Agenda item - Permanent Well-Planned and High-Quality Cycle Lanes for the Old Shoreham Road

Lead petitioner Pascale Palazzo-Coetzer

91.1    The mayor noted that Items 91 and 92 had both reached the required number of signatures for them to be debated, and as they related to the same subject, albeit having opposing views, he would invite each of the petitioners to present their petitions before opening the debate on both items.

91.2    The mayor invited Mr Callow to present the petition on ‘Permanent Well-Planned and High-Quality Cycle Lanes for Old Shoreham Road’.

91.3    Mr Callow stated that the petition had now been signed by over 2000 people and said that improved cycle lanes on the Old Shoreham Road would reduce traffic congestion, make the road nicer for pedestrians and shoppers, free up the road for public transport and improve communities. The matter was now urgent given the rising cost of fuel and reality of climate change.

91.4    The mayor invited Mr Horne to present the petition on ‘Remove the Old Shoreham Road from the Local Cycle Plan and do not build any cycling infrastructure along this route’.

91.5    Mr Horne stated that the petition had been signed by 2280 people. It called for the Old Shoreham Road to be removed from the local cycling plan with immediate effect. It had been a failure and in September 2021 the temporary cycle land had been removed, and alternative options should now be considered.

91.6    Councillor Davis said that the temporary cycle lane was introduced in haste by the previous administration during an exceptional time. The Governments’ document Gear Change, a policy document which advises on active travel, recommends that cycle lanes sit on the most direct routes. The Old Shoreham Road has always been on the Local Cycle Plan. No decision would be made on a cycle lane until there had been full engagement and consultation with residents and would then need to be debated and agreed by members of the Environment Transport and Sustainability (ETS) Committee.

91.7    Councillor Wilkinson said that before any decision was made members must consult and listen to residents.

91.8    Councillor Brown said she was not against cycle lanes, but this route had been trialled, but it had failed and had not improved the route for pedestrians, was dangerous for cyclists as motorists were crossing into side roads across the cycle lane, and there were queues of cars which had led to increased car fumes. Another cycle lane here would not help, and the focus should now be on providing routes which everyone could agree on.

91.9    Councillor Appich was disappointed that this matter was still being discussed and said the language used by both sides wasn’t helpful. With the current climate emergency, the Council needed to look at active travel which included walking. The city should look at a holistic travel strategy for the whole city. She did not agree that the Old Shoreham Road should be removed from the Local Cycle Plan as all options needed to be considered.

91.10  Councillor Lewry said that the Old Shoreham Road temporary cycle lane had been brought in with no consultation and the local residents had suffered the subsequent problem of car fumes and unbearable traffic congestion during the time it was in place. Bringing the cycle lanes back would do more damage to the course of cycling in the city and should not be brought back.

91.11  Councillor Atkinson said that reintroducing a cycle lane would be against the wishes of local residents, and whilst they were not against creating cycle lanes this was not the place to do it.

91.12  Councillor Clare responded to the debate and said that ITC report said that some of the ways that the world could reduce carbon emissions was through active travel. The city needed to become carbon neutral and therefore needed to promote active travel. The Old Shoreham Road was designed under the government’s guidance which was why the Council weren’t able to make permanent improvements which would have made it work better. Even though the cycle lane had been removed there were still queuing cars, and the way to address that was to make it safer for people to travel in more active ways or by using public transport.

91.13   The mayor thanked Mr Callow and Mr Horne for presenting their petitions.

91.14  Council voted on both petitions and agreed to note them and refer to Environment Transport & Sustainability Committee

Item 91

91.14   RESOLVED: That the petition be noted and referred to the Environment Transport & Sustainability Committee.

Item 92

91.15   RESOLVED: That the petition be noted and referred to the Environment Transport & Sustainability Committee.