Business owners 'delighted' to see Elm Grove bike lane in Southsea scrapped

Portsmouth City Council has now removed the bollards from the segregated bike lane in Elm Grove and Kings Road, in Southsea, just one day after announcing its three-week trial would not be renewed.

Lost parking spaces have also been restored after almost 70 per cent of 1,400 respondents to a survey said the lane was having a ‘negative impact’ on the area.

Khoshnaw Agha, 48, owner of the Mediterranean Supermarket in Elm Grove said: 'I am so happy it has gone. We were really struggling with the lane there.

'Customers had nowhere to park - some got tickets for parking on yellow lines - and it made it difficult to get our deliveries.'

The owner of indoor plant shop Rose Clover, Liz Penman, 33, agreed. 'I am delighted,' she said.

'I have been closed as a regular shop through lockdown but have still been doing click and collect and deliveries have been a nightmare. Delivery drivers have had to park really far away from the shop and trying to bring huge pallets up the street to us.

'I think it's been dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians as well and drivers have had nowhere to overtake delivery lorries so there's been a lot of road rage.'

SEE ALSO: Fears that new cycle lane will damage businesses

However, a spokesman from the Pompey Cycle Forum questioned why the scheme ran in November and not in the summer.

He said: 'The scheme that was installed did not match the ambition of the designs that were part of the consultation for the scheme and having cut the trial to only three weeks – which unfortunately coincided with another national Covid lockdown – meant there was not enough time to measure real aims of the scheme, which was to enable some residents to feel safe in switching their mode of transport away from relying on private vehicles, and towards using more sustainable methods.

'In the meantime, there continues to be over 160 cycle casualties on our city’s roads every year, and many more incidents that go unreported, whilst those who would like to use pedal power more often are frightened off the roads only to increase the congestion, pollution and poor air quality.'

Keen cyclist Agata Blazevic, from Fratton, said the decision came as ‘sad news.’

The 34-year-old said: ‘We have seen this cycle lane as a really positive change and step forward towards a cleaner, safer and healthier city for everyone to live in and we hope that we will see Elm Grove cycling-friendly again.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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