Have you spotted a silly cycle lane?

Apr 4 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

EAGLE-EYED readers are still contacting The Journal to report sightings of silly cycle lanes.

Yesterday, 70-year-old Malcolm Lockey, from West Pastures, Fallowfield, Ashington, reported a seemingly pointless 11 metres of road markings next to Spittal Estate in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland.

But even that was not enough to rival Karl McCracken’s 10-metre cycle lane that he discovered outside the new Gateshead College campus on Monday.

However, sightings of bike paths have gone from stupid to ridiculous.

The Journal’s snappers have taken to the streets to find the best of the worst cycle images – proving they come in all shapes and sizes.

The road scrawling on Newcastle Bank, in Birtley, looks like that of a prehistoric cave painting or the work of a three-year-old child.

And proving that tidiness and order are virtues of the past, the painters near Gosforth Racecourse roundabout show that they can do it free-hand.

On Durham Road, in Gateshead, the double yellow lines obscure the drawing to an extent where it is almost useless.

And in Southgate, Killingworth, the artist might never have seen a bike before judging by his handiwork.

But leading the fight against shoddy drawings is the immaculately crafted bicycle in Ashington -– even if the chunky wheels do look like they are set for a trip to the moon.

Although most of these images beg the same question – how can a bicycle move if its wheels are not round?

What the law says

THE Department for Transport issues strict guidelines for road markings inside cycle lanes.

It is a legal requirement that the bicycle image should be between 75cm and 1.7m wide, and between 1.215m and 2.75m tall.

However, it should ideally be drawn to the recommended size of 1.1m wide and 1.78m tall.

Local councils can apply for what is known as a "departure" from these standard sizes.

This means that if the road would not accommodate a drawing of this size, or if there were special requirements on the road, then they could deviate from these stipulations.

A spokesperson said: "These are legal requirements clearly set out and available to all people involved in cycle lane design. It is very unlikely that there will be a need to stray from these regulations. But if they do, they need to get the proper approval."

Send your sightings

Have you seen a more pointless bike lane?

Or even a more pitifully drawn bicycle?

Click here to send in your silly cycle lane sightings via our 'send your stories' facility - or click here to send in your own pics of the absurd drawings using the 'send your pics' facility.

Or you can let us know by emailing us at jnl.newsdesk@ncjmedia.co.uk or by calling (0191) 201-6262