Time to say 'bye bye' to cycle lane

JULY has been given as the key date for the Linthorpe Road cycle lane removal, by one of the area's mayors.

- By DANIEL HODGSON

Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen said during his BBC Radio Tees "hot seat" session on Thursday that the removal of the cycle lane is definitely happening at some point in July.

Meanwhile, Chris Cooke, Labour's Mayor of Middlesbrough said the expectation was for work to start in the summer.

He did not confirm the July date given by his fellow mayor.

The Linthorpe Road cycle lane was constructed in 2022, with its unpopularity at a point where Mayor Cooke made it a pledge to get it removed as part of his 2023 campaign to become mayor of Middlesbrough.

It is unclear how long the process of removal will take, but comments from the two mayors appear to contradict one another, with the Tees Valley mayor saying that he would like to see the cycle lane removed prior to the beginning of the summer holidays in mid-July.

Meanwhile, the Middlesbrough mayor has said that the work will most likely start in the summer and take less than eight months, but he hasn't been able to give a more in depth timeline.