Brighton and Hove’s pro-cycling policies are being held up as an example to the rest of the county.
The city is cited in a national campaign for best practice in encouraging cycling, launched this week.
New cycle lanes in Brighton and Hove feature on the campaign website for Space for Cycling, organised by national cycling charity CTC.
The campaign challenges local councils to provide better facilities for cycling. The CTC says thousands of councillors from across the country will be asked to create the conditions where anyone can cycle anywhere, as CTC and local cycle campaign groups join forces to demand space for cycling.
Getting more people on bikes will mean better health, reduced congestion and lower emissions, says the charity. With a public health crisis linked to physical inactivity rapidly rising up the political agenda, local councils can use cycling to improve health, say organisers.
Between 2001 and 2011, the number of people cycling to work in Brighton and Hove more than doubled to over 6,500, according to census data. It is the highest increase in the country outside of London.
Cllr Ian Davey, deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council and lead member for transport, who was recently invited to give evidence to the Commons Transport Select Committee inquiry into cycle safety, said:
“I am pleased that our efforts to make the roads safer for cyclists here in Brighton and Hove are gaining so much national interest.
“We’ve been creating space for cycling on our main roads, reducing traffic speeds, opening up one-way streets to allow two-way cycling and making it a better, more liveable city.
“I fully support the CTC campaign to call on other councils to make space for cycling if they want to improve health, curb congestion and reduce pollution.”
The new cycle lanes in Lewes Road led to a 14 per cent increase in bike journeys in the first month after opening last October, the council said.
Bus journeys were up by 7 per cent while early monitoring suggests that peak-time car journey times have increased by just one minute.
Other pro-cycling improvements in the city recently have included
- Segregated cycle lanes along Old Shoreham Road
- Changes to the road layout at the hazardous Seven Dials junction
- The introduction of cycle contraflows in Brighton’s North Laine, enabling bikes to travel in both directions in streets which are one-way for cars
- Widespread roll-out of 20mph limits on residential streets
- An off-road cycle and walking path linking Woodingdean and Falmer
Plans to change the notorious Vogue Gyratory junction near the Lewes Road Sainsbury’s, making it more cycle-friendly, are also in the pipeline.
CTC chief executive Gordon Seabright said: “Space for cycling means tackling the biggest barriers to getting more people cycling: creating safe conditions on our major roads and junctions, lowering speed limits and reducing through motor traffic on residential streets.
“We’ve examples from around the country of where local authorities have made tremendous improvements, but we’re still a very long way from creating conditions where anyone can cycle anywhere.”
‘Brighton and Hove’s cycling measures ‘should be copied all over the UK’ says idealistic incompetent green councillor who has screwed up traffic flows leading to increased pollution in the city centre.
This article is an almost exact copy of the council press release.
The ‘spin’ this man (and his fanbois) comes up with is amazing – so ‘early monitoring suggests peak time car journey times have increased by just one minute’ – the Lewes Road changes have been in operation for months – what are the latest results of monitoring? How many car journeys now take an alternative route and/or use rat runs to avoid these disaster areas?
Well done Davey for the Old Shoreham Road cycle lanes that is almost unused – and the 20mph zones are almost totally ignored (esp. by council vehicles!) because no one polices them and they are in illogical places.
But Davey keeps on spinning how well the council are doing!
Davey will, IMHO, lose his seat at next years council elections and is looking for a new job. Perhaps CTC will take him on?
‘Brighton and Hove’s cycling measures ‘should be copied all over the UK’ says idealistic incompetent green councillor who has screwed up traffic flows leading to increased pollution in the city centre.
This article is an almost exact copy of the council press release.
The ‘spin’ this man (and his fanbois) comes up with is amazing – so ‘early monitoring suggests peak time car journey times have increased by just one minute’ – the Lewes Road changes have been in operation for months – what are the latest results of monitoring? How many car journeys now take an alternative route and/or use rat runs to avoid these disaster areas?
Well done Davey for the Old Shoreham Road cycle lanes that is almost unused – and the 20mph zones are almost totally ignored (esp. by council vehicles!) because no one polices them and they are in illogical places.
But Davey keeps on spinning how well the council are doing!
Davey will, IMHO, lose his seat at next years council elections and is looking for a new job. Perhaps CTC will take him on?
Success? utter nonsense, I use a van, motorcycle and cycle. As usual the pedestrian has lost out, you cannot get across the Lewes Road. My wife is disabled and has only been across on one occasion since last July. Pollution levels are sky high. In the rush hour period, traffic is nose to tail in the outside lane. Whilst the nearside is empty. Vehicles cannot drive out of side roads, so are forced to drive in the bus lane and hope to be allowed into the outside lane. Even taxis do not use the bus lane at busy times. Once in the bus lane they are trapped behind buses as car using the outside lane will not allow them back into the outer lane. Cyclist still use the pavements especially when its wet as the cycle lanes are flooded. They also pose a huge threat to pedestrians standing at the bus stops, stepping back as those huge bendy buses, overtaking on the inside with reckless abandon, passing only inches from the pavement, with no hope of stopping if needed to, one step back from these juggernaut carriers puts the public into the path of the lunatic cyclist, seemingly travelling faster than the cars, screaming vitriol abuse at the poor pedestrian, who cannot hear them coming in this now lunatic environment.
