I am writing to show my support for the continued use of Cycle Lanes and Bus Lanes. I am writing on behalf of Southampton Greenpeace and as a resident of Portswood myself, to say that we were bitterly disappointed with the decision to call in the Green Transport Recovery Plan and slow down progress. I have also heard from Councillor Dan Fitzhenry who has told me that ‘our role (in my opinion) is to help people transition to alternate transport if they so wish, and not to force them’.

My other questions based on this response would be to ask what Counillor Galton and Councillor Fitzhenry in particular would do as an alternative to the GTRP in order to help people transition to alternate transport, and how the addition of cycle lanes and bus lanes are forcing people not to drive. Traffic in Southampton has been appalling bad for a long time before the addition of cycle lanes. In 2019, the Echo that it was the 7th worst city in the country for congestion and analysis by Tom Tom shows that congestion is rising year after year.

Further to Councillor Galton's claim that the addition of bike lanes will increase congestion and pollution and stop people coming to Southampton, I have friends and family that haven’t come to Southampton for years because of the already troubling traffic situation.

Furthermore, I highly recommend that those calling for the repeal of bus lanes and cycle lanes, and who are against pedestrianisation, read reports from TFL that show that ‘walking and cycling improvements can increase retail spend by up to 30%’.

It's quite clear – if we want to ‘help people transition to alternate transport’ then the Council must give people those options – by the way of cycling, walking and bus – and that is exactly what the GTRP is doing.

Rosie Newey

Southampton