Plans to close a cycle lane in Altrincham have come to light and caused a backlash from the cycling community.

The proposals to remove the route that connects Altrincham town centre to Timperley Village along the A560, Stockport Road and replace it with intermittent painted markings were revealed at a cycling forum meeting.

The cycle forum meets once every two to three months and elected councillors, council officers, volunteers, campaigners and representatives from Transport for Greater Manchester and the National Trust all attend.

At this month’s meeting it was confirmed the “substandard” lanes would be removed, as budgets wouldn’t allow for improvements.

Currently, the route is dotted with potholes which are hidden under puddles whenever it rains; making it potentially hazardous.

The council is digging up the A560 at the moment and issued a statement in which a spokesperson said: “We are currently in discussion with Transport for Greater Manchester about what we do to find a solution to suit all parties.

“We take the safety of cyclists seriously and it’s our first priority when putting cycling infrastructure into place.”

Cyclists have already criticised the plans.

Rob Gibson, a spokesperson for the local campaign group WalkRideAlty, attended the cycle forum on Tuesday October 2.

He took to Twitter and said: “Devastated to learn that the cycle lanes along the A560 Stockport Road in Altrincham are not being repaired but are being removed, and icons will be painted in the busy lanes instead. We don’t think that these will encourage cycling.”

He added: “We’ve lost cycle lanes along Brooklands Road, on Park Road near theTimperley metro and on Stamford New Road in Altrincham. Now we’re losing a kilometre of cycle lanes between Timperley Village and Altrincham town centre.

“And this, at a time the council are trying to cut obesity, reduce traffic congestion, improve our air quality.

“This road carries 25,000 motor vehicles per day – we think that asking cyclists to share the lane on such a busy road is an insult.”

Cyclists are worried that the painted road markings will encourage drivers to pass too close to them along the road, which they believe could make the route more dangerous.

One Twitter user, JimsWheels, said: “Painted cycle lanes encourage close passes, they’re rarely wide enough for drivers to give even a metre.”

Another, Rickkkk, added: “I cycled down that road for about a year and pretty impressed I survived really.”

Just last week, Trafford Council and Transport for Greater Manchester unveiled the new three kilometre cycleway in Stretford at a cost of £1.34 million, with the aim to make cycling safer for commuters across the borough.

A spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester confirmed: “TfGM’s cycling and walking team is currently working with Trafford Council to assess any potential changes to cycling infrastructure on the A560, in line with evidence and best practise.”