ON BEHALF of a large group of like-minded parents, I started the current petition calling on the council to install permanent well-planned and high-quality cycle lanes on the Old Shoreham Road. I have written this letter in response to Jeremy Horne and can supply a relevant photo if needed:

In response to Jeremy Horne (26 Jan, 'Council must learn from its mistakes over Hove cycle lane'), the Old Shoreham Road is in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) because it’s an essential route past schools, shops, houses and workplaces. However, I’d echo Jeremy’s sentiment that the council should ‘learn from the mistakes’ of the temporary lane.

A lot of feedback was gathered in last year’s consultation, much of it negative, despite official monitoring showing that the lanes brought no overall detrimental effect. Although a consultation is not a referendum, some councillors interpreted this as a majority vote to remove the lanes. The upshot is that now children in the area, including my sons, no longer have the option of cycling safely to school and I fear for the lives of delivery riders who have no choice but to use the Old Shoreham Road.

READ MORE: 'Council must learn from its mistakes over Hove cycle lane'

The LCWIP is a chance to make cycling safe across the city, so people can get around using whatever mode of transport they choose. Active Travel infrastructure can only be successful if it’s well designed, planned and executed – and that means a network, not stop-and-start routes. Only then will people feel safe enough to leave the car behind for short journeys and jump on two or three wheels. Only then will we see the take-up in cycling that we see in cities like London or elsewhere in Europe. Only then will we see marked improvements in the local environment and general health and wellbeing. Let’s not forget that 40 per cent of households in Brighton and Hove don’t have a car. For many people, cycling is the only viable choice.

The Old Shoreham Road runs from the west of the city to the heart of Brighton. For a cycling network to function, it must be part of the plan. City planners must take on board the feedback collected last year and design high-quality cycle lanes along the route.

No cycle lanes have yet been designed for the Old Shoreham Road. When they are, everyone will get to have their say. I fundamentally disagree with attempts to shut down the debate before it’s even begun, as this is undemocratic. I would urge everyone who wants to see a safer, healthier, cleaner city with more transport options to sign the petition on the BHCC website, search for Old Shoreham Road.

Pascale Palazzo

Address supplied