Motorists could see UK roads narrowed to prioritise cycling under new proposals - 'Completely stupid'

The agency's recommendations break with more than a century of road-building tradition, where roughly 12-foot lanes have been the standard for new roads.

The guidance appears in a recent design document sent to local authorities and warns planners not to use lane widths between 3.25m and 3.9m when laying out new roads.

According to the agency, this range is too wide to be clearly "narrow" but too narrow to allow drivers to safely pass cyclists within the same lane.

Active Travel England claimed that deliberately building narrower lanes will send clear visual signals to both drivers and cyclists.

The idea behind the narrower lanes was to reinforce motorists that there simply isn't room to squeeze past a cyclist within the lane, and to encourage cyclists to ride more centrally, making their position clearer and supposedly safer.

The agency explained that this is about using the design of the road itself—not just paint and signs—to change behaviour.

But the move also marks a major shift in thinking. For decades, UK roads have been designed based on long-established standards that emphasise predictable lane widths and smooth traffic flow.

Active Travel England is now pushing a different approach, altering road layouts to deter certain driving behaviours and to give more prominence to cyclists.

However, critics have viewed the proposals as unworkable and anti-motorist. Brian Gregory from the Alliance of British Drivers slammed the plans as "stupid", warning they would slow cars down to "the speed of cycles" on narrower roads.

He argued that this would waste huge amounts of time, harming the economy and making everyday driving more frustrating.

Mr Gregory told The Telegraph: "The whole idea is just to make driving unpleasant. Instead of encouraging everyone to work together and use roads safely, it's all about penalising motorists. It's completely stupid."

AA president Edmund King also raised practical concerns. He said it would be "impossible and impractical" to change the width of the vast majority of Britain's roads, most of which were built long before modern standards existed.

Mr King pointed out that the UK simply doesn't have the space to redesign roads the way America can. "This is not America," he said.

"Our roads have evolved over centuries. UK roads will always require give-and-take. You can't just fix that with a set of new rules."

The Department for Transport has pushed back firmly against claims that the guidance represents a new compulsory standard.

A spokesman said: "These claims are false and misrepresent the guidance. There have never been legally binding standards for road widths, and that remains the case."

The Government insisted that it remains firmly "on the side of drivers," stating that its priority is to make journeys safer, smoother and cheaper.

Officials emphasised that the Active Travel England advice is not law, and that councils can ignore it if they wish.

To underline its support for motorists, the Government pointed to recent investment announcements including £500million for pothole repairs and a further £1billion for maintaining bridges, tunnels and flyovers. More than 30 road-improvement schemes have also been approved across the country.

The Department for Transport did concede that lanes between 3.2m and 3.9m can cause issues for both drivers and cyclists, especially in places where overtaking is restricted by pedestrian islands or other traffic-calming features. But officials stressed again that the guidance is advisory, not a mandate.

The row comes shortly after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander rejected accusations that the Government is waging a "war on motorists".

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