Allready we have lost one poor soul to Mr Davey’s brainchild. Are you listening Mr Davey, the next family who suffers lose, might not as satisfied with you, as you appear to be with yourself. Indeed there are many who live in this area, who are heartily sick of being put upon. Also it seems the road known as the Widows Mile by St Peters church is to be extended to Coldean. I have lived in the Lewes Rd area for most of my life, and like many am now an asthma sufferer. I assure you Mr Davey, pollution is now far worse as a result of your interference in our lives. From your helmet less picture, your area seems like a paradise, maybe you would like to slum it, and come down to Lewes Rd, for a visit, then we can explain our issues more fully. You would have to introduce yourself, as frankly you politicians all look the same, smug, self serving, useless idiots, who never do the job you are paid to. It seems we may soon have the power to dismiss under performers like you. That will get the voters out in force.
Success? utter nonsense, I use a van, motorcycle and cycle. As usual the pedestrian has lost out, you cannot get across the Lewes Road. My wife is disabled and has only been across on one occasion since last July. Pollution levels are sky high. In the rush hour period, traffic is nose to tail in the outside lane. Whilst the nearside is empty. Vehicles cannot drive out of side roads, so are forced to drive in the bus lane and hope to be allowed into the outside lane. Even taxis do not use the bus lane at busy times. Once in the bus lane they are trapped behind buses as car using the outside lane will not allow them back into the outer lane. Cyclist still use the pavements especially when its wet as the cycle lanes are flooded. They also pose a huge threat to pedestrians standing at the bus stops, stepping back as those huge bendy buses, overtaking on the inside with reckless abandon, passing only inches from the pavement, with no hope of stopping if needed to, one step back from these juggernaut carriers puts the public into the path of the lunatic cyclist, seemingly travelling faster than the cars, screaming vitriol abuse at the poor pedestrian, who cannot hear them coming in this now lunatic environment.
Allready we have lost one poor soul to Mr Davey’s brainchild. Are you listening Mr Davey, the next family who suffers lose, might not as satisfied with you, as you appear to be with yourself. Indeed there are many who live in this area, who are heartily sick of being put upon. Also it seems the road known as the Widows Mile by St Peters church is to be extended to Coldean. I have lived in the Lewes Rd area for most of my life, and like many am now an asthma sufferer. I assure you Mr Davey, pollution is now far worse as a result of your interference in our lives. From your helmet less picture, your area seems like a paradise, maybe you would like to slum it, and come down to Lewes Rd, for a visit, then we can explain our issues more fully. You would have to introduce yourself, as frankly you politicians all look the same, smug, self serving, useless idiots, who never do the job you are paid to. It seems we may soon have the power to dismiss under performers like you. That will get the voters out in force.
I agree WHOLE-HEARTEDLY with both Pachallis and John above . I am a car driver , biker and cyclist . I have stated this before on these pages but ” HOW is one supposed to get from Portslade to the Marina ? ” I am SICK of the GREENS , SICK of the BUS-LANES , SICK of the 20 mph zones and slowly becoming SICK of Brighton . BUT . I shall be urging ALL NOT to vote for the GREENS . The TOWER thing is the icing on the cake !!! We have children taught in temporary classrooms , Terrible pollution , and a 45 minute wait to crawl down to the seafront for your PAYING visitors . My wife would rather stay in than sit in traffic and ABSORB all the fumes . We are exiles in Hollingbury !!!!! Luv Lemme
I agree WHOLE-HEARTEDLY with both Pachallis and John above . I am a car driver , biker and cyclist . I have stated this before on these pages but ” HOW is one supposed to get from Portslade to the Marina ? ” I am SICK of the GREENS , SICK of the BUS-LANES , SICK of the 20 mph zones and slowly becoming SICK of Brighton . BUT . I shall be urging ALL NOT to vote for the GREENS . The TOWER thing is the icing on the cake !!! We have children taught in temporary classrooms , Terrible pollution , and a 45 minute wait to crawl down to the seafront for your PAYING visitors . My wife would rather stay in than sit in traffic and ABSORB all the fumes . We are exiles in Hollingbury !!!!! Luv Lemme
Regular buses from Holinibury to town, change to number 7 and you’ll find yourself at the Marina.
Regular buses from Holinibury to town, change to number 7 and you’ll find yourself at the Marina.