Bethnal Green Road cycle lane obstacles being removed by council

Caution tape wrapped around the lamppost ahead of its removal from the cycle lane (Image: Archant)

Cyclists blasted bungling council chiefs after the new £8,000 stretch was opened in a busy stretch of Bethnal Green Road, claiming it actually made the route more dangerous than it was before.

A parking meter obstructing the lane has now been removed, with a lamppost currently wrapped in caution tape ahead of its scheduled relocation.

Tower Hamlets Council is even considering getting rid of the path, which is yards away from where actor Sofoklis Kostoulas was crushed to death under a lorry last October.

The route was described as a “foolish use of scarce money” by London Assembly Member for City and East John Biggs.

And Mayor of London Boris Johnson confirmed Transport for London (TfL) officials were meeting council chiefs to review its design.

Labour’s Cllr John Pierce, who represents Weavers Ward in Bethnal Green, which the cycle lane runs through, said: “This saga just gets more farcical. Now we see the council’s response is to wrap the lamppost in caution tape.

“Hopefully we can make some progress now TfL is stepping in.”

The stretch is part of a £400,000 transformation of cycling facilities in Bethnal Green Road, a spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council confirmed. The parking meter cost £90 to be removed, according to the council.

“We are looking at various suggestions with TfL colleagues include widening and lengthening the cycle facility, creating a buffer zone for access to parked cars, creating an alternative quiet cycle route parallel to Bethnal Green Road or returning the space entirely to pedestrians,” a spokesman said.