[Brighton] New cycle lane a259 Brighton

[LamieRobertson]

Drove along this part of town for the first time in ages the other day and couldn’t believe what has happened to that road , it’s an absolute joke , first they mess up centre of brighton from the level down to seafront and now they have messed this road up, that donut that has designed this should be sacked . Have read that they will now lose £108,000 a month in lost parking fees on Madeira drive and this monstrous cycle lane is losing £27,000 a month in parking fees along the coast road , how are they going to replace that? With money from the Brighton eye LOL , we need a first class transport system with cheap fares and the place is crying out for at least two areas for a very good park and ride based around shoreham and pyecombe area with a regular every 15 mins bus service into town centre let’s say free to park and a £1 return per person starting at 5am through till 1 AM it works in other places so why now here ?

Erm...where in Shoreham?

 

[Chicken Run]

I didn’t think students had any money

The 1000’s of overseas ones do, although regretfully they have delay these shores for the foreseeable future.

 

[LamieRobertson]

The 1000’s of overseas ones do, although regretfully they have delay these shores for the foreseeable future.

Good point

 

[Stat Brother]

Try telling my delivery drivers, taking 10-20 boxes of heavy goods to the restaurants, hotels, local schools, doctors surgeries etc to put it all on a frigging bike and delivering it

Wouldn't happen in Germany

 

[Stat Brother]

That must be quite some car, not sure the biggest of motors is that big [emoji23]

I’m not sure why that part of the centre wasn’t pedestrianised a long time ago to be honest.

Whats happening now is that traffic is getting backed up for literally miles at the moment as a result of valley gardens and the seafront scheme. Doing it now at the busiest time of the year just doesn’t make sense .

Because now is the time of year that the emergency funding has been made available by central government.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

The more difficult to get into the city it becomes the less people will come here.

That’s not spouting absolute bullshit

Unfortunately those visiting don’t know what a shitfest the traffic is until the get here - how many do you think will come back?

Brighton's traffic has been like that for about 20 years, yet, tourist numbers are still increasing. Presented with hard evidence you're still sticking by your anecdotal rhetoric, is this the era of 'fake news' we live in where sources and facts just don't matter anymore?

The tourists who drive down and get stuck in traffic will probably reconsider their transport choice next time and choose to catch the train. The fact is, Brighton will always be a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer. No amount of traffic will stop this, people will just find alternative methods to get their day on the beach.

 

[beorhthelm]

I'm going to give the council a huge amount of credit here.

At national level, we've had governments for years who have given way to the short term interests of the car lobby ...

that car lobby are first the vast majority of the population and second pay for the extensive road network and a few dozen billion in tax. the roads as we have them would not exist without cars. some say thats a bad thing, lets at least accept their right to have an interest.

 

[Igzilla]

So...is Brighton's Green council responsible for the new cycle lane though the centre of Worthing, then? Bloody Greens and Labour councils, forcing all their looney policies on us...oh...

 

[GM98]

So following my earlier comments, I thought I would give you an update. The plastic red and white poles have been placed in some stretches, however already 2 have been knocked out. Also at one point there were 3 cars driving down the cycle lane, this is beginning to look like an accident waiting to happen.
It is not giving me any confidence in using it.

 

[Acker79]

So following my earlier comments, I thought I would give you an update. The plastic red and white poles have been placed in some stretches, however already 2 have been knocked out. Also at one point there were 3 cars driving down the cycle lane, this is beginning to look like an accident waiting to happen.
It is not giving me any confidence in using it.

When I cycled along there this morning, it wasn't open. They were still working on it by the roundabout (the were those big block barriers, and signs pointing people out of what will become the cycle lane. Cars were still going along the left hand lane where there were some bike symbols painted on the road, but the pavement cycle path was still in use for westbound cyclists. Is it possible that's why there were still cars driving down it when you were there, or has it fully opened now?

I still can't work out what's going on at the bottom of west street - that road was already down to one lane, and if cyclists are supposed to go onto the pavement, it's probably the worst place for it with that temporary on road pathway. If the bike lane and traffic are supposed to merge, then yeah, there are absolutely going to be accidents.

 

[nordicgod]

This time of year the weather is great and it’s light till late , but in November through to feb ! I think not so nice

 

[BN41Albion]

So...is Brighton's Green council responsible for the new cycle lane though the centre of Worthing, then? Bloody Greens and Labour councils, forcing all their looney policies on us...oh...

I think one or two posts have mentioned the parties of the council...

It's a ridiculous idea that is going to cause snarled up traffic and much more pollution because its fanciful to think everyone will ditch cars and cycle when that's not an option for thousands and we don't have a decent public transport system to use instead to get across the city easily and quickly. That's all I'm concerned about

I read somewhere this is all supposed to be 'temporary'. Wtf, how does that work, and why?? Makes no sense to me

 

[A mex eyecan]

Wouldn't happen in Germany


View attachment 127137

All very well for a few parcels, try peddling one of those with a load that fills a luton van

 

[Stat Brother]

All very well for a few parcels, try peddling one of those with a load that fills a luton van

True, restaurants in Amsterdam don't have deliveries, do they?

