Cyclists have threatened to take Sheffield city council to court if it fails to repair hazardous potholes in a road that could form part of Yorkshire´s bid to host a stage of the Tour de France in 2016.

The first leg of the Tour de France – the Grand Depart – is often held outside France. In 2012 the Tour will kick off in Liege, Belgium. In 2013 the race will start in Corsica. The winning bid for 2014 hasn´t been announced but Barcelona, Florence, and Qatar are all in the running.

The Cyclists´ Defence Fund (CDF) is backing one its trustees Martyn Bolt to bring the action against the council to force them to repair the road before the bidding begins.

The road in question links the A616 at Langsett with the A57 at Ladybower, crossing the Peak District´s Strines Moor. It´s known as "the Strines", it has been used in the Tour of Britain and could feature in Sheffield´s bid to host part of the Tour de France in 2016.

Martyn Bolt said he was launching the action having exhausted all other avenues of complaint. "I contacted the council through FillThatHole.org.uk, and when that didn´t work I got in touch with the highways department." Sheffield City council said the Strines Moor road was inspected regularly and would only be repaired when the potholes were more than 20mm deep.

Bolt has been riding this route regularly for about 10 years, and says its condition has been getting steadily worse. "This road has been deteriorating for years, and because it´s a rural road it doesn´t seem to get the same sort of attention that a road in the middle of the city would get."

"Sadly I know of one person, on another road, who was thrown from his bike by a pothole and landed in the path of an oncoming van."

"On certain sections of this road it is impossible to cycle without hitting a defect in the road. That´s dangerous for all road users. Parts of this road are very steep, as much as a 1 in 4 gradient ... [the potholes] are very dangerous, it could throw you off the line you are taking, and off your bike or motorbike."

This is a test case for the Cyclists Defence Fund. Bolt said "this is a little-known part of the highways act, by using it we hope to set a precedent. If this works I´m sure other road users will look at section 56 of the Highways Act 1980 with interest."

Sheffield city council has four months to fix the road or it could be required to face the magistrates.

* notícia do jornal online www.guardian.co.uk, publicada em 05 de setembro de 2011.