A popular cycle lane, used for tens of thousands of cycle trips, has been removed by a local council. The charity Cycling UK has challenged the council’s decision, in a bid to have the cycle lane reinstated. For a route used by so many adults and children, the decision to remove it seems strange. It is at odds with the Government’s ‘Gear Change’ vision to get more people walking and cycling. It goes against sustainability, environmental and climate-change commitments. Ultimately it puts adult and children cyclists at physical risk, or deters them from cycling altogether.

As Duncan Dollimore of Cycling UK comments this case has implications beyond Shoreham, "because if councils can ignore this guidance with impunity, the Government’s ‘Gear Change’ vision to get more people walking and cycling will be stuck in first gear. Councils should not be at liberty to ignore national policy commitments and carry on regardless, prioritising motor traffic at the expense of active travel”.