“It’s an absolute mess”: Locals furious after no solution to fix “optical illusion” cycle despite spending £11,000 and putting up with “eyesore” orange barriers for two years

Locals have blasted the “eyesore” orange barriers which have been put in place to prevent people from tripping over an “optical illusion” cycle lane in Belfast city centre for the last two years, despite the Stormont officials spending £11,000 to come up with a solution.

The cycle lane in Castle Place was installed in 2021 by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), however, the design choices have since come under scrutiny, in particular, the kerb on the edge of the cycle lane and the pavement, as people have found it difficult to discern where the raised edge of the pavement starts, making it a trip hazard.

According to officials, “an optical illusion appeared to have been created when the footway was extended next to the cycle lane”, which “resulted in members of the public falling and injuring themselves”.

In January 2023, in an account which would be all too familiar to many Keynsham residents, an elderly woman crossing the road fell off the kerb, losing two front teeth and suffering facial injuries.

To prevent any further injuries, the entire strip of the road was lined with orange pedestrian barriers and has been there for over two years now. Residents have described the location, just a few metres away from the high street, as an “eyesore” as well as an added hazard, as the barriers have fallen over “like dominoes” due to strong winds.

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The DfI has now revealed in a Freedom of Information request that the council spent £11,021 in 2023-24 as consultation fees to draw up proposals to redevelop the area and resolve the issues. It also added that it was “progressing” plans and would be “engaging with key stakeholders to discuss design proposals”.

However, more than two years have passed, and the orange barriers still adorn the streetscape, much to the dismay of the locals.

Property manager Adam Goligher, from Little Feather Management, described the barriers as an “eyesore”, saying: “It’s a 100m-long reflective orange barrier. It doesn’t look nice, and it should be an easy fix.

He said they have put "on hold" plans to install new lighting at nearby Castle Buildings as a result. He added: “Investing in enhancements feels less effective when such a prominent temporary structure remains in place.

“We encourage the department to engage with local businesses and work towards a prompt resolution, as this issue impacts the overall efforts to improve the area.”

Belfast councillor Gary McKeown, of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), said there has been a “complete lack of urgency”, and that with efforts to encourage people into the city centre, it was “not acceptable that this location still looks like a building site”.

He added: “It’s unbelievable that after two years and over £11,000 of public money being splashed out by the Department for Infrastructure to get some ideas about what to do, still we are stuck with big orange plastic barriers in the heart of our city centre.

“It’s an absolute mess, especially when there's wind and the barriers collapse like dominoes, creating even more risk.”

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In a statement a DfI spokeswoman said: “The department placed temporary barriers at this location in response to concerns over pedestrian and cyclist safety.

“We are currently progressing plans to enable a permanent cycle lane to be installed at this location and will be engaging with key stakeholders to discuss design proposals.”

Most road.cc readers would be aware that this isn’t the only “optical illusion” bike lane to make headlines — the cycle lane on Keynsham High Street, installed in 2022, has become an infamous and much-maligned subject, with over 100 people tripping and injuring themselves in the past two years

In 2023, former MP for North East Somerset Jacob Rees-Mogg described the bike lane as a “failed experiment”, and urged for the cycling infrastructure ripped apart and the road to be returned for use by two-way motor traffic.

Despite a group of cross-party councillors coming together and trying to convince the council to implement changes to the road to alleviate safety concerns, the council announced in October that it won’t be making any further revisions to the bike lane.