YOUNGSTERS' lives are at risk after the construction of a flagship cycle path alongside York's busy outer ring road came to a halt.

City of York Council's £1.3 million path was meant to provide a safe route for cyclists and walkers between Wigginton Road and Haxby Road roundabouts, and had been due for completion by late Spring.

But difficulties in building a new bridge over the York to Scarborough railway line mean the path stops part-way along the intended route, and young people are walking along a narrow verge beside the road on the bridge, close to passing traffic.

Barriers have been put up at either end of the path, with signs saying it is closed and City of York Council said yesterday that works were due to start next week on the new bridge in Haxby.

Despite the barriers, a stream of young people were using the path when The Press visited the scene earlier this week.

Parents said pupils from Clifton Moor were using the route to get to and from Joseph Rowntree School, and youngsters from Haxby were using it to reach the cinema and football pitches at Clifton Moor.

One mother said the creation of a half-finished cycle path had made matters more dangerous than before by encouraging people to use the route.

York councillor Mark Warters said he had asked officials to install the barriers after parents had raised concerns with him about children using the uncompleted path to travel to school.

He said cycling alongside the A1237 ring road on a narrow verge over the railway bridge was dangerous enough now, "but with winter approaching, it does not take much imagination to anticipate a tragic accident".

Joseph Rowntree head teacher, Richard Crane, said: "We are very worried about the safety of students travelling to our school using this pathway, and hope the path will be made usable as soon as possible. We will make it clear to students who may have cause to use the pathway that it is closed and should not be used."

The Press previously reported how the cost of the path project had spiralled from £700,000 to £1.317 million, after the ground conditions were found to be unstable and the bridge had to undergo a redesign.

A council spokeswoman said yesterday the main bridge structure would be lifted into place over November 15/16. Works to complete the approach cycle paths and a new crossing on Haxby Road would start in late November, and the new path should be fully operational in early 2015.

She said the council was considering options to deal with cracks in the cycle track west of the railway line which was completed last year, possibly due to the dry summer causing ground movement in isolated areas.

Neil Ferris, assistant director for transport, highways and fleet, said they were looking for a long-lasting and cost-effective solution to the current issues and thanked people for their patience.

He said the path closure signs had been put up to deter people using it and urged parents not to allow their children to walk or cycle along this path until the full route is open.

Measures also include links with Haxby Road near the roundabout, approach ramps on the existing embankments to the new bridge and an additional crossing on Wigginton Road to connect with Clifton Moor.

Hedging will be planting beside the A1237 in October and November, and the council intends to amend the Public Right of Way across an adjacent field west of the railway, to improve access and safety.

The new cycle route will be the flagship scheme of the council’s four-year i-Travel initiative, made possible by £4.6 million of government funding.