A freedom of information request has revealed that Kent County Council spent £414,528 of their emergency travel fund on the highly controversial pop up cycle lanes.
Kent was allocated a whopping £1.6 million pound from the Emergency Travel Fund, which was designed to allow local councils to produce better walking and cycling facilities. Over 25% of this was spent on the pop up cycle lane, which was removed within a week.
In the FOI, Kent County Council confirmed that the subsequent removal costed £186,538.
Not all the money was wasted, though. The FOI adds that the £414,528 “includes assets to the value of £149,306.74 purchased directly by Kent County Council which can be used on future schemes across Kent”.
Within a week of the cycle lanes popping up, two petitions, one on 38degrees and Change.org were created, amassing over 3,140 signatures. After a barrage of criticism and anger from motorists, KCC started removing the cycle lanes and the final bollards.
Images show tailbacks of vehicles 
Residents and drivers branded the cycle lanes as “dangerous” adding that they were causing “travel mayhem and chaos”. One disgruntled resident even said that “someone is going to get killed as cars are just speeding through the crossings”.
George Ward 