Scrapping Sussex pop-up cycle lanes ‘outrageous’

This decision is outrageous on a number of levels.

The reason given is that they are no longer needed for their original purpose, due to additional funding for public transport and because traffic levels have significantly increased since the lockdown ended earlier this year.

This makes no sense. Their purpose goes far beyond just being a substitute for public transport.

We have entered a second lockdown owing to a virus which poses a higher risk to people already in poor health. The purpose of the lanes was to provide space to help improve our fitness levels as a population.

Our fitness levels as a nation still need improving and increasing the capacity of public transport does not change this.

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, said the Government expects local authorities to do what is necessary to ensure transport networks provide a lasting legacy of greener, safer transport.

The purpose of the lanes was to enable people to cycle and so help improve our air quality. Surely, if traffic levels have increased, this is a reason to keep the lanes?

The scheme has attracted largely negative feedback, the vast majority coming from a very small proportion of motorists, much of which is unfounded.

This feedback has drowned out the voices of the people who the scheme is intended for – those who want to make their journeys by bicycle. West Sussex County Council committed to prioritising sustainable transport as part of its Climate Change Strategy yet decided to remove space dedicated to sustainable transport on the grounds that levels of unsustainable transport have risen.

Each day the lanes are in place is adding value to people’s lives by enabling them to make their journeys safely and efficiently.

The decision amounts to a horrendous waste of public resources, in terms of time, cost and materials. It has not been made holistically, is not forward-thinking and does not ensure that the public receives good value for money.