Councillors in Norfolk have called on the council to compile a report on the efficacy of a cycle lane their party leader has branded “a sodding waste of money”.
Nine newly-elected councillors representing Great Yarmouth First, a local affiliate of the far-right Restore Britain party, have tabled a motion at the next meeting of Norfolk County Council calling for a report about the full costs of the schemes, and data about cycle lane usage, congestion, road safety and traffic impact to be presented to representatives. The councillors have also enquired as to whether the local authority has the power to “amend, redesign or remove elements of the scheme, should significant safety or operational concerns be identified”, as reported by the Eastern Daily Press. It is unclear from the proposal what would be considered operational concern.
However, group leader Jon Wedon told the newspaper that “Residents who live with the changes every day have seen the impact the schemes have had, with narrowed carriageways making it impossible to pass stationary vehicles, and zebra crossings placed directly on roundabout entrances causing traffic to become completely blocked in all directions.
“We are also seeking clarity on what practical adjustments could now be made — such as reinstating sensible parking for businesses on Middleton Road.”
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However, when we last reported on the Gorleston cycle lane, road.cc reader open_roads informed us that prior to the £500,000 cycle lane investment, funded by central government’s Active Travel Fund and not the local council, “Middleton Road in Gorleston-on-Sea used to be a two lane road with double yellows and some parking bays outside the Rose Garden.
“Now it’s still a two lane road with double yellows an some parking bays outside the Rose Garden. And now has a bike lane.”
Restore Britain is led by Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, who founded the party following his suspension from Reform UK due to allegations of bullying that Lowe denied. Among the party’s policies are the mass deportation of approximately 2 million people from the country that the party estimate are illegal immigrants, “abolishing the asylum system”, and “rooting out subversive and anti-British ideology” from schools and universities.
Lowe is also the chairman of Great Yarmouth First which won all nine seats based in the town in the County Council elections earlier this month. Days before the local election, Lowe appeared in a social media video bemoaning the “central planning lunacy” that saw a cycle lane installed in Gorleston-on-Sea. “I’ve declared bicyclists a very rare breed here,” the 68-year-old former Southampton FC owner added.
The cycle lane has also been criticised by newspapers who have branded the cycle lane “dangerous”. However, the danger stems from drivers choosing to park their vehicles across the lane, forcing riders on to the pavement.
> £500,000 cycle lane criticised as “dangerous” as delivery lorries and buses stop in the lane
The council motion to report on the cycle lane will be considered when Norfolk County Council reconvenes later this week. The council, which has been Conservative-led for 103 of the past 114 years, is expected to become a Reform-led minority administration after the party won 40 out of 84 seats whilst the Conservatives were reduced from 58 councillors to 8. The new administration is expected to turn to either the Tories or Great Yarmouth First for political support.
29 thoughts on “Newly elected Restore Britain councillors demand review into cycle lane Rupert Lowe branded a “complete sodding waste of money””
Racists are a waste of oxygen and any opinions they have should be ignored as they’re clearly not capable of logical thought.
@Boopop aren’t these just people whose opinions you disagree with?
@ChrisA Restore Britain is a far right racist party.
@Boopop “far right racist” is an over-used term, deployed too often in a way that loses its meaning.
But it is also an entirely accurate way to describe Restore Britain.
Are they racists too? They seem to have neo-nazi well-wishers, but perhaps they’re just fervent xenophobes (who also want to put the boot in to things they don’t feel are part of their approved culture, which apparently includes… transport cycling)?
“… and zebra crossings placed directly on roundabout entrances causing traffic to become completely blocked in all directions.”
Which body can we report this to for being such a blatant lie?
The “blockage” would immediately disappear once the crossing is clear…
Unless of course there is a queue of motor traffic (ie during rush hour) causing a much bigger delay…
Also, presumably they would also want to rip out pavements and bus lanes which are empty for some 90+% of the day….
@mitsky Don’t forget railways! And airport runways – the planes are on them for barely a few seconds at a time!
@chrisonabike not forgetting Restore Britain councillors’s brains, it’s not like they are actively using more than 5% of their gray Spontex mass.
Use of the phrase “sodding waste of money” shows that Rupert Lowe, Alma maters Dragon Prep School, Radley College, Reading University (not sure why he didn’t go to Oxbridge, but I can guess) is a down to earth working bloke. He has everyone’s back by trying to stamp out these irritating bicyclists who slow down hard working motorists along with the economy.
Being an ex Teesside comprehensive school pupil, I think Rupert is a bit of a tit whose main role is making Nige Farage look relatively normal.
No, he must be right, because he’s a local and we woke outsiders have literally no idea how it is there!
Meanwhile here’s a example of the terrible chaos and indeed oppression of thousands of hard-working drivers that this kind of nonsense will usher in:
Oh my God. Some of those poor motorists must have been held up for 10 seconds. In Great Yarmouth that time could be used to buy and eat an ice cream or hot dog, thereby fueling the economy.
