A NEW cycle lane that puts cyclists "on a collision course" with parked cars is the subject of a complaint to Hampshire County Council.

The Brockenhurst cycle path which starts from Lymington Road, heading north-west into Brookley Road, was installed by Hampshire County Council last month.

But the council has been forced to review the work, after they came under fire from members of the cycling community, who argued that the path would force them to cycle round or even into cars parked in a designated parking bay located less than a foot from the end of the cycle path.

A New Forest resident, who asked not to be named, said it was clear the council hadn't spoken to any cyclists prior to the scheme being designed, otherwise the flaw would have been identified before the works were done.

The married father-of-two, who has cycled the Forest for over 25 years, said: "My understanding is that this was one of a number of cycle infrastructure schemes identified by consultants working on behalf of Hampshire County Council in February 2014.

"This particular scheme has introduced a short section, approximately 3m, of dedicated cycling infrastructure at the entrance/exit to Brockenhurst station. Whilst the short length of the cycle route is of concern, the main issue seems to be that cyclists using the route are placed on a collision course with vans and cars legally parked on Brookley Rd.

"I am as convinced as I can be that no cyclist was involved in the design or implementation of this scheme, and would question how it has been approved from a safety perspective.

"Another concern involves the cost of the scheme. I understand that the scheme was funded by the National Park Authority using grant funding from the Department for Transport, funding which the National Park Authority originally applied for to deliver a public bike share scheme."

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “The cycle by-pass at the junction of Lymington Road and Brookley Road was constructed in April 2016 as part of a number of a schemes to improve accessibility for cyclists in Brockenhurst. The aim was to make it easier for cyclists turning left into Brookley Road from the rail station.

"The construction cost was £6,253. We can confirm that we’ve been contacted by a cyclist with concerns about the proximity of the new cycle by-pass to nearby parking, and we are looking into this.”