CHESTER’S active travel lanes will be debated by Cheshire West and Chester’s full council — for the second meeting in a row.

A petition to ‘cancel the experimental active travel lanes in Chester’ has received signatures from more than one per cent of the borough’s residents, which is the threshold for councillors to examine it.

The petition, from campaign group ‘People Against Travel Lanes Chester’, says: “We believe these [lanes] have been poorly planned, are dangerous to road users and have been rushed out onto outdated road infrastructure that already suffers from a severe lack of road capacity. 

“This coupled with the time of year which traditionally sees a reduction in cycling due to the weather and the fact that we are in a middle of global pandemic which means people are avoiding public transport makes the introduction of these lanes even more ridiculous. 

“The resulting congestion from these lanes is doing more damage to the environment through idling vehicles therefore countering any potential benefit these lanes could have delivered.”

Although the group has the right to present the petition at the meeting on February 25, council rules mean members will not have to rule on the issue that evening.

Councillors’ options include ‘taking action on the request’, ‘not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate’, ‘ to commission further investigation into the matter’, or to ‘make recommendations to the Cabinet, where the issue is one on which the Council’s Cabinet is required to make the final decision’.

The lanes have been a divisive issue in Chester since their introduction last year.

Recently, a taskforce set up by CWAC to examine the scheme recommended they be ‘paused’, which means they would remain in place, albeit with ‘not in use’ sign present.

On that development, a council spokesperson said: “The recommendation was not for an immediate suspension as ‘there is insufficient data available to confirm a significant increase in ‘safe cycling and walking’.

“It was a suggested ‘pause’ while the subgroup develop new solution or a final long-term solution. 

“The subgroup advised that they believe alternative options for cycling, walking and other sustainable transport are possible and the subgroup proposed to use the following months to research, review and develop proposals that will adapt, extend or replace the Emergency Active Travel Lanes routes in a safe and efficient manner.”

CWAC full council will meet at 5pm on February 25.