A group of cycling campaigners thanked contractors working on a new bike lane with cake a non-alcoholic fizz.
Bricycles toasted the workers on the site of the new A23 Preston Road cycle lane.
The first phase of the new separated lane is now complete, along with new zebra crossings
Iliana Koutsou of Bricycles said: “It’s important to show appreciation when walking and cycling are supported in practice in our city.
“It means more people are supported to travel in a way that reduces motor traffic and helps people to keep physically active in everyday life.
“The cost of owning and running a car is increasingly unaffordable to many, so we need to transform the city to address this.”
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport, Parking and the Public Realm, thanked Bricycles for marking the construction of this important active travel scheme.
Active travel is mainly by foot & cyclists are a tiny minority yet no attempt is made to make walking in Brighton a safe and pleasant experiance.
Our pavements are cracked, broken and endlessly littered with cafe tables/chairs, A boards, bins and cycles and motorcycles strewn across them creating trip hazards plus the ever present menace of pedal/E-Bikes shooting along the pavement at high speed.
If the council were really serious about encouraging active travel then they should be concentrating on that practised by the majority and not just a vocal minority…
The whole point of VG3 is to improve it for all forms of active travel, particularly pedestrians
But we already know that it won’t.
Was there a particular mis-understanding of the council statement that told us that congestion and POLUTION would increase.
Did you not read that the lenders and DfT have quoted this project as being of very low value for money with little benefit ?
Do keep up.
congestion? you do realise cars aren’t pedestrians right?
You do understand that congestion causes pollution right ?
You do understand pedestrians breathe in pollution right ?
Leave you to think about that one…
Whilst I appreciate the need for safe cycling in Brighton and Hove I also know that there are many people, like myself, who cannot ride bicycles for a variety of medical and physical reasons. We use mobility scooters to get around but are not allowed to use cycle lanes and have to use uneven, tree stump ridden pavements and pot hole filled roads. When I go around most of the cycle lanes are empty of cyclists but I cannot use these expensive lanes that would make travel a lot more comfortable. I wonder if there have been any statistics compiled to estimate the number of mobility scooter and wheelchair users in the town?
I fully agree, we need to follow the Dutch example where mobility scooters and even microcars can use bike infrastructure too.
But unfortunately only the national government can change this.
I’m not sure where you’ve got the notion that mobility scooter users will get into trouble for using cycle lanes: anyone who’s spent any time in the city will be aware that this is simply not the reality. Both B&H Council’s Safe in the City department (before it was disbanded) and Sussex Police have stated numerous times that they don’t consider it to be in the public interest to prosecute cyclists for cycling on pavements, or people using electric scooters or electric motorbikes: enforcement of public space usage is simply not something they want to devote their limited resources to. There has never been a successful prosecution of a mobility scooter user for driving in a cycle lane in England or Wales, and it seems unlikely that this is will change in the foreseeable future.
Almost £1m spent on this badly designed and dangerous scheme, for the benefit of a handful of cyclists. But all this folly will pale into insignificance when VG3 kicks in.
I wonder if Bricycles and their puppet Muten will be celebrating that?
The point of schemes like this is to increase the number of people cycling, by making them feel safe. The reason you only see a handful of cyclists in these areas now (if that’s true) is because of how dangerous it feels. That’s not a reason not to build the infrastructure. We need to change people’s behaviour by encouraging healthier ways to travel.
The thing with making bold statements is having the evidence to back it up.
I have no doubt some people may be concerned about safety, but all too often people like yourself, the green party and any number of cycle group members, always quote it as the reason.
I can assure you the reasons are varied. Going back some time, a survey was conducted by BHCC with the results published at a later date. The results overwhelmingly showed the majority of residents couldn’t make use of cycle lanes due to personal requirements and the safety element was down to fourth or fifth in the rankings and preferred supporting better bus/train/taxis services for example.
Again going back some time, cycling groups sited they wanted more dedicated and safe cycleways/paths and this would encourage more people to cycle. But it hasn’t when looking at the data for those installed.
The Greens and their supporters were quick to show evidence that cycling in Brighton and Hove had increased by over 60%, but we were on covid restrictions so in reality the numbers were not reflective of an increasing trend. Further lanes were proposed and installed including the extension at Kingsway.
