{"id":64743,"date":"2025-08-13T19:49:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T19:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/64743\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T19:49:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T19:49:11","slug":"council-pays-out-85000-to-cyclists-and-pedestrians-injured-by-crashes-and-trips-caused-by-hated-cycle-lane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/64743\/","title":{"rendered":"Council pays out \u00a385,000 to cyclists and pedestrians injured by crashes and trips caused by \u201chated\u201d cycle lane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Middlesbrough Council has paid out more than \u00a385,000 in compensation to people injured on Linthorpe Road\u2019s long-derided cycle lane, new figures have revealed \u2014 the latest twist in one of the UK\u2019s most protracted and politically charged active travel sagas, just weeks before the scheme is finally ripped out.<\/p>\n

According to a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Labour-run authority has so far paid \u00a385,728 for 15 injury claims linked to the lane\u2019s controversial ridged markers, with a further six claims still being processed.<\/p>\n

Both pedestrians and cyclists have been among those hurt since the \u00a31.7 million scheme was installed in 2022, with incidents including trips, falls, and crashes.<\/p>\n

The figures add another chapter to a story that has dominated Middlesbrough\u2019s local politics for almost three years. As we reported last month, work to remove the protected cycle lane is due to begin on 26 August<\/a>, funded by \u00a32.17 million from the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA).<\/p>\n

>\u00a0End of a \u201csorry chapter\u201d: Britain\u2019s most controversial cycle lane finally confirmed for removal in project worth over \u00a32 million<\/a><\/p>\n

The scheme, introduced under former independent mayor Andy Preston, was intended to create a \u201cquick and safe\u201d route into the town centre. Instead, it became a lightning rod for criticism from traders<\/a>, councillors<\/a>, and residents<\/a>, and in its first months saw a string of high-profile injuries.<\/p>\n

In August 2022, a 78-year-old woman was hospitalised with a broken wrist, black eye, and concussion after tripping on one of the low \u201cOrca\u201d separators<\/a> used for light segregation.<\/p>\n

Weeks later, cyclist Paul Harris was thrown over his handlebars and required stitches after hitting the same dividers<\/a>, claiming the layout forced riders to \u201cconstantly\u201d dodge parked cars, buses, and pedestrians. Another 27-year-old woman also fractured her elbow on a night out while crossing the lane.<\/p>\n

\"LinthorpeLinthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (credit: Kevin Marks)<\/p>\n

The Orcas were later replaced with plastic wands, and a planned extension of the route was shelved, but the project\u2019s reputation never recovered. Shopkeepers blamed it for reduced footfall and loss of customer parking, with one even calling it a \u201cclear getaway\u201d route for shoplifters and drug dealers \u2014 a claim echoed earlier this month by Conservative Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, who told BBC Radio Tees the lane was \u201clargely used\u201d by drug dealers and children \u201ccausing problems\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The BBC\u2019s report<\/a> this week, however, also highlighted data that paints a more complex picture. Between 2015 and 2021, before the lane was installed, there were 57 recorded injuries on Linthorpe Road, 23 per cent of which (14) involved cyclists.<\/p>\n

Between 2022 and 2024, after installation, there were 26 recorded injuries \u2014 only three of them cyclists, representing 12 per cent of the total. The council also confirmed last year that the number of people cycling on Linthorpe Road rose by 70 per cent after the lane\u2019s introduction.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0Cyclist injuries dropped by half after \u201chated\u201d cycle lane installed, but mayor still claims scrapped lane largely used as \u201cbike run\u201d for drug dealers to \u201cget through traffic\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite these apparent safety gains, Labour mayor Chris Cooke \u2014 who succeeded Preston in 2023 and made the lane\u2019s removal a campaign pledge \u2014 has argued that future active travel schemes \u201chave to be in the right place and learn the lessons from this saga\u201d.<\/p>\n

Together, Cooke and Houchen have spent much of the past two years in a public feud over who should fund and carry out the works, with accusations of political stalling and obstruction traded across social media and in open letters.<\/p>\n

\"LabourLabour mayor Chris Cooke and Conservative mayor Ben Houcham celebrate removal of Middlesbrough cycle lane, Linthorpe Road (credit: Tees Valley Combined Authority)<\/p>\n

A rare moment of agreement came in early 2024, when the two mayors jointly declared the lane \u201cunpopular\u201d and something that had \u201csimply not worked\u201d<\/a>. But the removal process still faced months of delays, with council officers at one point recommending it remain in place \u2014 a suggestion Cooke publicly vowed to overrule. In December, the council finally approved plans for its removal, with TVCA agreeing to cover the full cost.<\/p>\n

When the diggers arrive later this month, the protected lane will disappear \u2014 but not every change it brought will go with it. Middlesbrough Council has confirmed that a 20mph speed limit, a new pedestrian crossing, narrowed junctions, and some side-street closures introduced as part of the scheme will remain in place in a bid to slow traffic and improve safety for people walking and cycling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is about time, and we can finally turn the page on this sorry chapter for Middlesbrough. I said I\u2019d sort it for the council, and it is going. Let\u2019s get it ripped out, and let local businesses get back to their lives,\u201d Houchen said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Middlesbrough Council has paid out more than \u00a385,000 in compensation to people injured on Linthorpe Road\u2019s long-derided cycle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64744,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-64743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}