THE council has been accused of "sneaking" a controversial cycle lane back into the city.

The Tories claim Brighton and Hove City Council is trying to bring back the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane.

The cycle route was originally installed in May 2020 but was scrapped in September 2021 following a council vote.

Now, Brighton Conservatives say that the council has initiated plans to bring back the lane.

Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth said that the decision to bring back the failed scheme was "disrespectful to democracy and local residents".

Cllr Nemeth said: “Bringing this cycle lane back is divisive and will only hurt the cause of cycling in the city in the long run."

It comes after the Old Shoreham Road Cycle Lane was mentioned in a new council transport plan called the draft local cycling walking and infrastructure plan, which the administration is planning to adopt by March.

Cllr Nemeth says he will be moving a motion at next week’s environment transport and sustainability committee meeting to have it stripped from the draft plan.

He said: “This issue has been thoroughly debated and canvassed and the residents have given their views in no uncertain terms that they do not want this cycle lane on Old Shoreham Road.

“It was a long road to getting the cycle lane removed after Labour and the Greens voted six times to keep it in the face of what residents were saying.

“The Conservatives will be putting forward a motion asking for the committee to reaffirm its position that it will not support the reinstatement of the removed cycle lane, or similar creation, on the Old Shoreham Road.”

Conservative councillor for Hangleton and Knoll Dawn Barnett, who was vocal about the removal of the lane, asked the council a question about the matter in December.

She said: “Why, following the democratic decision to remove the Old Shoreham Road Cycle Lane, has the council now included a cycle lane at Old Shoreham Road as a ‘priority item’ in its Local Cycling and Infrastructure Plan?

“Why has the council not listened to the residents who it consulted and were against this cycle lane or to the democratic vote of councillors, which called for the cycle lane to be removed in its entirety?”

Brighton and Hove City Council say that it would be a matter for the environment, transport and sustainability committee, according to the Tories.

The council have been approached for comment.

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