Unchain The Brighton Motorist

[Westdene Seagull]

My reply was, in part, to a comment about driving across town. Walk or cycle or get public transport. Brighton has a huge congestion issue and it is in part the attitude of people like you and others which contributes to the issue. Think about your actions and their impact on others; otherwise the situation will get much worse.

More than a bit of an assumption there ! I go into town extremely rarely. If the council want to make it difficult and expensive to do so then I'm sure more people will follow me in only buying online or via out of town retail parks. It's not my fault if city centre businesses go under due to council policies.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Banning the car is a bit like banning Christmas everyone hates the extremes of it but without it our economy would be F*****

Rebalance the economy towards manufacturing then. Then we can also get rid of Xmas. Next

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Sure. But I simply do not believe every single one of the 36 million cars owned in the UK is needed by a 200 mile driving dad or a crosstown carer. I appreciate some need a car but I'm not convinced everyone does, or every journey is necessary. This is my point.

And I understand that point but who do you want to decide if your journey is necessary?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Rebalance the economy towards manufacturing then. Then we can also get rid of Xmas. Next

Hey - I'm with you all the way there (rebalancing the economy not banning xmas )

 

[Guinness Boy]

This is like the leaving early at the Amex debate, rather than looking at the bigger picture (and in turn realising that what they're doing is ugly and harmful) people just invent excuse after excuse after excuse to carry on doing what is simplest and easiest no matter how selfish.

So leaving the Amex early is ugly and harmful is it? Or should we ALL leave early? You're not that clear.

It's not only a ridiculous analogy but it's another one constructed by a young, healthy childless male.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And I understand that point but who do you want to decide if your journey is necessary?

Decision should be down to the individual ie personal responsibility. If everyone thought a little bit more about their actions and their impact on others then Brighton would be a much better place. The only people who can solve the congestion issue are the drivers themselves.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Hey - I'm with you all the way there (rebalancing the economy not banning xmas )

I'm a one-man think tank tonight

I really like Xmas so I prefer to keep it.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

You're simply and plainly an idiot if you can't see that a huge number of car journeys are completely unnecessary and avoidable if people wanted them to be. Our city would be a cleaner, quieter and safer place with less cars on the road. Fact.

We are a seaside town that relies on visitors for a lot of income. Hotels need visitors and the railways often do engineering work at the weekends.
Of course we could just die a death and be a quiet town where no one ever goes.

I work in Brighton but catch the bus so don't blame me for the traffic.

 

[£1.99]

Why?

I have to admit i jumped in to quick and without thinking it though properly with that statement. I would like to see a less congested city but completely banning cars is not the answer however something needs to be done about the sheer volume of traffic. I work in the heart of Brighton my work is outside and it can at times feel unbearable with the fumes and noise coming from the traffic.

 

[worthingseagull123]

No. I just struggle to comprehend every car journey is necessary. Feel free to demonstrate otherwise. I'm all ears.

Well it is subjective. The person making the journey will decide whether it is necessary or not.

 

[c0lz]

One - you said City Centre. You can hardly call Lewes Road that.

Two - that was a plan brought in by the Tories, paid for by a Coalition government, and backed by everyone in council.

Going back to point one ... I actually said

They are doing every in their power to make it more of a inconvenient [to drive around the city center] in hoping that it will drive cars out and it is the greens who have embarked on further 20 mph zones.

 

[Husty]

We are a seaside town that relies on visitors for a lot of income. Hotels need visitors and the railways often do engineering work at the weekends.
Of course we could just die a death and be a quiet town where no one ever goes.

I work in Brighton but catch the bus so don't blame me for the traffic.

I don't think that the hotel trade plays any major role in Brighton's economy. Most of the Tourists who visit Brighton are day trippers from London many of whom already arrive by public transport and who would probably be receptive to improvements in this area and who would likely be receptive to park and ride schemes.

The rest are foreign tourists who are here because it's Brighton in England and changes to traffic management on Lewis Road isn't going to stop then showing up.

if you want to make changes to improve tourism, you must surely be looking to reduce car usage in the city center and in turn make it a more attractive place for the tourists?

 

[ken tiler]

I agree with Chicken Runner61 and as a lifelong Brightonian I would never consider the North Laines as a 'shopping area'. It's a tourist area of quirky little shops with high prices for stupid tourists to pay. It's not a shopping area for locals, unlike London Road, which used to be a shopping area and is now ruined thanks to no-one being able to get there by car for several years in a row.

Not everyone can just get the bus or cycle round the City. If you are a parent dropping little kids off at nursery and then school (two different sites) then on to your job where you start at 8am, you can't do that by bus or cycle. Nor can you repeat it at the end of the day by public transport - it's not possible unless you have kids old enough and safe enough to ride on the roads (not an option in my case and I am typical of other working parents I know).

Why not - there is very good public transport in brighton?

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I don't think that the hotel trade plays any major role in Brighton's economy. Most of the Tourists who visit Brighton are day trippers from London many of whom already arrive by public transport and who would probably be receptive to improvements in this area and who would likely be receptive to park and ride schemes.

The rest are foreign tourists who are here because it's Brighton in England and changes to traffic management on Lewis Road isn't going to stop then showing up.

if you want to make changes to improve tourism, you must surely be looking to reduce car usage in the city center and in turn make it a more attractive place for the tourists?

