The Conservative Group today suggested that the council should look at using or repurposing bus lanes around the city to increase space available for cyclists.

Conservative transport spokesperson, Cllr. Lee Wares said, “With the dramatic downturn in traffic on our roads and an appreciable increase in cycling as a consequence of Covid-19, the council needs to look innovatively at alternatives, albeit if only temporarily”.

“We acknowledge the council’s swift actions to utilise Madeira Drive and parts of Old Shoreham Road but, it could go further”.

“If general traffic remains low, we may have the situation of buses using dedicated lanes with few vehicles in other lanes and cyclists trying to find space amongst them. However, with low general traffic levels, buses may be less impeded in getting about the city and so the council could repurpose bus lanes for cyclists.”

“Shifts in how people travel will need to be looked into and fully investigated with comparisons drawn from pre, present and post Covid-19 data. Decisions on how to develop the city’s transport and active travel infrastructure needs to be properly and carefully considered and it may be that previous future projections will dramatically change because of Covid-19. We have to resist the temptation to accelerate decisions on car-free city centres and congestion charges just because this terrible disease has forced the lockdown.”

Conservative Leader Cllr. Steve Bell said “It is good to see so many cycling and we hope that the Labour Administration will accept this constructively offered idea and fully explore it. We already have some shared cycle and bus lanes but as we ease out of lockdown, the use of bus lanes could not only solve an immediate issue but could influence residents to permanently stay with cycling in preference to using their car”.