Climate activists are calling on cyclists to join a socially distanced mass bike ride this weekend to celebrate new pop up cycle lanes.
Extinction Rebellion Brighton is staging the ride on the new cycle lane on the Old Shoreham road this Sunday at 2pm.
Last month, its campaigners painted guerilla bike lanes around the city, including Preston Road which is now set to get an official temporary cycle lane.
Some people have questioned the benefits of promoting more cycling – but Extinction Rebellion hopes Sunday’s ride will demonstrate how popular these measures are amongst cyclists.
An Extinction Rebellion Brighton spokesperson said: “Brighton has longstanding problem with polluting road traffic that kills residents prematurely and, at the same time, fuels the climate crisis.
“During the pandemic we’ve seen that another, better future is possible – one in which healthier forms of transport are prioritised.
“There is now an opportunity to make these improvements permanent, but as traffic rockets back to normal levels, the opportunity is in danger of being lost.
“This is not just a concern of environmental activists, polls have shown that Brighton residents in general approve of reallocating road space for cycling and walking.
“We want everyone to join us in a celebration of the new Shoreham Road cycle lane. This is undoubtedly a positive step, one which now needs to be replicated across the city.
“We know the council are already considering new cycle routes elsewhere in Brighton and Hove. We support them in this and hope they can overcome any obstacles so they’re installed quickly.
“Brighton has the potential to become a model city for healthy and clean forms of transport.”
The celebratory bike ride will begin by the BTN BikeShare stand at the Old Shoreham Road entrance to Hove Park at 2pm on Sunday.
The ride will progress west and then east in a loop on the new cycle way with social distancing, sounds and colour.
Participants are asked to bring masks, flags, sunscreen, hi-vis attire and helmets.
Jolly good!
Will you be getting your mate Ian Davey back to join in this “fun run” that will prove nothing.
After all, he was the one that spent millions on the original OSR cycle lane that is equally unused as the new extension is, being that it doesn’t link places people actually want to go.
You may jeer but this weekend I shall also watch four hours of documentaries about cycling from the nineteenth century onwards. It is called On Yer Bike, issued by the British Film Institute.
Aren’t you taking part in the ride on your Edwardian Penny Farthing?
Woohoo, so excited about more bike infrastructure in Brighton, given most distances are so short it’s perfect, good that council is providing space for us to safely do so. Will be there to celebrate on Sunday
Nice! Good to have some positivity in the streets
Fantastic news!
So not actually using the OSR cycle lane extension as a transport link, but as a “fun ride”. It will be interesting to know how many of them will actually use the route on a regular basis?
I hope that our XR local supporters have performed quantitative analysis to determine whether this temporary cycle lane has actually reduced emission levels, or made them worse due to all the congestion they’ve caused. Or perhaps they are just the normal blinked anti-motorist pro-cycling obsessives?
At least they are unlikely to cause any delays to the other cyclists that normally use the route, and hope that they remember to observe road signs and traffic signals. I think they’ll have fun at Sackville Road where cycle lanes merge with other traffic, and at Hangleton Road doing a U-turn across busy traffic lanes as they are banned there.
But I imagine the pro-cycling activists will ignore the traffic regulations.
For anyone that thinks the OSR Cycle Lanes extension to Hangleton Road should be removed pending proper planning and consultation with all affected parties, please sign the ePetition at https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=696
We need 1,250 signatures to raise the subject at the next Full Council Meeting on 27 July and we are now almost half way there since starting the petition on Monday.
You sound like such a bitter old man, lighten up! Let people choose to cycle safely away from nasty dangerous car drivers.
You’ve become so entrenched in a biased motorist way of thinking you are utterly oblivious to the immense positives cycling has for everyone.
“polls have shown that Brighton residents in general approve of reallocating road space for cycling and walking”… good!
The OSR lane is not perfect and pretty obviously a quick and cheap change by the council, but at least they’re trying and doing something. Now is the right time to seize the opportunity to make changes that we’ll benefit from in the long run.
Well done to XR for raising awareness and celebrating change in the right direction.
The plan to improve the A23 cycle lane is also great news.
We do need a cycle lane to connect West Brighton to the city centre but the OSR ‘temporary’ lane is just lazy, badly planned and doesn’t connect the West of the city. Come on Brighton and Hove we can do better. Let’s have a proper consultation with everyone who has an interest.
Sounds good. The council has money to spend on this so lets hope they do it within this month….☺
Just realised why they aren’t starting the “carnival” until 2pm. The tip closes at 1.30pm and there could have been carnage in the area ith vehicles crossing the cyle lane.
Hopefully any young children and novice cyclists take extra care as there will be live traffic in the other lanes with no separation other than white paint, and riders will be crossing busy roads and negotiating tricky junction.
This coupled with the problem that the cycle lanes are not well signed from side roads meaning other vehicles could, accidentally, end up driving down the cycle lanes.
I hope those involved have done a full risk assessment.