Herts County Council Conservatives have submitted a bid to the government for £6.8 million to build new cycle and pedestrian routes but is planning to spend two thirds of the money on just two cycle routes totalling less than a mile in length – one in Stevenage and one in Buntingford. The route in Buntingford is projected to cost £2.8 million, whilst the one in Stevenage is going to cost £1.8 million. As a result there will only be six new cycle routes built across the whole of Hertfordshire if the bid is successful – none of which are in North Herts.

Whilst the government imposed lots of conditions on the funding bid it is difficult to believe that spending £4.6 million on a cycle route in Buntingford and a short length in Stevenage represents good value for money. Some of the other schemes provide useful cycle routes for a few hundred thousand and there were many more routes suggested across the county including some in Hitchin, Letchworth and Royston.

The council could have provided twice as many cycle routes if they had not picked these very expensive schemes.

The County Council says it wants more people from across Hertfordshire to cycle but spending £2.8 million pounds on a cycle route in Buntingford and nothing in most other towns is not the way to do it.