Ashfield council leader slams new cycle and footpath in Sutton

Coun Jason Zadrozny, along with other Ashfield Independent Councillors, has called for an Independent Public Enquiry into the new three-metre-wide two-way route runs from Station Road to Silk Street on the south-eastern side of High Pavement and between Langton Road and Mill Street on the northern side, which was designed and constructed by Via East Midlands on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council as part of the Active Travel Fund to encourage safer and more cycling.

However, Ashfield Independent Councillors claim it has made cycling more dangerous and that fixing the district’s broken roads would have done more to improve the safety of cyclists and encourage others to do so.

Coun Jason Zadrozny said: “This is the biggest waste of money I’ve seen in all my time involved in local politics.

"I was very clear with the county council that they should fix the broken roads and pavements in Leamington and Sutton first.

"Residents are going nuts. I don’t blame them. This has actually made it worse for cyclists. Nobody asked for this work to be done.

"Ask any cyclist the biggest obstacle they have to face and they’ll tell you it’s the potholes.

"It doesn’t matter whether this has been paid for by your Council Tax or general taxation. It’s an insult to residents.”

Coun Neil Clarke MBE, cabinet member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We want to make it easier for residents to get out and about as there are so many benefits to walking and cycling, including cleaner air, improved health and wellbeing, and less congested roads.

“By creating a new segregated cycle track we hope that cyclists will feel safer and that it will help improve their overall cycling experience. And with fewer cyclists on the pavement, we hope that pedestrians will benefit too.

“It’s a win-win situation and we hope that the creation of this new cycle and footpath will help encourage people away from their cars and help to embed walking and cycling into their everyday routine.”