A project to tackle three of Brighton and Hove’s worst accident blackspots has been shortlisted for a national award.
The success of the three-phase project to make North Street, Brighton, safer has been recognised in the Urban Transport Design Awards.
Brighton and Hove City Council said that three of the area’s ten worst sites for accidents were in North Street, one of the busiest roads for buses and pedestrians.
And, perhaps not surprisingly, a high proportion of the accidents there had involved buses and pedestrians.
The council said that the aim of the project was to make the road safer and more pleasant for everyone using it.
Work started on the first phase of the project at the bottom of North Street and in Castle Square, between North Street and the Old Steine.
Over the past three years
- pavements have been widened
- traffic light junctions have been improved and made safer
- new pedestrian crossings have been created
- bus stops have been given bigger waiting areas, more safety signs and kerb heights that make it easier to get on and off buses
- the area around the Clock Tower has been made more attractive and pedestrian-friendly
After the first phase was completed, the council said, the number of accidents involving buses and pedestrians fell 75 per cent at the bottom of North Street and in Castle Square.
Council officials are still analysing accident figures for the second phase of the project, which took place nearer Churchill Square.
But the council said that early indications there also looked promising.
It said that surveys showed that people in North Street feel that walking there has become more pleasant, easier and less congested.
And the council believes that people are now also taking more care about how they cross the road.
The council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for transport and the public realm, Councillor Ian Davey, said: “Making our city centre safer and more pedestrian-friendly is a key part of our vision to make Brighton and Hove the UK’s greenest city.”
The Urban Transport Design Awards will be presented in Liverpool on Tuesday 19 July.
