a bay and a bus stop is part of a longer cycle lane along the road. But legislation dictates that bus stops take priority over cycle lanes, which has caused the break in the path and the creation of an 8ft bike lane.
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Jason Humm, area highways manager for Gloucester County Council, told the newspaper: “We appreciate the markings could be mistaken for a smaller cycle lane but they are in fact part of a longer, advisory cycle lane.”
He added that the council consults with cycling groups on what they require, and feedback has shown that “some form of road marking, highlighting the presence of cyclists, is better than none at all”.
