A controversial cycling infrastructure project, the Linthorpe Road cycle lane, constructed in 2022 for £1.7million, will be dismantled at an additional expense of £2.17million, marking the end of a scheme that has cost taxpayers and resulted in numerous injuries.

The ill-fated project has led to compensation payments exceeding £85,000 for injuries sustained by pedestrians and cyclists who encountered the lane's rigid dividers.

25 injury claims were submitted between the cycle lane's completion in 2022 and July 2025, 15 injury claims have been settled by Middlesbrough Council through their insurers, while 6 additional cases are pending resolution.

The black-and-white rubber dividers separating the cycle lane have proved hazardous for both pedestrians and cyclists, causing numerous trips and falls.

The installation attracted fierce condemnation at a full council meeting in October 2023, where it was labelled "disastrous", while local businesses have reported declining trade, attributing losses to reduced parking availability and limited drop-off points.

The owner of Madame Rouge vintage pub and tearooms described the project as "an absolute disaster", as other merchants echoed similar sentiments about the negative impact on their establishments.

Mayor Ben Houchen offered particularly scathing criticism during a BBC Radio Tees Valley interview on Wednesday, claiming the cycle lane was predominantly utilized by children "causing problems" and "drug dealers who exploited it as a bike run to be able to get through traffic"

Commenting on the controversial road measures, the Association of British Drivers said: "Mindless fanatical support for cycling allows brain-dead Middlesbrough Council to throw all common sense out of the window, endangering pedestrians."

https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/cycle-lane-drug-dealers-removed-injury-claims-middlesbrough