Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has urged London Mayor Sadiq Khan to rip up a segregated cycle path near the Houses of Parliament, it has been claimed.

BikeBiz reports that the offer, which Khan apparently refused, involved the Chancellor offering to pay for the decommissioning of the East-West Cycle Superhighway along the Embankment and in front of the Houses of Parliament, a segregated cycle path that is known to be unpopular among MPs and peers.

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The claims, which have been dismissed as untrue by London City Hall, were made by Cllr Julian Bell, the leader of Ealing Council and Chair of London Councils’s Transport and Environment Committee, at a Cycling Cities event on Monday night.

Watch: Video shows the popularity and practicality of the superhighway

Video: sw19cam

The East-West Cycle Superhighway is a segregated cycle route that runs from Tower Hill in the east to Paddington in the west, separating cyclists from traffic on the busy areas along the Embankment and around Parliament Square.

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The Chancellor will deliver his Autumn Statement to Parliament on Wednesday, where he is expected to announce cuts to so-called “salary sacrifice” perks, although the Cycle to Work scheme should be unaffected by the cuts.

Cycling Weekly has contacted the Treasury for comment.