An area of Preston Park in Brighton has been fenced off and dug up to create a base of operations for staff working on improvements to the A23.
Work is due to begin this month on a scheme to improve the A23 London Road and Preston Road between Argyle Road and Preston Drove.
Over 18 months, the road will be given wider pavements and new cycle lanes as well as new crossings and junctions, with improvements promised to bus stops.
Brighton and Hove City Council was awarded £909,000 for the scheme in 2020 by the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund.
The project is also supported by funding from developer contributions, known as section 106 money, and the Local Transport Plan fund.
Councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport, parking and the public realm, said: “The small fenced off area is there to support the improvement work we are doing on the A23.
“It will be used for storage and facilities for staff and be there for around 18 months.
“We discussed options for the site with the Friends of Preston Park and we sent details of the A23 plans to more than 3,000 local homes and businesses.
“Once the work is complete, we will make sure the area is fully restored.”
The changes, which were approved by the council’s Transport and Sustainability Committee last October, are designed to encourage active and inclusive travel as well as upgrade key junctions and improve road safety.
A six-week public consultation was held on the A23 scheme in 2021, followed by further engagement in 2023, the council said.
Maybe they could factor in some planting of semi-mature trees as we keep losing them to Dutch elm disease, incidentally well done to the council for the management and control of our treescape and woodland areas. Keep it up!
Trees ?????? how about getting a traffic system that works first, trees dont help the bus time table
You will find that life can be a lot happier if you discsrd your irrational, post-without-thinking prejudices, stop complaining and look for the positive in every situation, get off your hobby horse and enjoy life.
The previous commentator seems to understand this simple concept.
Or, instead, change your handle to Victor Meldrew
Try getting out and about once in a while, view the mis management first hand.
You will find that life can be a lot happier if you discsrd your irrational, post-without-thinking prejudices, stop complaining and look for the positive in every situation, get off your hobby horse and enjoy life.
The previous commentator seems to understand this simple concept.
Or, instead, change your handle to Victor Meldrew
Can’t wait for the Big One – VG3!
This will be a colossal disaster of the highest order .
A big thank you to BHCC Transport dept and cllr Muten for waving it through!
So the main road coming in to Brighton will be made narrower? What a truly stupid idea. More traffic jams and grid locked traffic.
No, the main road going into Brighton will remain single carriageway. The road northbound between Preston Circus and Stanford Avenue will become a single lane, it appears. Here’s a link to the plans.
https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/documents/s193445/A23%20Phase%201%20Active%20Travel%20Scheme%20-%20TRO%20APX.%20n%205.pdf
As there is already an access road, footpath and cycle path running alongside the A23/Preston park why the hell do they need to get wider at the sacrifice of the A23? Tidy up, improve what’s there and if it absolutely needs widening (I don’t think it does) pinch it from the park. It will be cheaper and cause far less disruption to traffic flow
As a resident of the area, what really annoys me is that this is clearly another vanity project which will do nothing but reduce the traffic flow on the major route for the city. Why on Gods green earth would you bring the bus-stops out into the road so that traffic cannot pass a stationary bus is beyond me. This is a huge waste of money and will make a reasonably free flowing road, come to a standstill at times all due to a bus stopping. They screwed up Lewes Road completely and now they are going to do it to the A23. All the while the potholes get worse and travelling on a bus in certain parts of the city is incredibly uncomfortable due to the terrible road condition – Castle Square is a prime example. In fact the A23 from Rookery Close to Withdean has failed and has been inadequately patched yet again.