• About
    • Ethics policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ownership, funding and corrections
    • Complaints procedure
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
Brighton and Hove News
12 May, 2025
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Brighton and Hove News
No Result
View All Result
Home Brighton

Bike Week offers chance to focus on the people-powered way ahead

by Frank le Duc
Sunday 12 Jun, 2022 at 12:10AM
A A
14
New co-chair for key council committee

Councillor Steve Davis

International Bike Week ends today (Sunday 12 June), providing a chance to draw attention to the benefits of using cycles – a simple, affordable, clean and environmentally friendly means of transportation.

As Greens, we are unapologetic in our support for encouraging safe and sustainable cycle use in Brighton and Hove.

Although the week celebrates bicycles – it is important to stress that there are many types of cycle. They don’t just come on two wheels. Hand cycles and tricycles, for example, can make cycling easier and more accessible for everyone.

That comes with the need to introduce “infrastructure” to make it safer too, which is why government guidance says that any new cycle lanes should be at least two metres wide.

Why cycle? Cycling offers an enjoyable, sustainable, free and accessible option for people to travel. Transport produced 27 per cent of the UK’s total emissions in 2019, so encouraging people to use a sustainable and green transport system is essential if we are to hit our climate targets.

Research placed North Street as the third worst for air pollution in the country. When evidence already tells us air pollution knocks almost three years off average life expectancy, this must be a call to action.

It’s for this reason that we are taking bold steps to encourage greater uses of cycles in this city, alongside initiatives like our updated air quality action plan (which is currently out for consultation).

Let’s not forget how cycling can improve health too: reducing the chance of heart disease, cancer, stress related illness and improved mobility and strength.

And there’s more to come in Brighton and Hove. Cycling is an enjoyable environmentally friendly way to travel and see our city.

We will continue to promote the use of cycles and are determined to make cycling more accessible through better infrastructure, secure cycle hangers and electric cycles.

In the last month, the council received news that we will be given have further funding to build a new cycle lane along Marine Parade.

This is a key route linking eastern areas of Brighton and Hove with the city centre and which will join up to the fantastic phase 3 of the Valley Gardens project, on which construction will start in the coming months.

In the same week, we also received news that we’ve been funded for a study into the feasibility of a Mini-Holland in the Wish and Westbourne areas of the city.

This could link up to railway stations (Aldrington and Portslade), bus routes, the seafront and employment areas including Shoreham Harbour.

This isn’t everything. In the next year, the very popular BTN Bike Share will be increasing its current fleet of bikes from 600 to 780, of which at least 60 per cent will be electric. The first cycle hangars will also be hitting the streets in the coming weeks.

We are also enabling businesses to play their part in reducing emissions and have supported SMEs in our city to invest in e-cargo deliveries, resulting in over seven metric tonnes of CO2 being saved as a result of a 20,000 miles being cycled rather than driven.

There is still so much more that can be done. We will always be critical where the Tory government fails to act.

There is simply no room for a £27 billion road building programme in a climate emergency. It is inexcusable that this Conservative government wants to pave the way for more cars on the road, with more climate emissions, more congestion and more pollution, making life worse for communities across the country and hear in Brighton and Hove.

We will also continue to advocate for greater infrastructure for bikes, handcycles, tricycles and anything with wheels. Through the actions we have already achieved and the plans that we have in place we are enabling even more of Brighton’s residents and visitors to cycle.

Come rain or shine, and it looks like a lot of rain, I will be out celebrating bike week and I hope to see you out there too.

Steve Davis is a Green councillor and the joint chair of Brighton and Hove City Council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee.

ShareTweetShareSendSendShare

Comments 14

  1. Jon says:
    3 years ago

    Having a car-free day once a month as they do in Paris would be a step forward IMO. It would help give people confidence to start cycling. We have car-free days for the Marathon and other events so logistically it’s possible

    Reply
    • Peter Challis says:
      3 years ago

      I thought that Steve’s joint chair of the ETS committee, Green Councillor Amy Heley wanted to make the city car-free city by 2023 – perhaps she realises this is not practical?

