Council bosses removed pop-up cycle lanes from Ashford town centre due to Operation Stack – not because the controversial scheme sparked scores of complaints.

Angry residents created two petitions in September after Kent County Council spent more than £165,000 reducing Mace Lane, Somerset Road and New Street to just a single lane.

Drivers branded the trial – which was initially set to last for up to 18 months – as “downright dangerous” and KCC quickly withdrew the bollards after just one week.

But in a response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by KentOnline's sister title the Kentish Express, the authority says it ditched the scheme following the return of Operation Stack on the M20 – and was not swayed by the wave of criticism.

In the same week as the cycle lanes were introduced, Stack was used between Junctions 8 and 9, meaning the coastbound side was closed so lorries could queue up.

It was in place for just over 12 hours on September 16 as part of a major counter-terror operation at UK ports.

When asked how many complaints it had received before deciding to remove the lanes, KCC said: “The decision was made to remove the cycle lanes due to the implementation of Operation Stack, not the number of complaints received.”

But Cllr Dara Farrell (Lab) says he is frustrated by the authority’s attitude to the scheme, which formed part of the government’s push for ‘active travel’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is the first time I have heard Operation Stack linked to it,” he said.

“I am disappointed with the attitude and the response to the FOI because they have already apologised and they are trying to U-turn on their apology.

“I don’t know why they are trying to U-turn.”

In October, Simon Jones, who is KCC’s director for highways and transport, said it was not the authority’s intention to “alienate” communities.

The scheme was part of a £1.6m funding pot made available by the government, but the cash had to be spent by mid-September, meaning the authority was unable to carry out the “levels of engagement and consultation that we normally would”.

The FOI response revealed KCC installed 334 bollards and painted 66 bicycle signs on the roads during the short-lived trial.

In a virtual meeting of KCC’s cabinet in October, Mr Jones apologised for a lack of communication, saying: “If there are people who believed we did not consult sufficiently with them, please accept our apologies on that.

“It is something that we want to rectify going forward.”

Cllr Farrell says the public and councillors need to be consulted on any future scheme.

“We don’t want to see any scheme in Ashford that contributes to congestion – increasing congestion is not the way to save the planet,” he added.

“Whether the funding came from the government or not, it is still taxpayers’ money that has been wasted.

“For KCC to say it was government money is not a defence – it is still our taxes.

“I think they haven’t fully appreciated the public anger.

"I would like to thank all the people who got in touch with KCC which forced them to remove the lanes quickly.”

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