A new pop-up cycle lane has been introduced along the A583 Riversway and Watery Lane between Nelson Way and Strand Road to improve cycling journeys to and from the west of Preston.

Lancashire County Council has introduced the lane in Preston to help social distancing and encourage people to walk and cycle for regular journeys as lockdown restrictions are eased but there remains a need to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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The county council has been working closely with district and borough councils to safely reopen town centres as footfall increases, and prioritise walking and cycling due to continued restrictions on public transport.

People are being encouraged to cycle or walk, or drive, to minimise the number of people with whom they come into close contact with.

If too many people who previously used public transport choose to drive this could lead to more traffic congestion in busy areas, so the county council is taking advantage of government funding available to quickly introduce temporary measures to make it easier for people to cycle and walk, and maintain safe social distancing.

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These measures include ‘pop-up’ cycle lanes – temporary cycling routes on existing roads, created by adding bollards, cones, or water barriers to separate cyclists from other traffic. Pop-up cycle lanes have already been created on Fylde Road and Penwortham Hill.

The new lanes on both sides of the road begin where an off-road shared path which is part of the Guild Wheel route leaves the A583 at Nelson Way, and end at the Strand Road/Watery Lane junction, creating a better direct connection for cyclists travelling to and from the city centre.

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County Councillor Keith Iddon, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Over the last few months we have all seen significant changes to our day to day lives, to how businesses operate and how people use our public spaces, as a result of the measures taken by every one of us in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re working closely with councils throughout Lancashire to make our town centres as safe as possible as lockdown measures ease and footfall increases.

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“Our focus is to prevent the spread of the virus, and make it easier to walk and cycle due to the continuing restrictions on public transport, using funding available from government to make temporary changes to highways and public areas.

“This new pop-up cycle lane on one of the busiest routes into Preston will make it easier for people to cycle as an alternative to using public transport or driving.

“These measures are part of our emergency response to help Lancashire control and recover from the coronavirus, and we will keep them under review.”

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