A DATE has been set for the removal of a controversial cycle lane.

Brighton and Hove City Council has confirmed work to get rid of the lane in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, will start on September 17.

Conservative Councillor Dawn Barnett has repeatedly called for the authority to hurry up and get the job done.

She said: “It went in overnight. It has been weeks since the decision.

“It is beginning to look as though they do not have any respect for a democratic decision.”

The council said the reason for the delay was that it needed to schedule a crew of road workers for part of the job.

Cllr Barnett has said she would be willing to work with volunteers to help with getting rid of the road markings and markers.

Labour and Conservative members of Brighton and Hove City Council voted on August 10 to axe the temporary cycle lane.

The Argus: Dawn Barnett at the Old Shoreham Road cycle laneDawn Barnett at the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane

Conservative Councillor Robert Nemeth, who represents Wish ward and who voted to remove the cycle lane, said: “While the delay has been frustrating for those wishing to see the lane removed, I’d much rather see it removed safely and efficiently.

“Getting the removal wrong would lead to people getting hurt. As long as it is coming out as per the democratic wishes of local people, I’m happy.

“A week or two longer than hoped is acceptable in the big scheme of things if it draws a line under the whole sorry episode.”

The removal vote came after the government threatened to withhold more than £270,000 in funding and called for similar schemes to be given enough time to be tested under normal traffic conditions.

And it followed a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which warned of a “code red for humanity”, with some effects from the climate crisis now irreversible.

A survey on the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane carried out in December last year showed 63 per cent of people who responded did not support it.

It has caused bitterness and division since it appeared overnight in May last year.

Hundreds of people said the cycle lane was causing congestion and pollution, was dangerous and was under-used by cyclists.

Others said it was vital to encourage more cycling as part of the battle to cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

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