PICTURES showing a number of cars blocking cycle lanes in the city have been captured by the Telegraph & Argus, after a complaint from a reader.

Parking in cycle lanes, which is not illegal if the lane is marked by a broken white line, has drawn criticism from a frustrated resident who says the lanes are therefore pointless.

The man, who did not wish to be named, initially complained to the T&A about a cycle lane on Idle Road towards Five Lane Ends, which he says is regularly blocked throughout the day.

He said: “Many of the residents on Idle Road could avoid parking in the cycle lane by using their drives - then the problem would be solved.

“Houses at the other side of the road had the problem solved for them by having a parking lane designated and then the cycle lane put on the outside of that. The majority of these houses do not have drives so this was a sensible solution.

“The other side of the road has only a few houses that don’t have drives, so a solution is complicated.”

He suggested the Council either install mandatory cycle lanes instead, apply double yellow lines at points, or create a parking ‘lane’ with a cycle lane on its outside.

He added: “The use of cycles should be encouraged in light of the present Covid-19 problem. But the current policy allows them to become unusable.”

Other cycle lanes, such on Halifax Road just before Odsal roundabout, are similarly blocked throughout the day.

The Highway Code tells drivers they should not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable.

But as the law currently stands, a motorist cannot currently be fined for parking in one of these lanes.

A fixed penalty fine could only be given to anyone parking in a mandatory cycle lane, designated by a solid white line.

Bradford Council urged people to be considerate to other road users when parking.

“Our Council Wardens have not been carrying out as much parking enforcement since the Covid-19 restrictions began, as they have all been redeployed to our Neighbourhood Hubs to helping vulnerable people across the district.

“We are, however, starting to increase our enforcement work as we’ve seen an increase in the volume of traffic on our roads. With this we are also aware that cycling is being encouraged to reduce traffic and the need for people to use public transport, so we will increase our focus on this by taking enforcement action, where possible. We would also ask that motorists observe parking regulations and park in a way that is considerate to other road users.”

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