A failure was the Old Shoreham Road and lets not forget it was only a temporary installment anyway, the numbers of usage showed an actual decrease of cyclists once in was put in.
Numbers of those using the stretch between the i360 and King Alfred are interesting and I will focus on that as it is damning on two counts. BHCC under the ‘Green’ adminstration told us more cyclist were using it and quoted ‘X’ per day between the points. The first point, is some important counters were inoperative for some time so number quoted couldn’t be backed up with data, yet BHCC told us there was an increase and given as a reason to extend the Kingsway scheme.
Since it has gone in, more accurate Data has shown a decrease year on year so proves in some way, having a ‘safer’ cycle lane hasn’t encouraged more cycle use.
Now onto VG3, one reason they want to remove the roundabout we’re told, is due to it being dangerous and a crash black spot. Sadly, the data doesn’t actually show that at all, in fact, the seven dials roundabout that has less usage has more recorded incidents.
There will be a serious impact on bus service’s all using the same stops, I calculated roughly around 200 buses all using the same stop and that’s in one direction in an hour and this will cause congestion, delays and no doubt poor journey times.
You are correct when you say ‘it shouldn’t’ be a reason not to build these things, there again, on the reverse of the coin, telling us it’s for safety reasons when it clearly isn’t does nothing to gain support nor does telling us numbers have increased when clear evidence shows the opposite.
I’m not against cycle lanes, I just think we need a rethink and spend some money on other projects, like a dedicated Park and Ride and more importantly, a complete review of ‘Traffic Management’ as there are some serious and needless congestion caused by ill phased traffic lights for a start.
Almost no thought spent on this badly designed and bigoted comment, for the benefit of a handful of credulous readers. But all this folly will pale into insignificance when more road safety improvements kick in. I wonder if the critic and their puppet master will be thoughtlessly attacking that?
Except we stick in this infrastructure an cycling has only fallem since pandemic highs. Cycling infrastructure where appropriate is great but does it encourage people out of cars? Evidence seems to suggest it does not. Its also generally avoided in weather like we currently have so will never be an all year round solution. The answer lies in better and cheaper public transport and eventually the adoption of new tech like legalising the popular escooter.
Complete nonsense. All the evidence shows people switch some journeys from car to cycle when safe routes are provided. To suggest otherwise just shows a complrte lack of knowledge.
Looks like all the Bricycles mamils are back from their afternoon rides!
Many cyclists about ? Thought not!
Face the facts – cycling has declined in Brighton. Shoehorned in badly planned and dangerous cycle lanes just make the overall picture worse. You’d expect no less from the idiots in the Transport department.
And, as someone else said, vg3 is going to be an almighty disaster
Cycle production feel 24% in 2023. Cycling trips down 30% in 2022 and 33% in 2023 on pre pandemic levels, 12% fewer people cycling in 2023. I’m sorry dispite millions being spent on safer infrastructure the drop off is very apparent. Cycling is not the long term answer, (and a very inclement 2024 will see more of a drop off), inproving pub;ic transport and adopting new tech is the way.
HEADLINE
Brighton and Hove: Fewer people are cycling weekly
16th September 2024
Figures from the Active Lives Survey from Sport England, compiled by the Department for Transport, show 16.6 per cent of people in Brighton and Hove were cycling at least once a week in the year to November 2023 – down from 18.8 per cent the year before.
There is no official Data from the DfT for numbers for 23/24 as yet, this will be published later this year. However local counters available at BHCC show a decrease in usage, this due in part to people returning to work and show no increase in usage in additional lanes now installed.
Telling us the evidence shows people switch from car to cycle when safe lanes are provided is complete nonsense. All the evidence shows otherwise and shows your lack of proper research, ignorance and complete lack of knowledge.
Hootsy is James Taylor, who is a prime mover at Bricycles.
Glad to see people being nice to other people.
Some sad people in this comments section unfortunately.
Happy to see more infrastructure for anything that isn’t cars
Happy New Year 🙂
Cycling one of those fads like sea swimming (mind you floaters could be putting those dry zone wearers off).
They could have spent the money extending the volks railway and buying some all year round vehicles for it, which not only would improve connections to the marina but would actually make the council money. Alas let’s blow it on some very expensive red paint, for cyclists to ignore…