Every so often, Westminster unveils another bright idea that looks clever in a London office and utterly ridiculous everywhere else. The latest? Narrowing road lanes across the country to prevent drivers overtaking cyclists. It’s yet another example of policymaking by people who simply don’t understand how rural and semi-rural communities operate, including ours here in North West Leicestershire.
According to new Active Travel England guidance, lane widths should be reduced to make it “clearer” that cars can’t safely pass cyclists. This is policymaking by theory, not reality. And reality in our area is very different.
We Don’t Have the Transport Privileges of Major Cities
North West Leicestershire is not London. We don’t have trams. We don’t have the Tube. We don’t have endless buses ferrying people door-to-door. And thanks to decisions taken very recently by the Labour party, we don’t even have a hope of a railway station, despite what local voters were aggressively promised just last year.
Many residents will remember that during the general election campaign, our newly elected MP plastered “Reopen the Ivanhoe Line” across her branding, leaflets, and even in large bold letters across her shiny new constituency office. She declared it would be her “top priority” if elected.
Yet within days of taking office, her own Labour government scrapped the Restoring Our Railways programme entirely, the only funding route that could have realistically delivered a rail link for towns like Ashby and Coalville. The paint was barely dry on her office signage before it had to be taken down and replaced. It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.
So when Westminster now suggests narrowing roads as a substitute for meaningful transport infrastructure, forgive us for not being impressed.
Millions Spent on Active Travel With Limited Real-World Take-Up
Let me be absolutely clear: I support investment in cycling and walking. The County Council under the last Conservative administration spent millions across Leicestershire improving active travel routes, and when designed well, they should form part of a balanced transport network.
But even the best-intentioned schemes must reflect the character of the place they serve. In many of our towns and villages, cycle lanes see modest use at best. Our roads were built long before modern planning principles. We have historic housing, narrow streets, and cars parking wherever there’s room, because people need to. Cars are not a lifestyle luxury here; they are essential to daily life and work.
Which makes the idea of making already tight roads even tighter nothing short of absurd.
Narrower Roads = Unsafe Roads
Shrinking lane widths won’t magically make drivers more patient or cyclists more secure. What it will do is frustrate motorists, increase risky overtakes, and create more conflict.
- Cars are getting bigger.
- Our streets are already constrained.
- Parking pressures continue to rise.
Add in narrower lanes and you create the perfect conditions for collisions.
Safety isn’t achieved by forcing people into behaviour the government prefers. It’s achieved by designing infrastructure that works for real communities, not idealised ones imagined in policy meetings.
What We Actually Need
If the Government is serious about improving transport and safety in areas like ours, the answer isn’t narrower roads. It’s:
- Reliable rural bus services.
- A credible plan for restoring rail connectivity, not scrapping it.
- Properly maintained roads.
- Safe but realistic cycling and walking routes.
- Policy shaped by lived reality, not ideology.
Conclusion
Once again, Westminster has produced a policy that simply doesn’t fit the needs of places like North West Leicestershire. We deserve infrastructure solutions that support how people actually live and work, not proposals that make life harder, more dangerous, and more frustrating.
And until that lesson is learned, I’ll continue to call it out, clearly, firmly, and on behalf of the communities I’m proud to represent.