 

[A mex eyecan]

True, restaurants in Amsterdam don't have deliveries, do they?

So go on then, enlighten me, how do restaurants in Amsterdam get their large bulk order deliveries? I, and many other delivery companies are all looking for the solution, you obviously have the answer we seek?

 

[Stat Brother]

So go on then, enlighten me, how do restaurants in Amsterdam get their large bulk order deliveries? I, and many other delivery companies are all looking for the solution, you obviously have the answer we seek?

Open the roads for early morning deliveries.
Alternatively close all roads from 10 till 4, then selected routes 4 till 11.

 

[Madafwo]

I'll try and check it out on my way to work today, I did see parts of it on my way home last night but I ended up going along the cycle lane on Maderia Drive instead as I usually go along the undercliff walk when it's quiet.

Do we know where the most easterly point of this new lane is meant to be? I was riding along the A259 yesterday but from Lower Rock Gardens the traffic was at a standstill so couldn't actually get to the new lane which kind of negates the point.

I could theoretically ride to work every day but in reality that just isn't feasible and coming from Peacehaven I don't really have many options of what route to take when I do have to take the car.

 

[Igzilla]

I think one or two posts have mentioned the parties of the council...

It's a ridiculous idea that is going to cause snarled up traffic and much more pollution because its fanciful to think everyone will ditch cars and cycle when that's not an option for thousands and we don't have a decent public transport system to use instead to get across the city easily and quickly. That's all I'm concerned about

I read somewhere this is all supposed to be 'temporary'. Wtf, how does that work, and why?? Makes no sense to me

Quite. It's absolutely nothing to do with Brighton Council specifically, the funding for all this comes from central government, so if people want someone to rage against, it should be Johnson. I read that 40 councils natiowide are taking the money.

Personally, I'm all for proper cycle routes to make it safer for people to use, but in Worthing, they shut off an entire lane each side of the main road from the centre of town up to Broadwater, and I heard from a txai driver it's supposed to go all the way to Findon.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Wouldn't happen in Germany


View attachment 127137

Never mind that, I'm hoping for THIS (although it may have to be socially distanced for a while)

 

[A mex eyecan]

Open the roads for early morning deliveries.
Alternatively close all roads from 10 till 4, then selected routes 4 till 11.

and there could be some possibilities in that Stato, but it’s not the complete answer. There are several areas where it falls flat.

let’s start with a typical day where a given supplier has to send delivery lorries into town. Let’s talk about a dray sized lorry, making multiple, 23-35 deliveries a day. so there are huge time restriction as you could get them all done before 10.

you have to take into account the opening hours of the customers. Our customer based is very varied as are so many other businesses.

Many customers have restrictions as to when you are allowed to deliver

So let’s say they Drive to Brighton, start the earliest deliveries that their customer base affords, let’s say the earliest is 7.30, of which there are very few. in those two and a half hours they may get say 10 deliveries done, if they do well. What do they now do with the remaining 20?

The amount of deliveries they can do per hour is reducing, particularly now with the idiotic restrictions placed around the lanes, including removing a few loading bays and reducing the width of the road. It’s proving that frequently they arrive to where they need to deliver and find another lorry there, they have to go off and try and find somewhere else. So that particular council policy has now started to increase pollution.

So, back to the residual 20 drops, I assume that as they have not been allowed to drive into town between 10 they now have to come back at 4. What would they do in between hours? where would they park up?

It’s now 4. They are now trying to deliver to restaurants, pubs, etc. Many of those do not want deliveries trundling through when they are open to customers, many don’t have access other than front doors.

Forgetting that, many customers close at 5, let’s say offices, doctors, etc. Not all have staff beyond those hours, neither do they have them before 9.

That means there’s a vast amount of customers where you would have an hour to deliver to inside these restricted permitted driving hours. All very well if you only have one or two, but if you’ve 8,9,10? Then add in that these are not all going to be next door to each other, may be Hove, Roedean, Cardenas, Laines, Preston. Moving between all of those takes time, and longer now since the amount of traffic lanes has been reduced.

Stato, I’m not picking an argument here, just trying to show a few, of many, logistical issues that these guys face daily.

I agree something has to change, but it’s not as simple as just banning vehicles or imposing restrictive hours. What is it? Lord knows and it’s a conundrum that’s going to take a lot of working together. The councils green utopian plan of just suck it up isn’t going to help, neither is either the cyclist lobby or the car driver making digging in and throwing ‘oh well tough’ statements at each other.