The first article I wrote on visitscunthorpe.com was about Manor Park cycle route and how North Lincolnshire Council submitted a successful bid to Sustrans as part of the Connect2 project for the development of an off-road pedestrian/cycle facility that runs through the western side of Scunthorpe, from the A1077 to High Leys Road. The article focused on Phase 2 of the cycle route, my complaint about the amount of glass and the councils Online Reporting form. This time I�m looking at Phase 5, it connects from Doncaster Road Hill via Sherwood Vale, along Hempdykes and on to Ferry Road. It is nearing completion and, after looking at the council�s website, ahead of schedule. Cycling along the route is pleasant and, as designed, takes you away from the noise and traffic of the roads. New steps lead off two parts of the cycle route, one leading down to Sherburn Crescent and the other to the rear of Berkeley Infants School. With a couple of seasons growth this section of the Ridgeway Cycle Route should make it one of the most enjoyable, however I�m afraid that where the niceties end. There are a number of significant problems that all cyclist will find when using this section of the route and for the keen cyclists these hurdles could be seen as a barrier and deter them from ever using it unless the problems are rectified. Cycling from the north there are two cycle paths which then fork into one in the woods to the rear of Hempdykes Road. So cycling from the north from either Ferry Road or Avenue Vivian you will see that large tree trunks, which were from trees chopped down to make way for the new cycle path, have been laid at strategic points, these have according to the workmen at the site are to stop cars from gaining access onto the cycle path. Further along where the cycle paths fork together are two sets of barriers that cyclist will have to slow down and negotiate. Having talked to the workmen constructing them they tell me they are, again, to stop cars from driving along the cycle route. When it was pointed out that other phases of the cycle route had single posts in the centre of the paths the reply was that cars are simply driven into them and they break because they�re made of plastic, maybe a sturdier and more robust set of post should be used! Workmen installing a set of barriers that cyclists will have to slow down to negotiate The two new sets of steps that lead off this part of the Ridgeway Cycle Route are also a great addition, installed on the steps are a set yellow wheel runner channels, so you don't have to clunck your bike over each of the steps, they're there to try and make your assent or descent easier. Again here lays another problem, the runner channels are too close to the railings which means your pedal catches each post on the way up or down. Ideally they could do with moving two inches further away from the railings. The yellow wheel channels are too close to the railings causing your pedal to catch each of the posts. When you reach the end of the cycle route at Sherwood Vale you are met with a kind of gate that is designed to stop motor cycles entering through, unfortunately it also stops bicycles getting through too. This makes this part of the route totally impractical. My bike has a standard set of handle bars on it but I couldn�t get it through without dismounting the bike, tilting it to one side and wiggling it along. These gates are actually designed to open to let works vehicles through to carry out maintenance but again would deter any serious cyclist from using this route. It�s also puzzling why this type of gate has been put here, and at what expense, to stop motor bikes when they can simply gain access to the cycle path from Ferry Road, Avenue Vivian of Hempdykes Road. Gate at the Sherwood Vale end of the route. Too narrow for cycles to get through practically. When cycling back to Yaddlethorpe along the whole of the Sustrans Connect 2 Cycle Route I noticed that a large number of the plastic posts had indeed been broken off just as the like the workmen had pointed out. Could concrete or metal posts provide the answer? One of the remaining plastic posts at the Burringham Road end of the cycle route. The workmen measured my handle bars at 600mm and said the gate had been set at 580mm, maybe this gate, the yellow wheel channels on the steps and the barriers all need a rethink before phase 5 of the Sustrans Connect 2 project is complete. My first article about the Manor Park stretch of the cycle route can be read by clicking this link