A NEW cycle path in front of four cottages has puzzled residents . Council workmen laid the short cycle path, which lasts for just 25 metres, outside the cottages in Norton Road, Stotfold on Thursday, leaving a slick of green tarmac on the road denoting t

A NEW cycle path in front of four cottages has puzzled residents .

Council workmen laid the short cycle path, which lasts for just 25 metres, outside the cottages in Norton Road, Stotfold on Thursday, leaving a slick of green tarmac on the road denoting the path.

Residents say more horses pass their cottages than cyclists and believe the path is a waste of council taxpayers' money.

"It goes nowhere and looks stupid," said David Bradshaw who has lived in his cottage for 30 years.

"People who see this must think the council has gone bonkers. I wonder how much a 25 metre cycle path costs with all the signs and lighting? It probably runs into thousands of pounds.

"Cyclists don't come off the bypass and into Stotfold. They use the underpass in front of the cottages that comes out at the end of this new cycle path.

"Speed bumps would have been a much better investment instead of this stupid cycle path which is on the exact spot where the school bus stops in the morning to pick up children."

Neighbour Yvonne Thompson said: "A lot of traffic uses this road. The cycle path is so short it is useless.

"To be honest we thought somebody was having a late April Fools joke on us as the path was only outside our four cottages and we still can't find out why it has been put there."

Stotfold Town Council says it is as baffled as the residents while at Mid Beds District Council there was a similar response.

"This cycle path seems strange," said a MBDC spokesman.

A spokesman for Bedfordshire County Council finally revealed the truth behind the cycle path saying: "Norton Road, Stotfold, is part of National Cycle Route 12, running through the county from the Hertfordshire boundary at Norton to the Cambridgeshire boundary at St Neots, passing through Stotfold, Arlesey, Henlow, Langford, Biggleswade and Sandy. A review of the section from Stotfold to Henlow was completed this year.

"The aim is to improve signing of the cycle route to assist occasional cyclists, and to highlight to motorists that a higher number of cyclists are to be expected.

"The works in Norton Road include the provision of a cycle lane on the northbound carriageway of Norton Road. It is about 25 metres long. It starts opposite the underpass (under the A507) that brings the cycleway from Norton, and ends at the junction with Murrell Lane, where the cycle route turns off Norton Road to head to the High Street. The short cycle lane is coloured green to highlight it to motorists coming off the A507.