Conservative councillors in anti-cycle nonsense shocker

https://twitter.com/TraffordBlue/status/1265600110722977792?s=20

You can always rely on car-loving Tory councillors to recommend measures that would make social distancing more difficult, reduce cycling safety, and further embed a car culture which we all know is extremely damaging to our country.

If you don't know the road in question, it's the A56 in Stretford, Manchester. A long, straight road that goes from Altrincham (near Cheshire) to the centre of Manchester and out the other side. It's arrow straight and many lanes wide and almost always massively congested. Until now the only cycling provision has been narrow painted lanes that only the brave use.

The likely reason the [Labour] council have chosen to add temporary bike lanes here is because the Metrolink runs along exactly the same route, just a few hundred metres away, and it'll be at a fraction of its capacity due to social distancing measures. So people will be forced to drive. Hence this new popup cycle lane.

And this is part of a GM-wide plan to add cycling capacity to many of the area's arterial routes, as can be seen here (you can see the A56 bottom left and top middle)

https://twitter.com/stocksyatlarge/status/1265579780608528385?s=20

I hate to make this a political statement but it shows just how out of touch some of these people are.