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Reigate temporary cycle lane (picture via Christian Froggatt on Twitter).PNGTory MP helps force removal of pop-up cycle lane in Reigate after just three days
A pop-up cycle lane in Reigate that was installed at the weekend will be removed this evening following pressure from the Surrey town’s Tory MP. The lane, on Bell Street, Church Street and High Street, had been introduced to provide safe space for cyclists.
But writing on his blog on Saturday after the temporary infrastructure had been but in place on Friday night, Crispin Blunt, Member of Parliament for Reigate, said he was “appalled at the predicted traffic chaos,” describing it as a “nonsensical cycle scheme.”
Yesterday, Councillor Tim Oliver, leader of Surrey County Council, visited Reigate to meet Blunt and see the scheme for himself.
Blunt said that he later received a message from the councillor “to say that it was his view that the cycle lane scheme, imposed at short notice on Reigate High Street as part of a quick impact fund from DfT for sustainable transport options and part of Covid-19 emergency expenditure, is not achieving what it sets out to do for cyclists or is essential for social distancing for shoppers.”
In a tweet this afternoon, the council confirmed that the temporary cycle lane will be removed tonight.
The temporary cycle lane will be removed from Reigate Town centre at 9pm tonight.
The scheme will be continually monitored. #activetravel #Reigate pic.twitter.com/90hrMHkV8K— Reigate & Banstead LC (@ReigateLC) July 6, 2020
However, a video from this morning shared by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking (APPGCW), showed little motor traffic on the road, with the poster saying it was “disappointing that Surrey County Council are not letting a proper trial take place.”
The video below shows the pop-up cycle lane in Reigate this morning at 8am.
It was installed on Saturday and it will be removed tonight, mainly due to pressure from the local MP @CrispinBlunt.
Disappointing that @surreycc & @mpfurniss are not letting a proper trial take place. https://t.co/tVOcOcXD1Q
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) July 6, 2020
On Saturday, Councillor Mark Furniss, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for highways, tweeted that the trial of the cycle lane would “remain in place for a minimum of three weeks” and that the council could “start to make changes after the first week.”
This trial will remain in for a minimum of 3 weeks. We can start to make changes after the first week once we see how commuter and recreational traffic works with the trial. https://t.co/girgOlMc6b
— Cllr Matt Furniss (@mpfurniss) July 5, 2020
As it turns out, the lane has lasted just three days – a similar situation to what has happened to temporary cycle lanes in Filton, South Gloucestershire, and Trafford, Greater Manchester, that were quickly removed after motorists complained.
> Trafford Council removes A56 pop-up cycle lane after drivers complain
Blunt insisted in an update to his blog today that he believes most of the temporary active travel schemes being implemented in Surrey are “welcome and delivering benefits for sustainable transport.”
However, last week it was confirmed that Surrey County Council had only received half of the indicative £1.696 million first tranche emergency active travel funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).
Councils that failed to receive their full allocation missed out because their plans were deemed by the DfT to not meet the standards it had stipulated when it invited local authorities to submit their proposals for what they would use the money for.
Announcing the county’s temporary infrastructure plans last week, Councillor Furniss confirmed that it would provide £848,000 in funding to make up the shortfall, and said: “These schemes are important to give people the confidence to travel back to our town centres, and to support the people who rediscovered walking and cycling during the lockdown.
“I hope the new cycle lane in Reigate town centre will encourage more people to use their bikes to get around the town.
“Transportation is responsible for 46 per cent of Surrey’s carbon emissions, so it’s essential we find innovative ways to help people find cleaner ways to travel.
“And for individuals, walking and cycling are good for physical and mental health,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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20 comments
I cycle along Reigate high street pretty much every time I go out on my bike and was shocked to see that this had been put in place. There was almost no notice given, loading bays were suspended and it fundamentally missed the point of getting people to use their bikes intead of cars locally - people need safe routes to get in to the town centre, not through it. Add the fact that the high street is actually the A25 and a common alternative to the M25 and this was never going to work. I can only assume that this was some council box-ticking exercise, like the advisory cycle lanes they painted on the roads some years back - in places they are too narrow to even house the bike symbol painted in the lane, and are routinely filled with parked cars.
