Safety Concern: Hazardous Substandard Cycle Lane

I am writing to formally log a critical safety hazard regarding the advisory cycle lane markings on the A2070 at Sevington, Ashford (near the 200 yards pedestrian warning sign)

This stretch of road operates under a 40 mph speed limit. The designated cycle lane painted here is completely substandard, measuring just 0.66 meters wide. That's narrower than the width of my handlebars! Taking into account the overgrown vegetation encroaching onto the roadside, this infrastructure is actively dangerous as it encourages drivers to execute tight, unsafe close passes within the same lane, breaking the Highway Code's mandate to give cyclists 1.5 meters of space when overtaking.

This layout fails the Department for Transport's strict safety standards outlined in Cycle Infrastructure Design (LTN 1/20):

1. Severe Width Deficiency (Section 5.14): LTN 1/20 requires a desirable minimum width of 2.0m, with an absolute baseline of 1.5m. A 0.6m gutter strip provides zero stable operating space.

2. Unsafe Protection Level for 40mph (Figure 4.1): DfT criteria explicitly states that a painted line alone is prohibited on 40 mph routes. At this speed, cyclists must be protected by structural or light-kerb segregation.

3. Critical Failure: Under Active Travel England’s evaluation guidelines, this layout triggers an immediate "Critical Fail" due to the extreme speed differential and lack of physical protection.

I regularly use this road, and would mention that the 40mph limit is regularly ignored by many motorists, and although I am an experienced road user (cyclist and motorist), I wouldn't even consider cycling in the main carriageway, which is far too dangerous for the conditions.

I request that this layout be reviewed immediately. To prevent motorists from being dangerously misled, the current line markings should be blacked out or removed until a safe, physically segregated route aligned with modern LTN 1/20 principles can be properly built. An immediate solution would be to allow cyclists to continue using the pavement i.e. remove the sign instructing cyclists to move into the road.