DEVON County Council has 'wasted' £55,000 on a traffic calming scheme near Kenton, after it was branded too confusing.
The authority decided to get rid of the measures after receiving numerous complaints by road users.
Bollards, small islands and white lines which were installed, only hindered pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.
They've now been taken away and the road has been resurfaced.
The news about the failed scheme has angered cyclists who use the Exe estuary route.
Bob Bowen, of Braking Wind Cycles, Dawlish, believes the calming measures made the route extremely dangerous.
'It would have only been a matter of time before someone was injured or killed,' said Mr Bowen, who is also a member of Newton Area Cycle Group.
'The road has always been a rat run, cyclists were playing chicken with motorists.'
He is also frustrated that the scheme took so long to come to fruition and then failed.
'The traffic calming system simply didn't work. A lot of money has already been spent, now more cash need to be spent to put it right,' said Mr Bowen.
'A survey was done on the route in 1997 and all these years on we are no further forward into making it safe. The council seems to take one step forward and two back.
'In Exmouth and North Devon money is thrown at their cycle routes, but here it is a different story.
'It doesn't take a lot of brain power to work out that cycling plays a huge part in the the tourism economy, so there is no excuse for the council not getting this right.'
Colin Lewis, president of Mid-Devon Cycling Club said the money should have been better spent.
'I was in the area on Sunday and 100s of cyclists were using the trail, ' he said.
'The whole cycling network will be up in arms that this amount of money is wasted.'
A county council spokesman said: 'The route along Estuary Road was designed using experimental traffic measures based on Cycling England guidelines which aimed to calm vehicle speeds, for the benefit of both pedestrians and cyclists.
'However, some people found the road markings and islands confusing. As part of our monitoring of these trial measures, we have listened to this feedback and removed them.
'Road surface maintenance is due to take place on the route this financial year and it will become a 20mph zone.'
The track follows the banks of the River Exe from Powderham Church through Exminster Marshes on to Exeter Canal towpath.
Earlier this year the county council's development control committee passed a planning application to construct a £1million bridge between Turf Hotel and Church Road, Powderham.