Victory for drivers! Council finally removes hated Covid lockdown bike lanes that caused traffic jams while also seeing a DROP in numbers of cyclists
- Government gave money for pop-up cycle ways in May to encourage bike use
- West Sussex officials decided earlier this month to remove lanes from five towns
- Pictures show workers removing the cycle lanes today on Worthing High Street
- It follows figures showing cycle journeys in Worthing dropped during initiative
A council has finally removed controversial Covid-19 lockdown bike lanes that caused traffic jams while also seeing a drop in the number of cyclists.
The Government provided money for pop-up cycle ways in May in an effort to reduce demand on public transport and encourage more people to shift to bikes.
Officials in West Sussex decided earlier this month to remove the cycle ways from Crawley, East Grinstead, Horsham, Shoreham and Worthing.
Pictures show the lanes being removed today on Worthing High Street in Worthing, West Sussex. It comes as figures show the number of cyclists in the town plummeted after the initiative was introduced in September.
A worker can be seen removing pop-up cycle ways on Worthing High Street in Worthing, West Sussex, today after the controversial lanes caused traffic jams
Pop-up cycle lanes removed on Worthing High Street. It comes as figures show the number of cyclists in the town plummeted after the initiative was introduced in September
In the week commencing September 14 there were 7,444 cycle trips, compared to 6,131 the next week, further dropping to 5,839 the following week, according to data from West Sussex County Council, reported the Worthing Herald.
Bike journeys also decreased by 44 per cent in Chapel Road and 14.9 per cent in Broadwater Road throughout September.
The report noted: ‘Based on WSCC Officer observations from the drive-through data, average journey times and speeds through the scheme during busy times still appears to be within a range that might be expected.’
According to the local council, with increased traffic levels and more people using public transport there is no longer any need for the cycle lanes.
Roger Elkins, Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, previously said: ‘The schemes fulfilled their main objectives of offering people dedicated space to cycle rather than using public transport, or to leave the car at home and use their bike instead.
‘This was in response to the unique set of circumstances during the first national lockdown, including schools and colleges having been closed for months and vastly-reduced public transport capacity.
In the week commencing September 14 there were 7,444 cycle trips in the town, compared to 6,131 the next week, further dropping to 5,839 the following week
A worker pictured removing the cycle lanes on Worthing High Street. Bike journeys also decreased by 44 per cent in Chapel Road and 14.9 per cent in Broadwater Road in September
‘The extraordinary environment that led to their installation no longer exists even though we are about to enter into a new national lockdown: schools and colleges are open, traffic volumes have increased and, although public transport capacity is not back to pre-March levels, it is significantly improved.’
Mr Elkins said the council feedback showed most people were opposed to the cycle paths, claiming they led to increased congestion.
Automatic traffic counters also showed that very few cyclists were using the lanes.