Willenhall's Bike Lane: A Million-Pound Zigzag

On April 3rd, Britain's priciest bike lane yet is sparking massive backlash in Willinhall,

a West Midlands town that's no cycling hotspot.

This strip of blue asphalt runs less than a mile, but it's guzzling over 5 million pounds of

taxpayer cash, about 4,100. 98 pounds per meter, for just 680 meters of dedicated lane,

plus a share path. Construction kicked off last April, overlapping with nearby railway station work,

and it's still only partly done after more than a year. The design forces riders and walkers

to cross the road eight times because the lanes zigzag between sides of the street.

Locals and business owners are calling it a total waste, saying they've seen zero cyclists using

it while traffic snarls hurt shops and foot traffic, drops. Even the local labor counselor blasted

as poor value, disrupting residents without real benefits in a town of 50,000 that isn't built for.

Bikes? Similar gripes hit other projects, like a 17 million pound lane and dorset earlier this year.

Funded by the government's active travel fund, to boost walking and cycling,

Wallsaw Council defends it as safer connectivity, but outrage grows over.

Potholes ignored and squeeze roads making driving trickier. As the baits rage on better spins for

public funds, Willinhall's path highlights the pushed pool between green goals and everyday needs.