@Mr Blackbird I mean, you can’t go to a drive-thru on a bike… (insert baffled “actually sometimes that’s true because motornormativity” emoji)
@Mr Blackbird That’s 10 seconds they could have used to get to the back of the real traffic queue faster and sit in it!
Looking at the Dutch roundabout example presumably drivers will be shouting at cyclists “please cycle two-abreast! Or even three – or more!”
When you look at the photo of the Cllrs, the immediate thing is the lack of diversity. And I don’t mean some ‘woke’ trans, black, Rasta ethno diversity – I’m speaking about not even any women. It’s just GAMMON. We need to be afraid – very afraid if and when this becomes national government.
Nonsense – at least two of them have beards.
@Rome73 Wait – how can you be so sure that some of them aren’t trans men, “passing” persons of colour, children of migrants or even foreign nationals? I believe their party’s line is that no discrimination is tolerated…
@Rome73 Worth noting that these cockwombles represent Restore Britain, the party Rupert Lowe formed when even Reform decided he was too unpleasant for them (which, in a phrase of Ernest Hemingway’s, is about like getting bounced out of a leper colony) who have as much chance of forming a government as I have of becoming Pope – they are currently polling around 1%.
White middle aged men doing nothing to dispel the sense of entitlement they have. I wonder if the only time they use a pavement if it’s part of a publicity opportunity, as the majority of them look as if it’s been a while since they took any form of exercise.
I am not a cyclista zealot as I am part of a two car family but I am tired of motorists trying to deny the use of roads to all forms of legitimate users and any efforts to provide safe means of all citizens to travel from A to B.
It is so saddening to see these people elected to positions of power and influence as they often sound like the bloke in the pub having a rant. Grrrrr
@DonnyJohnny White middle aged man here. Remain campaigner, Green voter and regular cyclist. Don’t generalise please.
Great Yarmouth is competing hard for the title of ‘Britain’s Nuremberg’ and winning. With voters like those, they should be able to put on some impressively attended Rallies untroubled by any cyclists. I won’t be going there now, but I wasn’t going anyway
Looking at the current political makeup of Norfolk council I think this will happen unfortunately. The only thing I can suggest is to file an objection if possible or seek a judicial review.
I’m a cyclist in Gt Yarmouth. The Jellicoe Road scheme is a complete waste of money. It was, before the scheme, the widest road in town. Now it’s less than 2 busses wide with cars parked both sides (and on the cycle path)!
The route is also one that cyclists wouldn’t take. From Caister to Gt Yar sea front there is a minor road, Freemantle Road, that takes you past the race course. From the Sea front to Caister you’d would use the same route. From Caister to Gt Yarmouth Town centre you would use Caister Road / Lawn Ave. The same on return. Neither of these two routes, the main North / South routes do not use Jellicoe Road. I’ve not cycled that route. Please check Google Maps.
The cycle path alongside Caister Road is a shared path one side of the road. Not wide enough for two cycles to pass without encroaching into the pedestrian area, and the surface is that badly broken up and patched that is is uncomfortable to ride on. The main 4 lane Road is safer!!!
The complaint is not anti-cyclists. It is anti the cycling scheme put in because they had some money, without proper consultation of where the best use of that money should be. It’s a classic case of non-cyclists saying they know what cyclists need.
Thanks for the local info, haven’t had a chance to look at this yet.
BUT if it goes nowhere people would want to go, I’m wondering why it’s a busy four lane road with lots of people parking and carrying buses also? Can it be it’s a ring road / bypass to keep motor traffic out of town? Does it just run to the park and ride?
The issue there sounds like there’s not enough cycle provision, not too much (and it needs renovation not removal)? So that sounds like there are at least 11 metres of width for motor traffic, right? (Up here I think the bus companies demand 3.5m per lane).
It is a busy road for cars and buses. Cars won’t use the Freemantle Road divert coming from the sea front as it requires a right turn across 4 lanes of traffic at the end. Jellicoe Road ends in traffic lights. Cars travelling from Caister to the sea front do use the divert if they are local as it avoids the traffic lights. Because the divert exists there is no reason to use this stretch of Road to cycle.
I thought this was all about Middleton Road in Gorleston, to the south?
Jellicoe Road is a pretty typical story, a “street” (houses with driveways) but which is simultaneously far wider than even “bidirectional street with parking both sides” needs and also apparently “too narrow” for active travel provision.
Does it need it? Dunno but again if that many people are *driving* there it would seem a desire line.
Probably lots of this could be improved at “network level” but it sounds like most locals don’t want change!
Caister Road looks pretty miserable even with what seems to be a footway with a line painted down the middle. OTOH we know the UK standard is usually “that or literally nothing” and I’ve used worse…
Ah! Rupert Lowe, the man who reported a clearly identified a group of people rowing around Britain in aid of a charity, to the police as illegal immigrants.
Norfolk welcomes bigots it would seem.