Formal complaint lodged against £750,000 cycle path that 'no-one asked for'

Paul Avison, vice chairman, and Will Bramhill, planning officer, have urged Gavin Jones, chief executive of Essex County Council to immediately stop work in Mile End Road, Colchester.

They said it should be subject to a full inquiry by an independent party and have accused county councillors of failing to intervene when the legality of the cycle scheme was questioned.

The lobby group had threatened to take further action against the authority last month when construction work began on converting a 1.2km-long footpath into a shared cycleway and footway.

Essex County Council’s intention was to improve safety for those travelling between north Colchester, the train station and town centre.

However, the group had expressed early concerns over safety for pedestrians and cyclists, calling for a 20mph limit on Mile End Road, Nayland Road and Mill Road West.

The council has also been accused of ignoring elements of its own cycling strategy and design guide, such as ‘cycle route designs avoiding problem junctions and private drives,’ but also government notes on the risks of shared-use routes.

Mr Bramhill said: “The county has driven ahead with the scheme and ignored common-sense calls to look for a better solution.

“It has disregarded national guidance and is unable to show it has fulfilled its legal obligation to pay ‘due regard’ under the public sector equality duty.

“If guidance had been followed, it is likely the scheme would have been abandoned.

“We learnt through an FOI request the path was requested by no-one and no research was carried out before construction began into the number of cyclists on the route or their average speeds.

“No options other than an unsegregated shared path were considered despite repeated requests.”

Once a response has been received by the county council, the cycling group will decide whether to forward the issue to a local government ombudsman.