Warning graffiti appears on Nottingham cycle lane near tramline

One local cyclist has resorted to spray paint to express their feelings about a controversial cycle route near tramlines in Nottingham. Directly beneath the bicycle symbol on the asphalt, they have added the words “unsafe bike lane.”

The words appear on Chilwell High Road, the stretch of road to which Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry was recently referring when she suggested it was only ‘a matter of time’ before a cyclist was killed.

Soubry has called for clear signage telling cyclists to dismount and suggested that rubber inserts be added along this part of the tram route.

While acknowledging safety concerns, Neil Hodgson, Nottinghamshire County Council's service director for highways, told the Nottingham Post that the homemade safety warning was ‘essentially vandalism.’

"The county council is aware of safety concerns from local cyclists using High Road, Chilwell/Chilwell Road, Beeston and has therefore been working with all interested parties, including local cycling groups, to better understand these concerns and how they may be addressed.

"This work is ongoing but additional warning signs have recently been put up advising cyclists to take extra care along this section of road. The county council does not encourage anyone to make a point in this fashion, which is essentially vandalism."

In a rather more colourful graffiti-based bid to draw attention to road safety issues, a campaigner known as ‘Wanksy’ has been known to paint penises on the road in a bid to draw attention to potholes. “I want my work to be destroyed,” he has said. “I like it when it gets dug up and replaced with fresh tarmac.”