      If the Greens are really worried about the environment, they also want to ban buses and taxis and council vehicles and commercial vehicles and motorbikes and cycle lanes that hardly any people use but just cause congestion and delays that just increase emissions – how much of the problem is from private motorists?

      P.S. Went to fill-up with petrol at Sainsbury’s West Hove yesterday – saw one of Green Councillor Tom Druitt’s Big Lemon community buses filling up with diesel!

      I thought he had gotten supporters to buy him 18 battery buses for this purpose, and he used to use recycled cooking oil instead of diesel. Perhaps his battery buses don’t work as well as he claims!

      Reply
      • mart Burt says:
        3 years ago

        Peter Challis
        Interesting comments.
        So you want the council to ban Buses, Taxis council and commercial vehicles ?
        So no-body can get into town then, not that there’s anything to buy because there’s been no deliveries. Our rubbish will build up because there’s no council vehicle collecting it, not that we’ve got rubbish because the shops are empty of course.
        But I jumped in my car and drove to Worthing, Eastbourne or even Crawley to do my shopping.

        Hmm, a bus can carry 70 passengers, a car how many, even if twenty people travel on a bus into town that’s less cars on our roads.
        Take away a bus service then see how many use their cars.

        Not an intelligent comment is it.
        Have another go.

        Reply
      • Car Delenda Est says:
        3 years ago

        Nobody’s falling for that one Peter..

        Reply
  2. Colin Bell says:
    3 years ago

    It’s all very worthy to promote sustainable travel withe the city, however, the Greens seem completely incapable of adopting a pragmatic view on Transport that is best for the city as a whole – residents, businesses and visitors. In that way they are naive and dangerous to the wellbeing and economy of the city. The Greens just want to impose their dogma on everyone, regardless of whether is good for all in Brighton.

    Reply
  3. Flying Squirrel says:
    3 years ago

    If you look for Councillor Steve Davis on the council website, under ‘Register of interests’ it says ‘Driving instructor. Driving school owner.’ It actually does. Good luck squaring that circle Stevie. Maybe give Boris a ring and ask him how his ‘do as I say’ style of politics is going down? Meanwhile, I look forward to upcoming articles : Vladimir Putin on Safer Streets and Joseph Mengele on childcare services.

    Reply
  4. dreadnought says:
    3 years ago

    Is this guy serious? Does he live in somewhere like Narnia? Great to have such an idealist view of running a city, but the Greens really need to get in touch with reality.

    Reply
  5. Phoebe Barrera says:
    3 years ago

    Good to see Steve Davis “on the ball” as ever announcing International Cycle Week AFTER it has finished.

    Also gave him the chance to regurgitate all the usual qualitative pro-cycling anti-motorist propaganda with no data to say whether it applies to the city.

    And love his claim that eCargo bikes saved 7 tonnes of CO2 – that’s about the same as the average produced by 1 resident each year. What do we need to achieve #netzero by 2030 as the Greens promised?

    And how much in total has cycling in the city reduced (or increased!) net carbon emissions when you add in increased emissions from increased congestion and motorists driving longer routes to avoid delays?

    Reply
    • Frank le Duc says:
      3 years ago

      Hi, your “on the ball” criticism of Steve Davis is unfair. He wrote the article earlier in the week but I was away when it arrived so I posted it yesterday and edited it to reflect that.

      Reply
      • Phoebe Barrera says:
        3 years ago

        Thanks Frank – hope you had a good holiday – not sure the delay will have had much impact on the number cycling – except that it appears that the Naked Cycle Ride had quite a poor turnout.

        Reply
  6. Paul Temple says:
    3 years ago

    Whilst everything should be done to promote cycling claiming North Street is the third most polluted in the country does not help the cause because a) This is a route mainly used by buses and b) council officers in their wisdom widened the pavements and narrowed the road so buses get stuck behind one another at bus stops.

