THE year-long battle over the Old Shoreham Road temporary cycle lanes finally came to a conclusion this week.

While a democratic decision over the future of the lanes had been made two weeks earlier, the council required one further vote to rubberstamp the removal.

We had thought that this final vote would be a formality following the democratic decision made in July, but there was a last-minute wobble from Labour, which at the 11th hour had an amendment circulated proposing keeping the temporary cycle lanes for another five months.

Thankfully Labour abandoned this amendment just before the meeting started and then finally voted with the Conservatives to order the unequivocal – no ifs, no buts – removal of the cycle lanes.

Getting to this point took a staggering six votes over the course of 15 months and many residents living in Hangleton and Knoll, Hove and Portslade are now relieved this saga is now over.

As the dust settles, it is time to reflect on the lessons that can be learned from this experience for our city.

Lesson 1: Learn from the past

Placing cycle lanes along Old Shoreham Road was not a new idea. The proposal was first looked at by the council in 2008 but was rejected after being thoroughly investigated by the council’s Conservative administration.

A detailed study commissioned in 2008 documented everything that has since come to pass: that the cycle lanes would cause traffic congestion with potential problems for emergency vehicles and heavy goods transport.

Had the city’s leaders looked at this study before making the snap decision to implement the lanes last year they could have avoided inflicting a year of congestion on residents and all the financial costs the city will now incur.

Lesson 2: Listen to the people

As soon as the cycle lanes were installed by the then Labour administration in May 2020 it was clear that they were deeply unpopular with residents.

The feedback was immediate and obvious and as early as August 2020 a sizeable petition was put forward to full council meeting calling for their removal, totalling 4,610 signatures.

Our Conservative group backed the petitioners at this meeting, with a motion put forward by Cllr Nick Lewry and Cllr Dawn Barnett, but sadly Labour and Greens voted against implementing the petitioners suggestions.

An opportunity was missed at this meeting a year ago for the council to listen and swiftly change tack.

Lesson 3: Policy errors have financial consequences

Once again it is the local taxpayer that has been left to pick up the cost after another episode of policy incompetence from the council.

Brighton and Hove now risks being on a black list for government funding because it has wasted taxpayers’ money introducing and defending this scheme which a council study from 2008 showed should never have been implemented in the first place.

This episode now joins a long list of policy failures at this council that ultimately cost the taxpayer of this city who has to pick up the tab, including the collapse of the home to school transport service and insourcing of housing repairs service.

Lesson 4: Be honest with voters

The voters of this city deserve clarity, respect and honesty.

Our Conservative councillors have been consistent throughout, stating our position on the lane and voting accordingly to remove it at each of the six votes.

Too many councillors from other parties have expressed sympathy with residents wanting the lane removed but then found an excuse to vote the other way when it counts.

Transparency and honest communication with voters is key going forward.

Lesson 5: Our city must return to integrated transport planning

It’s clear that the administration’s “experimental” approach to transport policy trialled over the past year has failed.

Old Shoreham Road has been the last domino to fall of the active travel measures put in place last year by the Labour administration, after the Madeira Drive closure and A259 cycle lane schemes were abandoned.

The experimental approach has turned cyclists against drivers, all manner of interest groups against the council, and caused division at every turn. It has cost city taxpayers millions who will now pick up the bill. It has also set back the effort to make the city carbon neutral by creating more pollution from the gridlock. The city must return to integrated transport policy where we prioritise the traffic flow of the entire city, which many residents and businesses rely on.