All of the Covid cycle lanes for Preston and South Ribble have now been scrapped

One of the Preston cycle routes introduced during the coronavirus pandemic Pic: Tony Worrall

Temporary cycle lanes were introduced around areas of Preston to encourage social distancing.

However, they have now all been removed from Preston due to less usage during the colder weather.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: “Towards the end of last year we reviewed the temporary measures which had been funded by the government to encourage walking and cycling, and enable social distancing, as restrictions eased following the first lockdown.

“The temporary traffic regulations which were used to put them in were for an initial period which ran to the end of December at which point a review was undertaken. In central Lancaster and Ormskirk where our monitoring showed that the cycle lanes were still being well-used, we have renewed them for a further period.

“We have renewed some of the temporary measures to encourage social distancing in Preston, such as the closures of side roads along Fishergate, as these are still helping people to stay apart and help prevent the spread of the virus.”

The cycle lanes were also to encourage cycling and walking during coronavirus restrictions.

Lancashire County Council added: “The temporary cycling measures around Preston have all been removed, mainly because our monitoring showed they weren’t being as well used once the colder weather began, which meant the benefit of renewing them was limited when weighed against other issues such as restoring full access for other road users.”

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