    Reply
    • Jamie says:
      3 years ago

      You’re not asking bhcc officers to have responsibility and accountability ! My God – what is the world coming to!

      Reply
    • Car Delenda Est says:
      3 years ago

      Probably better to point out that the OSR is one of the most polluted. Apparently the air pollution wasn’t caused by bicycles but by heavy traffic, how strange.

      Reply
  7. Tom H says:
    3 years ago

    I’m all in favour of supporting cycling in the city but it’s not the catch all solution for all commuters/traveller and we should find a balance. Change is happening pretty quickly as is, we are seeing significant uptake in Electric cars, trying to force change away from ICE cars more rapidly than realistically possible comes at the cost of significantly higher short term road usage costs. You might say you don’t care if you don’t own a car but these costs also impact the delivery driver who brings anything you consume to the local shop or to your door.

    Secondly cycling is not the solution for everyone… how do families with young children, tradesman with tools, disabled and elderly people get about? What about tourist arrivals into the city with their suitcases? What if it’s terrible wet weather or snow?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most read

Police dog on the tail of Brighton drugs suspect

Bring back recycling centre, councillor urges shop bosses

Women report being sexually assaulted by man on bus

Bus lane to be enforced for first time

Council property sell-off to face scrutiny

Bike Week offers chance to focus on the people-powered way ahead

Man jailed for trying to kidnap woman off street in Hove

Two men in hospital after fight in Hove this afternoon

Burglars target seafront property

Estate agent pocketed client’s deposit then threatened manager

Newsletter

Arts and Culture

  • All
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Food and Drink
‘Dreaming Of Falling’ for Soccer Mommy – Brighton gig report

‘Dreaming Of Falling’ for Soccer Mommy – Brighton gig report

12 May 2025
A Night of Drama – Comedy and theatre in one

A Night of Drama – Comedy and theatre in one

12 May 2025
Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, and Selling Cars to Customers

Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, and Selling Cars to Customers

12 May 2025
PsyTreedelic Xperience

PsyTreedelic Xperience

12 May 2025
Load More

Sport

  • All
  • Brighton and Hove Albion
  • Cricket
Sussex struggle to make it to day three against Nottinghamshire

Sussex face final day at Hove with Worcestershire chasing tough target

by Frank le Duc
11 May 2025
0

Sussex 284 (90.3 overs) and 256 (79.4 overs) Worcestershire 180 (70.4 overs) and 117-3 (40 overs) Sussex go into the...

Sussex struggle to make it to day three against Nottinghamshire

Sussex end day two in control against Worcestershire at Hove

by Frank le Duc
10 May 2025
0

Sussex 284 (90.3 overs) and 66-3 (26 overs) Worcestershire 180 (70.4 overs) Fynn Hudson-Prentice picked up a career-best five for...

Manager of Brighton and Hove Albion’s women team dismissed after allegations

Brighton and Hove Albion slay Wolves to keep European dream alive

by Frank le Duc
10 May 2025
0

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 2 Brighton and Hove Albion kept themselves in the race for European qualification...

Premier League Match Day 36 – Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton and Hove Albion

Premier League Match Day 36 – Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton and Hove Albion

by Frank le Duc
10 May 2025
0

Danny Welbeck captains Brighton and Hove Albion as they face in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux this afternoon (Saturday 10 May)....

Load More
June 2022
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« May   Jul »

RSS From Sussex News

  • Coked up van driver banned after off-the-scale drug test 12 May 2025
  • Appeal after serious collision near Hailsham 12 May 2025
  • Estate agent pocketed client’s deposit then threatened manager 12 May 2025
  • Two men charged with stabbing 11 May 2025
  • Man threatens shop staff with hammer 11 May 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy
  • Complaints
  • Ownership, funding and corrections
  • Ethics
  • T&C

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Contact

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News