A new temporary cycle lane has been installed in Welwyn Garden City as part of Hertfordshire County Council’s plans for sustainable travel and recovering the county post COVID-19.

HCC thinks the new lane on Hunters Bridge Road, which links the town centre to the existing cycleways on Broadwater Road and Bessemer Road, will fill in an important missing link in the town’s cycle network.

The cycle lane road markings and signage are already in place, and to further improve safety, bollards will be installed to physically separate bikes and vehicles by Monday, August 17.

Cllr Phil Bibby, HCC cabinet member for highways and environment, said: “We want walking and cycling to be an easy and convenient choice for people visiting our town centres, and this extra government funding is helping us to fill a gap in Welwyn Garden City’s cycle network

“During this pandemic we’ve seen many people taking up cycling for exercise and leisure, and some have now made the switch to using their bikes as a green and safe way to travel, whilst remaining socially distanced. These measures we’re putting in place now will encourage more people to make the switch and think about cycling as their transport of choice.”

READ MORE: Battle lines drawn in Welwyn Garden City as drivers and cyclists disagree on new temporary laneHCC chose Hunters Bridge as its first location for a new cycle lane – which was funded through £1.25 million Emergency Active Travel Funding grant by the Department for Transport – after suggestions from local county councillors, cycling groups, district and borough councils, as well as the Widen My Path website.

The grant by the Transport Department – led by Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps – is designed to allow local councils to rapidly install temporary walking and cycling measures to support local active travel priorities and the coronavirus recovery.

The work has been carried out quickly, by HCC, as it is a condition of the DfT funding that the money is spent by the end of August.

The cycle lane will be monitored and may be made permanent if it is found to be successful.

HCC is reviewing other suggested locations around the county and will be bidding for further funding from the DfD to deliver more active travel improvements in the coming year.

To give feedback or for more information please go to hertfordshire.gov.uk/temporarycycleways.