Cyclists in North London have been left baffled after a newly-built cycle lane was constructed around a 1.2-metre-wide advertising board on Marsh Road in Pinner. The BT Street Hub, a digital display installed in 2022, now sits squarely in the middle of the two-and-a-half-metre wide path, forcing riders to take evasive action.
Cyclists Forced to Weave Around Obstruction
Riders have been spotted weaving around the display or moving onto the pavement to navigate the obstruction. The cycle lane, currently under construction, was originally planned in 2023 and is intended to link Harrow on the Hill station in the west to Pinner Station in the east.
BT and Council Respond
BT confirmed that the Street Hub has been in place since 2022 and that plans are underway to relocate it. A BT spokesperson said: 'We installed the Street Hub on Marsh Road, Pinner in December 2022. A contractor on behalf of Harrow Council has started work to create a cycle path along Marsh Road and this has been done around our existing street hub. We were not made aware prior to the works commencing or the timeframe for the works. In March 2026 we received a request to relocate our Street Hub.'
A Harrow Council spokesperson added: 'We can confirm that the digital screen was installed before construction of the Pinner to Harrow Cycleway began. We have applied for it to be relocated and are working to ensure it is moved as soon as possible. Once the cycleway works are complete and the screen has been removed, cyclists will be able to use the new cycle lane.'
Campaigners Demand Action
Simon Munk from the London Cycling Campaign commented: 'It's great news that Harrow's getting a safe cycle track enabling far more residents to cycle. Obviously BT needs to sort out its ad board placement ASAP, but this kind of mess-up does happen often across London and is just part of the process of delivering changes to our streets to help people walk and cycle more.'
The 75-inch BT displays, officially classified as phone boxes, stand nearly three metres tall and feature Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, and phones for free calls. Global has been approached for comment, while TfL declined to comment.
