A BUNGLING council has created a cycle lane – with a lamppost right in the middle.
The 18ft metal pole has been planted in the middle of a bike lane in one of Edinburgh’s busiest streets.
The lampost in Leith Walk has no warning signs around it and cyclists and pedestrians alike are utterly baffled by its prescence.
Tim Cross, 35, cycling on his way to work today (wed), joked that the post was left in place as a “fun” obstacle for commuters.
He said: “It seems a bit strange that they wouldn’t remove it before putting the track down.
“They’ll have to remove or rip up the tarmac I imagine to take the lamppost out and then redo it all again.”
Calum Mackenzie posted on Facebook: “The new cycle lane in Leith Walk… only Edinburgh City Council could manage to be his stupid.
“Apparently the lamppost will be removed, but to lay the tar first? Clowns…”
Andy May posted: “No surprise with this Council.”
However city bosses insist it is all part of the plan.
Transport leader Lesley Hinds said: “This cycleway is still under construction and the path is currently for pedestrians only.
“For consistency and cost effectiveness, all lighting columns, including the one in question, will be relocated by our contractor in the New Year, once the festive embargo has passed.
“The section will be finished with a distinctive red chip surface [and] is due to open to cyclists in spring 2017.”
But Chris Hellawell, who works out of a nearby former police box, summed up many residents’ exasperation by asking: “Is the point not that it should have been removed before the tarmac was laid?
“Why have they surfaced that whole area to go back and do it again?
