Petition calls for removal of Crawley pop-up cycle lanes

West Sussex County Council has invested in seven new temporary routes for cyclists after receiving money from central Government to help support active travel as the country emerges from lockdown.

Crawley has two routes, one from Three Bridges to Manor Royal and another from Pound Hill to the town centre.

However like many other areas the changes have not gone down well with motorists.

An online petition calling for the Crawley cycle lanes to be removed has already gained more than 4,000 signatures and this number is climbing quickly.

It says: “The pop-up cycle lanes which have appeared in Crawley and throughout Sussex are a blight on the daily commute. They are hindering far more people than it is helping. Motorists are experiencing further delays to their commutes which is impacting on local businesses.”

Common comments are a lack of use, a waste of money and an increase in traffic congestion.

Earlier this month a spokesman for the county council said: “The seven pop-up cycleways for West Sussex – funded by the Government – will create safe space for active travel and encourage people to cycle rather than use the car. They are an emergency response to increase travel options as part of the Government-led recovery plan from COVID-19.

“As an emergency response, the Government required the seven trial schemes to be planned and installed within three months. Given the timeframe, we consulted key partners including district and borough councils, emergency services and bus operators. Normally schemes of this nature would take years to develop and be subject to various stages of public consultation that might last two or more months and involve exhibitions, etc. This was not possible given the timescale limitations required.

“The cycleway routes are the result of collaborative work with the district and borough councils. Once fully installed and open, we will be encouraging would-be cyclists to experience the cycleways for themselves. This will be the chance for people to show how much they want the cycleway to stay.

“The schemes will be closely monitored to see how well used they are and any positive or negative impacts on congestion, safety and air quality. Adjustments will be considered and, if any of them do not work, they may be removed.”

Updates on the schemes are available online.

What do you think of them? Should they stay or go? Email the newsdesk.

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