Political spat between Conservative and Labour mayors finally comes to an end as both reach agreement to remove "unpopular" cycle lane that "simply hasn't worked"

A controversial cycle lane that became the site of a bitter and long drawn-out political battle between rival mayors seems to have finally reached its somewhat tepid conclusion, with Chris Cooke, the Labour mayor of Middlesbrough managing to reach an agreement with his Conservative counterpart of Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), Ben Houchen, to tear out a cycle lane that has proved to be "unpopular" with cyclists, pedestrians and motorists, and "simply hasn't worked".

The bike lane in question is on Linthorpe Road — segregated using wands and installed on the B1272 in 2022, a key route into Middlesbrough. The project cost £1.7m to install and was delivered as part of a 10-year strategic transport plan spearheaded by the TVCA, and was approved under former Independent mayor Andy Preston.

However since its introduction, the cycle lane has been mired in controversy, having a variety of derogatory adjectives associated with it, besides becoming a popular place for drivers to park their cars, as well as cyclists having to constantly dodge not just vehicles but pedestrians as well owing to the poor segregation, brining them into conflict with each other which led to several pedestrians suffering injuries.

Now TeesideLive reports that finally after months of political chicanery, a four week-long consultation period is set to be launched this week seeking views on plans to reinstate the road’s previous layout, while retaining the closure of Victoria Street. A timeline has been drawn up following the consultation, outlining plans to remove the lane.

> Under-fire mayor accused of "abysmal failure" to rip out "disastrous" cycle lane insists works will go ahead once council can afford it

Labour mayor Chris Cooke, who was elected to the role last summer and months later came under fire for an "abysmal failure" to rip out the "disastrous" cycle lane, one of his key election pledges, said: "We’re all for improving how everyone gets around Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool but the Linthorpe Road cycle lane simply hasn’t worked and should never have happened. It’s been a pain for businesses, hasn’t improved life for cyclists or pedestrians, and it needs to be removed.

"We’re making big changes through the Development Corporation and having local businesses and TS1 residents behind us is absolutely essential. We’re all agreed that the status quo simply cannot remain, and I’m determined we see spades in the ground to get this out before the end of the year."

The cycle lane on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough has been described "unsuccesful", "disastrous", and a "failure" (Kevin Marks, Twitter)

The consultation will last until the start of September, and after feedback is taken into consideration, the current plan is for a statutory consultation to take place in Autumn. Subject to a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) being granted, work would then start in December with the overhaul set to be completed in early 2025.

Mayor Cooke added: "The cycle lane has been unpopular with many people who use Linthorpe Road. I pledged to get rid of it before I was elected and am pleased we have now reached the point where the TVCA can pay for its removal in full, including the costs of putting the road right. We’ve had assurances there will be no impact on Middlesbrough Council’s finances – that is massively important given our wider responsibilities to the town.

"Lots of positive things are happening in our town centre and it’s vital that we listen to the people of Middlesbrough – it’s their town and on big changes like this we need their backing.

"In the longer term we need to work closely with TVCA on making sure we have a transport system that’s suitable for everyone and plays its part in protecting the planet. We need fit-for-purpose solutions that we can encourage people to use."

While the bike path was unpopular with many road users already, businesses appeared to be not too fond of it as well, many complaining that not being able to park outside their shops and firms reduced their footfall and ultimately sales.

> "Others have promised and failed": Controversial cycle lane becomes battleground for rival mayors

Last October, Paul Harris was thrown over his handlebars after colliding with a cycle lane separator and suffered a bruised and protruding collarbone and needed three stitches above his left eye. That incident came two months after a 78-year-old woman was left with a broken wrist, a black eye and concussion after tripping over one of the bike lane markers on the same road.

After coming under fire last year, Cooke wrote an open letter in February as an attempt to "outline the fact" and take shots at the Conservative leader of the TVCA Ben Houchen.

"In 2022, the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) which is chaired by Mayor Ben Houchen spent £1.7 million on installing the disastrous cycle lane. This was then approved by Andy Preston (previous mayor of Middlesbrough). They created it, they should fund its removal," he wrote.

"As soon as I was elected, I made attempts to work with Mayor Ben Houchen to uninstall the cycle lane. However, Mayor Ben Houchen and the TVCA refused to allow me to remove the cycle lane [...] he did not want to remove the cycle lane, he installed, as he wanted to delay delivering my election pledge to you.

"Despite Mayor Ben Houchen trying to block my attempts at removing the cycle lane, I have remained completely committed to its removal. I have had countless meetings with politicians, businesses and organisations to do everything in my power to deliver my election pledge. After continuously putting pressure on Mayor Ben Houchen he has finally agreed to my request, to uninstall the cycle lane.

"Last week, Mayor Ben Houchen announced that he will remove the cycle lane without informing you of all the background work that I have done to make this happen. So I wanted to write this letter directly to you to outline the facts. It has been difficult and challenging but I am glad that I am making the progress that I promised I would deliver to you."