Business owners in London Road have persuaded the council to put in more and longer loading bays for deliveries but some still have concerns about suppliers facing fines.
The loading bay changes have been made since the red routes were created in London Road and Lewes Road in April after feedback from businesses.
Brighton and Hove City Council extended the six-metre long bay outside McDonald’s and Taco Bell to 12 metres to be able to accommodate the companies’ vehicles.
Last night (Tuesday 28 May), Labour councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport, parking and the public realm, heard from two traders who were still experiencing issues when the London Road Local Action Team (LAT) met.
Kamil Sharobi, 38, owner of Smokemart convenience store, said that he struggled to deliver stock to his shop because of the lack of parking.
Mr Sharobi said: “We are all struggling on a weekly basis. I’ll be getting a ticket every week now for my deliveries.
“I’m driving around for an hour to find a space. I parked in Rose Hill Terrace and lit a cigarette and was on the phone to my employee waiting for the loading bay to empty.
“I can’t do this. I appreciate you’re going to do something but do it as soon as possible.”
Mr Sharobi suggested removing the extension to the pavement which was widening during the covid-19 pandemic as this had taken away parking spaces along London Road.
He said that drivers still parked there, on the area paved during the pandemic, even though vehicle owners faced a fine.
The owner of Presuming Ed, on the corner of Francis Street and London Road, and near the crossing by Oxford Street, was concerned about receiving tickets and asked if he could appeal.
Councillor Muten told the owner, Richard Grills, 48, that the location made it impossible to put a loading bay outside the café bar.
The councillor said that the issues facing Presuming Ed and Smokemart required more creative solutions.
He said: “Where we have made changes we have done them quickly. I’ve heard clearly your concerns. We are looking into this.”
After an initial grace period, when warning letters were sent to drivers stopping on the red lines, fines are now going out to people breaking the red route rules.
The red routes are enforced with cameras with an operator rather than using automatic number-place recognition (ANPR).
Good
Many years ago this was an urban freeway with no stopping or loading. Perhaps the answer is to re-apply timing restrictions to enable deliveries at less busy times whilst ensuring good traffic flow throughout the day. At the moment there is still a lot of abuse by motorists and vans parking in bays for extended periods.
Great idea.
Even easier, mark those using the bays for extended periods.