A council leader in Bradford on Avon has hit back at critics after the town was once again ridiculed in the national media.

Last autumn, the national media poked fun at the town’s wildlife policy, saying it would protect Bradford on Avon’s rat population, and the town council was forced to clarify its position in a statement.

This time, a popular national newspaper appealing to middle-of-the-road readers poked fun at the town with an article entitled: Is this the stupidest cycle lane in Britain?

The cycle lane in question, Mill Lane, is part of the town’s new social distancing one-way scheme and runs the wrong way up the narrow one-way stretch from Kingston Road to Silver Street and Woolley Street.

It is so narrow that vehicles turning left off Woolley Street have no choice but to cross into the designated cycle lane coming up from Kingston Road and the Kingston housing estate.

Local campaigner John Boyce, who recently wrote to local MP Michelle Donelan and Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris to complain about the town's cycle lanes, said: “It would be comical if it were not so dangerous.

“Here we have a contra-flow system on a narrow and badly rutted lane, into which incoming vehicles have absolutely no view of approaching cycles until too late, and they meet head-on. Anything bigger than a standard small saloon car cannot pass a bike in the other direction anyway.”

He added: “This scheme was fast-tracked to allow for social distancing in the narrow part of town. However, since the disastrous traffic light scheme was scrapped due to huge public criticism and pressure four months ago, nothing has been done to create social distancing on the town bridge leaving the contribution of the cycle lane to social distancing worthless.”

The Mill Lane scheme, and a second one in Winsley Road, were introduced by Wiltshire Council last year after it received £681,000 from the Government to improve social distancing in the county’s market towns and other areas.

Responding to posts on local social media, Cllr Dom Newton, the leader of Bradford on Avon Town Council, said: “Small point that both Wiltshire Council, the highways authority that designed the BoA scheme, and the chap who instigated the Winsley scheme are Conservative – but no don’t let that stand in the way of the mythologising.”

Mr Boyce says the Winsley Road cycle lane is a potential “death trap” because 11 out of 25 quality tests set out in the level of service are all "critical fails" with a red light score, indicating that it is unsafe and must not be built.

He said: “I met the designer of this scheme Kirsty Rose (Kirsty is not a cyclist) in the autumn on site and she promised a raft of improvements most of which have failed to materialise.

“However even with the promised improvements the scheme is a death-trap, and as a cyclist who normally rides 3-4 thousand miles per year I will never venture into it again, after trying it several times.

“This leaves me riding on the now severely narrowed carriageway causing delays to understandably frustrated motorists, who vent their anger most noisily and aggressively."

Mr Boyce has protested to Wiltshire Council and local MP Michelle Donelan about the Winsley Road cycle lane from Bradford on Avon to Winsley saying he avoids using because he regards it as being dangerous.

Of the Winsley Road scheme, Mr Boyce said: “This scheme was campaigned for based on a perceived need for a bigger cycleway for schoolchildren attending St Laurence School.

“There was already in place a shared cycle and footway, and since all cycle traffic to and from school would be tidal, ie all in one direction in the morning and all the other way in the afternoon, this was more than sufficient for the theoretical flow of pupils on cycles.

“However, on a random school day, before schools were closed, I monitored traffic in the lane between 08.10 and 09.30 and apart from the large volume of pupils walking to school I noted a total of five cyclists, two on the road, three in the cycle lane or pavement, and not a single one of them a St Laurence pupil!

“This scheme is despised by residents, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike and should now be brought up to a safe and workable standard or be removed without delay.”

Ben Berniak, posting on local social media, said: “BoA seems to keep making headlines for stupidities. Last month is was the first UK rat protection scheme.”

Charlie Matthew-John added: “And I thought the cydle lane on the Winsley Road was bad! Council have really outdone themselves here. Absolute ocean-going muppets!”

Ian Webb said: “Also, the road is dangerous, it’s two-way traffic, as we know, and when larger vehicles are driving towards you, occasionally you are forced to hit the cycle lane posts.”

But Richard Craft said: “I’ve cycled up the Mill Lane contra lane with no problems. Very little traffic uses it.

“I’m not saying it’s perfect but it does work. The big issue is where to go when you reach the top – turn right onto an opposing one-way, fairly level road with no cycle lane, or left then right into a very steep Whitehill.”

Mr Boyce added: “Unless you have a cohesive and continuous social distancing scheme then any one element in isolation is useless. All that is required to complete the scheme is a sensibly painted temporary crossing and some one-way arrows on the pavement, as seen in other towns and cities across the UK.”

Bridget Wayman, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “Both cycle lanes were checked by a road safety auditor prior to installation and again once it was fully implemented and meet the Government criteria for the creation of this type of facility.”