A PERMANENT cycle lane along a main Shoreham route has "not been ruled out", says the leader of Adur District Council.

Shoreham-By-Cycle’s Clive Andrews had asked council leader Neil Parkin if he would lobby the county council for a permanent cycle lane in Upper Shoreham Road.

Mr Andrews said: “West Sussex County Council is failing to deliver the primary strategic routes so vital to the network as identified in Adur and Worthing Councils’ local cycling and walking infrastructure plan.

“This strategic document was developed through extensive consultation and expert input before being unanimously accepted in 2020 and strongly endorsed by you, Councillor Parkin.”

The Argus: Proposals For A Single Direction Cycleway On Both Sides Of Upper Shoreham Road

Mr Andrews claimed the lack of a permanent route along the Upper Shoreham Road is "standing in the way of sustainable travel" in Adur following the removal of a pop-up lane in 2020.

Cllr Parkin said the Upper Shoreham Road route had not been ruled out and his cabinet colleagues Angus Dunn and Kevin Boram, who are also county councillors, were "on it somewhat ferociously".

“I’m certainly not going to complain about West Sussex and what they’re doing with their cycle routes,” Cllr Parkin said.

“The only unfortunate thing is when they did the hurried roll-out of the route along the Upper Shoreham Road and it rather muddied the waters.

“I know you’re very keen for it to happen but there’s lots of residents who live along there that aren’t, so it’s a bit of a tricky situation."

The Argus: Proposals For A Two Way Cycle Track On The South Side Of Upper Shoreham Road

Mr Andrews was reassured the cycle route had not been rejected.

Campaigners have been pushing for a permanent cycle lane since the pandemic pop-up was removed by the county council.

A court ruled it had removed it unlawfully and ordered it to pay £25,000 in costs to Cycling UK, which brought the legal challenge.

The county council was also prevented from bidding for further funding from the Active Travel Fund in 2021, a government scheme that paid for the Shoreham pop-up lane and others like it across the country.

In a previous statement, the county council said there was "no prospect of the temporary Upper Shoreham Road cycleway being restored".

It carried out a consultation on the route but it divided opinion between motorists, cyclists, and residents.