COUNCIL bosses got a grilling from local residents on their concerns about the new bike hub planned for Grimsby town centre.
North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) and partners Balfour Beatty claim a cycle hub with a lock-up facility and showers for commuters in a disused building at Grimsby Town Railway Station will be the key to revamping the town centre.
And yesterday, residents logged onto www.thisisgrimsby for an online debate on the issue – a chance to ask council and Balfour Beatty officers how it will work in practice.
Residents wanted to know who would run the bike scheme and how much it would cost the tax-payer, and them to lock up their bikes.
The NEL Partnership answered that it would cost £1 a day or £15 per calendar month to lock your bike and while the scheme would be part funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund at first, Cycle Lincs – the social enterprise running it – would be self-sustainable after two years.
Some talked of the need to make cycle routes safer, highlighting that cars often park in them.
NEL Partnership revealed that they were looking at a new route through St James' Square – although many cycle lanes are 'advisory', which means they cannot impose penalties on drivers who use them as parking spaces.
Three people voiced concerns about safety for people cycling on Bargate but NEL partnership said a cycle lane would be impossible because of the width of the highway.
However, they advised these cyclists to use parallel roads and wear high-visibility vests.
Replay the discussion by clicking on the console below. You can also replay last week's debate here