Why are the Labour party not mentioned in the headline about Trafford council removing cycle lanes? Political bias maybe?
You took your time didn't you?
Internet Explorer user?
No useful comments on left-wing bias then?
I'd guess that road.cc may be left biased, but the lack of pointing out which MP belongs to which party is probably accidental rather than a concerted campaign.
The Conservative Association Cycle Forum: (motto: "bikes are all right so long as they stay in their place") may be more to your liking.
That's not to say any political party is above making a quick bit of motorist-pleasing political capital, in this era where we all know better than any traffic engineer, so-called "expert".
A Conservative MP in southampton has made a less direct, but similar intervention. Everything we're seeing now is long overdue and I hope all of them become permanent bus and cycle lanes.
We won't get one in my little village, but on my morning walk, I've seen a couple of parents braving (I mean seriously braving) the rush hour motor traffic to go to school by bike. Far from being rewarded e.g. for being one less roadspace taker-up when they all get to the traffic lights, they get pretty gnarley treatment, kids and all, from many of the car drivers. How long before they give up and deem it "too dangerous" to go by bike?
Why does anyone defend this absurd nonsense?
Same reason why Jeremy Corbin isn't mentioned in a list of Uranus's moons. I mean they're all in the same solar system but there is no need to mention the Corb in such a list. Interestingly (well, boringly really), there is an obscure link between one of those moons and a well known German automotive manufacturer. I am not aware of such a link between the Labour party and some crappy cycle lane in Reigate.
It was c***ish to remove the bike lane tho. Even that crappy one seems better than not having it there. But I don't know the area so can't really say.
Perhaps if you read the argument before you started frothing at the mouth, you'd be able to post a reasoned response, instead of that irrelevant drivel. This site is about as politically neutral as the BBC.
Oh, and let's "like" each others' comments comrades...
Traffic chaos would be avoided if people actually walked, cycled & motorcycled instead of using their cars. Far too many single person vehicles being used.....there is your major 'traffic chaos' issue.
The sheer number of cars on the roads kind of defeats their purpose. Burdened further by petty enforcement, fined for driving to fast, fined for not moving at all etc (yet general moronery is effectively allowed.) Cars have literally become a victim of their own success. I used to love riding my motorcycle (never had a car), but I really can't stand motoring these days. Gone right off it. Driving pisses me off. I don't get how so many are willing to put up with it and at significant cost.
Which Roman Emperor said the same thing? His name escapes me. About horses and carts obviously, not cars.
A sighting of Crispin Blunt in Reigate is indeed a rare sighting.
That will be it - until the switching-on of the Christmas lights.
I think that holds true for many MPs and their constituencies...
Totally predictable response really.
Quick - someone needs to come on and explain why reporting this demonstrates inherent bias against the conservative party!
Obviously fake footage.
I mean, where were the parked cars in that cycle lane?
Stand down Gareth Hunt..your years of sterling service in the rhyming slang department were much appreciated.
We now have a far more apt replacement.
"...Crispin Blunt, Member of Parliament for Reigate, said he was “appalled at the predicted traffic chaos,” describing it as a “nonsensical cycle scheme.”
So this guy couldn't even wait until the traffic chaos actually happened, and a prediction was good enough for him. I wonder who predicted it?
Funny thing is, I can predict traffic chaos when even more people start driving again, but it won't be because of any cycle lanes, just the number of vehicles. I wonder if the good MP would like to demand action on this, like a scheme to enable people to cycle instead of drive.
There's something around here that's nonsensical Crispin, but it isn't the cycle scheme, and it has the initials CB.
Well what do you expect with a name like Crispin. Obviously has his head up his arse would be better off changing his name to something else that begins with C and rhymes with his surname