‘Ridiculous’ timeline to remove bike lane

WORK on the removal of the Linthorpe Road cycle lane will not be completed until summer 2026.

- By DANIEL HODGSON

The confirmation comes from Middlesbrough Council, after a sign on the road announced work was set to begin this month and run until summer of next year. The decision was taken to remove the route earlier this year, in a move supported by the local council and Tees Valley Combined Authority.

A council spokesman has said that the aim is to complete the removal as quickly as possible, highlighting some infrastructure that has already gone.

Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen, meanwhile, has said that the council has questions to answer about why it is taking so long.

Previously, Mayor Houchen set out his belief that removal would take a matter of weeks once the work started, whilst a senior council officer thought it would take six months from start to finish. Both of these estimates have ended up being far from reality.

Alongside detailing the dates of the upcoming works, the temporary sign on Linthorpe Road added: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused during these works. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”

Speaking in May about how he saw the timeline, Mayor Houchen said: “When we get a spade in the ground, per se, it'll take about eight weeks to actually take it out.”

Responding to the timeline news, Mayor Houchen said: “We were told that this would happen much faster.