CONTROVERSIAL advisory cycle lanes on a stretch of road in Corbridge are being blocked from use by parked cars.

According to members of Corbridge Parish Council, the 1.5m wide lanes on both sides of a narrow stretch of the B6350 Newcastle Road, cannot be used by cyclists travelling east because of motorists using the space marked by broken white lines for parking.

“The county council has apologised for the lack of consultation and we’ve been reassured it won’t happen again,” explained chairman of Corbridge Parish Council, Maurice Hodgson, who told the latest meeting of the feedback he’d received from the county’s head of sustainable transport, Ruth Bendell.

“They understand now that doing this without consulting the public and parish council was not a good thing to do and they’ve been told that it’s being used as a lane for parking cars, therefore cyclists aren’t using it anyway.

“It’s clear there are opposing views from those who think it’s dangerous and those who do cycle who think it’s a great idea, and that’s why there should have been some consultation.”

Councillors were told that their parish council colleagues as far away as Bywell had expressed concerns over the safety of the lanes and that the county council was considering all feedback as part of its monitoring of the trial.

Confused motorists were left calling for answers over the removal of central white lines and the installation of cycle lanes, which appeared out of the blue on the Newcastle Road at the end of November.

As part of resurfacing work on the road leading in to the village county council highways officials gave the go-ahead for the installation of the 1.5 metre wide advisory cycle lanes in both directions.

The council argued that the lanes would highlight the presence of the Hadrian’s Cycleway route 72, which passes through the village.

It claimed the lanes had been used in many parts of the country to help reduce vehicle speeds.

However, many motorists have branded them a hazard, with others pointing out that the lanes are wide enough to take a parked car, leaving drivers assuming they are confined to the narrower centre of the road.

The village’s county councillor, Jean Fearon, said: “I suggested they took them off asap but it seems as though they want to keep them going until September.”

Coun. David Burnett said: “So who is going to stop the cars parking there, on the same side as the health centre?

“And what happens if cars start to park on the other side of the road as well? Is that all right?”

Coun. Hodgson pointed out that parking in the lanes, although not encouraged, is not illegal due to the fact that the lanes are advisory only.