There are only three roads in and out of Portsmouth. Can we really afford to lose half the capacity of one of them? Squeezing Eastern Road into a single lane will mean long queues, yet a behind-closed-doors decision means that is what is going to happen. Will you let our council get away with not even asking for your views?

The City Council has already made its mind up. It is going to put a cycle lane in place of one of the southbound lanes, even though there is already a recently upgraded route for bikes along the side of the road. It wants two lanes for cycles and only one for cars, vans and lorries combined.

Getting more people cycling and using buses is a worthy goal, but we still need to be able to move about. Driving to work is not a luxury. With travelling by bus time consuming and expensive and cycling infeasible for people who work away from Portsmouth, there is no alternative. It is not a selfish act to take the car.

The COVID 19 crisis is passing and traffic levels rising. Soon the queues will be back. With Eastern Road down to one lane, the delays will be worse than ever.

Sign the petition and tell the LibDem-run City Council that Portsmouth cannot take any more congestion and any more air pollution. Demand transparency and a proper consultation.

We the undersigned demand Portsmouth City Council

-          fully re-open Eastern Road to motor traffic

-          that it urgently carries out a full consultation with all road users, including motorists, taxi drivers, football fans accessing Fratton Park and local business operators, as well as cyclists and pedestrians

-          that the views of residents are respected and changes only made where popular support can be proven