MAY I take the time to congratulate the Labour councillors on being true to your word, holding a meaningful consultation around planned active travel changes and actually listening to residents.

I am glad that nearly all the active travel changes look likely to go forward (some will need minor changes) but welcome your acceptance that the Old Shoreham Road (OSR) cycle lane needs to be scrapped and relocated. I am writing this email on behalf of the Remove A270 Cycle lane group, almost 1,500 members mainly from North and South Portslade. Many of us are cyclists (myself included) and unlike other groups we do understand the importance of the local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP) and the future active travel will play in the city but we have always questioned the viability and success of the OSR lane.

To try and cling on and "spin" a failure is incredibly damaging for the future of all active travel in the city and encouraging active travel going forward. And to be frank the OSR cycle lane is a failure, usage has gone backwards, traffic congestion has increased as have rat runs through other residential areas. If we want a car-free city centre in the near future it seems illogical to decimate a main arterial route that can keep traffic away from the city centre and Hove.

I predict now that some very vocal and influential pressure groups will produce a "students that use the OSR" photo campaign. The only reliable figures around student mobility are from the old cycle lane around by Bhasvic which show fewer than five per cent cycle, (by its very nature the start and end of school are social bookends, students like to walk or bus together rather than cycle) and would encourage councillors to visit the OSR in the morning.

I would urge all Labour councillors to bear in mind that the consultation was the true test of local opinion and despite its limitations the residents that live here, have children here, work here and take great pride in their area have clearly said the OSR cycle lane is not needed (indeed the initial council survey had 68 per cent wanting it to be removed).

If the OSR had produced a booming success in cycling I would not indeed be writing this but we all know it is quite the opposite. We do not have to have a cycle lane on the OSR, indeed just a week after the closure of the consultation cycling groups produced a plan for a cycle lane on Church Road.

I would encourage Labour to talk up that it has turned a critical and effective eye over the entire active transport plan and that it is supporting all the other measures but is honest enough to understand when something is not working and is not used. To say all cycle lanes are good is as futile as saying all cycle lanes are bad - some work, some do not.

I would encourage you to stick with a manifesto promise of exploring a park and ride scheme and support that new modes of transport like e-scooters may lessen our need for cars and those that need cars are helped by building a good electric infrastructure.

Once again thank you listening and engaging with your voters.

Rob Arbery

Remove the A270 cycle lane group