A Green Party councillor was hit by a van while riding her bike in an unpopular cycle lane she voted for.
Hannah Clare revealed she was hit by a white van in the Covid cycle lane in Hove when a white van turning into a petrol station struck her bike.
The deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council said she has been left ‘shaken’ by the incident, which happened at about 10.30am near the Shell garage.
The westbound Covid cycle lane was introduced last May in an effort to provide a socially-distant way to travel amid the pandemic.
‘I am still alive after a white van driver decided that a cycle lane was actually a white van man lane and I am a silly cyclist who didn’t realise that,’ she said.
‘The car turned into the lane going into the petrol station and hit me – I fell on my side, but did not fall to the floor.
‘They did not shout to see if I was OK. However, another driver did when I reached the traffic lights.’
The incident comes following a High Court ruling that London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ‘Streetspace’ scheme was unlawful, meaning lockdown cycle lanes could now be ripped up across the UK.
The controversial scheme, which saw roads closed and others narrowed to create new cycle lanes during the 2020 lockdown, was found to be ‘seriously flawed’ by a High Court judge.
Hannah Clare revealed she was hit by a white van in the Covid cycle lane on the Old Shoreham Road, Hove, when a white van turning into a petrol station struck her bike
The deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council said she has been left ‘shaken’ by the incident, which happened at about 10.30am near the Shell garage
The Old Shoreham Road cycle lane in Hove has been subject to intense debate since its introduction.
The measure was built using government cash by the previous Labour minority administration – with support from the Greens.
However, a council survey on the controversial lane revealed the majority of people are against it remaining.
The report showed 66 per cent of people would not be happy if the change is made permanent.
The council say there has been an increase in cyclists using the road with a report showing 545 cyclists are now using the Old Shoreham Road lane in Hove a day – up from 358.
Councillor Clare said: ‘This reinforces the need for something more permanent.
‘I think this is driver behaviour, someone not paying attention to measures and driving into the cycle lane.
‘There’s not much a council can do to mitigate that.
Councillor Clare said: ‘This reinforces the need for something more permanent’
‘I think I still would have been hit if the stretch of road was how it previously was.
‘It’s much safer now.
‘There is a consultation happening soon on the lanes’ future.
‘I hope that as we go forward, cycling safety is paramount.’
Brighton and Hove City Council recently received £2.376 million from the government’s active travel fund to progress cycle lane schemes, on top of the previous government award of £663,000 in June.
Under the plans, the temporary protected cycle lanes on the A270 Old Shoreham Road would be extended with lanes from the Hangleton Road junction to near the western city border at Applesham Way and Wolseley Road.
The High Court ruling over Sadiq Khan’s scheme in London means similar measures implemented by councils up and down the country could now be scrapped, a lawyer in the case revealed.
However bosses at Transport for London, who described the ruling as ‘disappointing’, insist they will keep the make-shift cycle lanes while they appeal today’s damning judgment.
It comes after Justice Lang ruled London’s ‘Streetspace’ scheme was ‘seriously flawed’ and ‘took advantage of the pandemic’ to push through ‘radical’ and permanent changes to London‘s roads.
The judgment follows a legal challenge by organisations representing black cab drivers who were angry about being banned from a new bus-only route on the A10 in Bishopsgate.
A similar lane on Kensington High Street was removed following an outcry from motorists and local businesses
Justice Lang said the A10 scheme treated cab drivers unfairly and should be abolished.
But her judgment also called for an end to the Mayor’s wider Streetspace initiative, including the introduction of several hundred miles of temporary cycle lanes.
The lanes sparked criticism from motorists for increasing congestion, and one on Kensington High Street was removed late last year following a local outcry.
In addition to cycle lanes, Streetspace – which was put in place last May – saw the implementation of bus gates, banned turns and restricted access to streets in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods across London with the aim of encouraging walking and cycling.
In her judgment, Justice Lang called Streetspace an ‘ill-considered response’ which sought to ‘take advantage of the pandemic to push through, on an emergency basis without consultation, ‘radical changes’ to London’s streets.
She added: ‘The scale and ambition of the proposals, and the manner in which they were described, strongly suggest that the Mayor and TfL intended that these schemes would become permanent, once the temporary orders expired.
‘However, there is no evidence to suggest that there will be a permanent pandemic requiring continuation of the extreme measures introduced by the Government in 2020.’