COSTS for a controversial cycle lane have spiralled out of control by more than half a million pounds, the Daily Echo can reveal.
The council has overspent around £510,000 on building a cycle lane in Wallisdown Road – and the multi-lane pathway remains incomplete.
Work to complete phase one of the cycle lane, which saw nationwide criticism for being wider than the road for cars, was overspent by nearly £350,000, costing £2,029,000 to finish.
More than £1.35m was budgeted for the second phase of the cycleway, but the council estimate it could cost an extra £170,000 to complete.
BCP Council said the price increase is due to the escalating global costs of construction materials and labour following the pandemic, which have had a “big impact” on the project.
A spokeswoman said: “Add to this, the current high levels of inflation, rising fuel costs and changes in the law on fuel duty for construction work and you have a combination of factors that have significantly driven up costs on this project.”
Read more: Letter: ‘Is anyone using the cycle lanes?’
She added there are no plans to reduce the scope of the third phase of Wallisdown Road’s cycle lane so there will be no reduction in costs, meaning the estimated budget, first dreamt up in 2020, has also increased to £5,232,360 for the whole project.
“As with any construction project there are unforeseen situations that can affect the costs, as evidenced during the first two phases of this project, which were affected by the pandemic and financial crisis,” the spokeswoman added.
“We include some contingency into our budgets to try and cover any unforeseen cost increases and we will continue to look for savings throughout the delivery phase to mitigate any cost increases.”
Read more: What do YOU think of the upcoming Wallisdown Road cycle lanes?
The figures, obtained from a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Echo, show a total of £3,402,000 has been spent so far on Wallisdown Road’s cycle lanes.
Work on the third and final phase of the cycle lane in Wallisdown Road, from Scott Road to Benbow Crescent, a distance of around half a mile, will cost £1,680,360.
The council’s ‘improvements’ in the Wallisdown area started near Mountbatten Arms in November 2020 – including a cycle lane along the busy Wallisdown Road.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel