City Council Opposes HGVs in Bus/Cycle Lane

11.29.00am GMT Wed 19th Mar 2008

Judith Lubbock

Liberal Democrat Councillor Judith Lubbock says she was delighted that at a full council meeting on Tuesday evening the City Council took the decision to say no to HGVs using the bus/cycle lane in Newmarket Road.

"I just hope that our representatives on the Joint Highways committee on May 22nd respect this decision and vote against it. It is just not consistent with sustainability. We should be doing all we can to encourage cycling not discourage it. I simply do not understand why the Labour City Councillor Brian Morrey voted for such a scheme in the first place."

"I handed a 500 signature petition to the Joint Highways committee last Thursday and at that meeting it was decided that the 6 month experiment to allow some HGVs from a Freight Consolidation Centre to use the Newmarket Road bus/cycle lane had been delayed until after May, so I thought it was an opportunity to get the City Councillors behind the decision to oppose any such scheme. Liberal Democrats were joined by the Greens and the Conservative Councillors to oppose the scheme while the Labour Councillors abstained on the motion.

With this endorsement from the City Council we hope it will send a strong message to the County Council to shelve the scheme.

Norwich South Parliamentary Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats Simon Wright who had campaigned alongside Judith Lubbock said "The few minute advantage that would be given to the HGVs in using the bus/cycle lane is just not worth the possible injury or death of a cyclist. I am pleased that the City Council has come out firmly to oppose such a scheme, now its down largely to the public to convince the County Council to drop the idea. I would urge people to write opposing the scheme to David Sprunt, the officer at the County Council dealing with it, or to County Councillor Adrian Gunson."

Full motion

'That this Council -

1. continues progress towards sustainable transport, encouraging more walking and cycling through a number of measures including asking Norwich Highways Agency Committee to ensure that the bus/cycle lane on Newmarket Road is kept completely free of any HGVs including those from a Freight Consolidation Centre.

2. asks its representatives on the Norwich Highways Agency Committee to vote against allowing HGVs to use the Newmarket Road bus/cycle Lane.