Sorry Husty but you are seriously misinformed.

The hotel Industry has always been important to Brighton hand has always played a major role in its economy.

One of the reasons Brighton has suffered is because we have lost Conferences because of the state of the Brighton Centre - Conferences were a vast money spinner for the city and the hotel Indusutry in Brighton has suffered in recent years.

There is a report out by Visit Brighton detailing all of this and one of the key points was the problems of congestion and parking in Brighton - the cost and lack of parking is having a negative effect.

New hotels will be built and existing renovated and increased but the city needs a conference venue which will increase the volume of cars coming in.


Thats pretty much the opposite of what you suggest

Don't blame me I'm only the messenger!

 

[Husty]

Sorry Husty but you are seriously misinformed.

The hotel Industry has always been important to Brighton hand has always played a major role in its economy.

One of the reasons Brighton has suffered is because we have lost Conferences because of the state of the Brighton Centre - Conferences were a vast money spinner for the city and the hotel Indusutry in Brighton has suffered in recent years.

There is a report out by Visit Brighton detailing all of this and one of the key points was the problems of congestion and parking in Brighton - the cost and lack of parking is having a negative effect.

New hotels will be built and existing renovated and increased but the city needs a conference venue which will increase the volume of cars coming in.


Thats pretty much the opposite of what you suggest

Don't blame me I'm only the messenger!

Yeh, the Brighton Center is shite and needs replacing but what relevance is this to a discussion on cars?

Also, clearly I'm a simpleton but how does improving parking (and aside from making it cheaper how do you propose it is improved?) reduce congestion?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I don't think that the hotel trade plays any major role in Brighton's economy.

Hate to burst your bubble but that really isn't true. There are tens of thousands of hotel / B&B rooms in Brighton that provide major employment. I've worked for some of the largest hotels in the city and their customers spend serious money in the city and help pay for many jobs.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Yeh, the Brighton Center is shite and needs replacing but what relevance is this to a discussion on cars?

Also, clearly I'm a simpleton but how does improving parking (and aside from making it cheaper how do you propose it is improved?) reduce congestion?

Its all relevant mate - all goods and services travel by road at some point. Bigger city = bigger transport problems which means we need planners without an agenda.

Most modern cities are removing road signs and clutter from town centres - our council has just spent thousands putting loads of ridiculous signs in ridiculous places.

Its been proven that drivers drive far more carefully if there are less distractions

Take a look at the sign in the small side road between the metropole and the fish & chip shop along the seafront - I'd like to see someone try and drive at anything faster than 20 MPH up there so why did they spend £700 on signs there?

Top of Edward Street & Rock Gardens - look at the 20MPH sign by the doorway of the flats next to the Chinese - waste of £300 or not?


Along the Stanmer Park slip Road to the Uni....... Check out the 20MPH signs halfway along - waste of £130 or what?

Most of those traffic signs are a complete waste of money because of where they have been fitted - whoever organised it should be made to pay for them

 

[BadFish]

This is like the leaving early at the Amex debate, rather than looking at the bigger picture (and in turn realising that what they're doing is ugly and harmful) people just invent excuse after excuse after excuse to carry on doing what is simplest and easiest no matter how selfish.

Your arguments on this thread are a complete and utter load of tosh. You seem to believe that tradesmen, deliveries to store and trips to specialty shopping stores are the ONLY trips that get made by car in Brighton? You're simply and plainly an idiot if you can't see that a huge number of car journeys are completely unnecessary and avoidable if people wanted them to be. Our city would be a cleaner, quieter and safer place with less cars on the road. Fact.

Trouble is to achieve this and improve our environmental impact people will need to be somewhat put out. What this thread tells me is that some people just aren't prepared to do that and rely on weak justifications to excuse them. The examples used are utter nonsense. no one is suggesting that people should ride their bikes into the city center to buy gardening equipment (depending on where you live of course), you would be a fool not to get in the car and nip to the closest B&Q so you could get on with the job.

Is there even a hardware store in the city center? If there is one near a no car zone then that are would not have the city center bound traffic so would be clearer of traffic and it would be easier than it currently is to access your local hardware store.

A win win situation really

 

[BadFish]

The Greens have declared war on cars the way UKIP has declared war on Romanians. In public they'll never actually say it. In private it's all they're on about. Except Sven Rufus who's too busy buying everyone else's booze, writing about pink bikes and being a self employed union member.

Not just the Greens, lots of people would rather see less cars used across the world and less journeys taken. We are facing a Climate change crisis and changes need to be made to our carbon habits. Governments are voted in with a mandate to do something about carbon emission and to try and find more sustainable ways of going about our business. the expectation is there from the majority of people do do something and to make some changes. Many may not agree and they have every right not to but the majority want something done so the council/government etc are mandated to do something. Some will happily make changes and some will do it reluctantly but the change will happen because that is what the majority want.

 

[pastafarian]

I don't think that the hotel trade plays any major role in Brighton's economy.

way way off the mark here im afraid.

dont just think of the weekend tourist trade,the corporate market during the week is just as important.

that is a lot of visitors spending a lot of money in the city

I suspect the hotel trade is one of the top areas in Brighton`s economy