Old Shoreham Road cycle path should be abandoned Brighton News

The cycle lanes occupy two lanes of the A270, one of the main entry and exit arteries of Hove to the west of the city.

The group of Labor advisers, which ordered their overnight installation in May 2020, have now announced they want it removed.

They say this follows preliminary findings from a city-wide consultation with residents earlier this year.

The announcement means the majority of Brighton and Hove City Council representatives now want it removed.

Labor adviser Gary Wilkinson, opposition spokesman for transport, said: ‘While the Greens were keen to continue extending the cycle lanes of Old Shoreham Road, Labor called for a stop to allow consultation meaningful with residents.

“After seeing the preliminary findings of this consultation, Labor believes residents have made their feelings clear and want the temporary cycle path to be removed.

“We stand alongside residents in calling on the Green Minority administration to remove the temporary cycle path on Old Shoreham Road and remove the planned extension, in favor of finding alternative routes.

“By scrutinizing the council and bringing residents into the discussion, constructive opposition from Labor means we can end the congestion on Old Shoreham Road and see the temporary cycle lane removed.

“The ideological positions of the other parties on this issue have always been clear: the Greens don’t like drivers and the Conservatives don’t like cyclists.

“Labor, the only party capable of uniting the city, have chosen not to be guided by dogma but to involve the inhabitants and let them decide.

Since their installation, activists have argued over the future of the tracks, some wanting them to be permanent and others to be removed.

The new cycle path proved popular with some people who saw it as a “positive step” towards achieving safe and clean transport in the city.

However, many argued that the tracks were little used and created congestion in the area.

Comparing the traffic data for 2016 with that of the end of August last year, bicycle use on the route fell by 27%.

A spokeswoman for the Green Group of Advisors said: ‘It is a real shame that Labor is no longer in favor of sharing our city’s roads among all those who need it and want to block plans to improve safety for people. biking and hiking trails on Old Shoreham Road. We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to travel in a safe and sustainable way in our city. As we recover from a virus that attacks our lungs, we also advocate for cleaner air.

“The government has been pretty clear that the consultation on emergency active travel programs should not be a referendum on maintaining or removing new routes. Responses to the consultations should identify improvements, and we are keen to make changes to the routes that help meet the needs of residents.

“Simply replacing some routes with others leaves residents on existing routes without the improvements they need. It’s also hard to see how Labor’s claim to support ‘other routes’ can be trustworthy, given their U-turn on a cycle path they themselves set up when running the council. . Their vocal ambition to rid themselves of a crucial transportation corridor in the city will also, ironically, likely put the very funding they originally requested – to enable active travel and other routes – at risk. For a party that claims to care about the climate crisis, budget cuts, toxic emissions and safer school routes, this is deeply irresponsible.

“The Greens want to help residents reap the benefits of active travel, for our health and well-being and for our planet. Many in the city will have hoped that Labor advisers would also work constructively to achieve this. Nationwide polls have shown people don’t know what Starmer’s Labor Party stands for – locally it’s now as clear as mud.

“Old Shoreham Road is an important road for hospital staff and for school children. They will be greatly affected by the turnaround on the part of the very party that set up the route in the first place. ”