East Renfrewshire Council is under growing pressure to ditch a controversial cycle lane bollards scheme.

Hundreds of black and white cones were placed on a two-mile stretch of the Ayr Road, between Giffnock and Newton Mearns, five months ago to segregate cycle lanes going in either direction.

The move has infuriated a number of local residents, who have been campaigning to have them removed.

They claim the bollards are an eyesore and have caused major disruption to traffic and their daily lives.

Now members of the Conservative group on East Renfrewshire Council have joined the protest.

Councillor Gordon Wallace, who is group leader, Councillor Jim McLean and three candidates who will stand for the Tories at the local elections in May – Andrew Morrison, Paul Smith and Paul Edlin – said the bollards are a misuse of public money.

“The introduction of the bollards was designed as a temporary response to the Covid-19 pandemic to create space for physical distancing,” said Councillor Wallace.

“The poor quality of the segregation used is starting to tell and the current set-up is clearly not a long-term solution for the future. We need a solution which will remove the bollards, maintain traffic flow and increase on-street parking.”

Residents in Ayr Road say the cones have been a major hazard for drivers, homeowners and cyclists since they first appeared on August 10 and have an impact on the value of their homes.

To date, 2,300 people have signed an anti-bollard petition launched last September and an ‘Action Against East Renfrewshire Bollards’ Facebook group has also been set up.

However, council chiefs have denied the bollards are a misuse of public funds, saying the funding given to the local authority can only be spent on that type of project.

A spokesperson added: “Since December 2020, we’ve been trialling temporary protected cycle lanes on the A77, which also supports a temporary speed limit reduction from 40mph to 30mph on Ayr Road.

“The trial is an opportunity to fully assess impacts on road users and residents, which in turn provides evidence to inform the design of any potential permanent measures.

“A decision on whether to retain, modify or remove the measures will be taken in June.”