Work has now officially started to remove the Aquarium roundabout on Brighton seafront.
The first in a series of night time closures began last night, during the quietest time of the year for the seafront road.
The junction will be closed overnight for two weeks, with different diversions in place as work progresses.
Buses will divert via West Street and the seafront. Vehicles travelling on the A259 from the east will be diverted via Edward Street.
Once complete, the roundabout will be replaced with a traffic light junction, which Brighton and Hove City Council says will make the area safer and easier to negotiate for pedestrians and cyclists.
It is part of the third and final phase of the Valley Gardens project, which has already seen the roads and open spaces from St Peter’s Church to Victoria Gardens reworked.
This final phase, which also creates a new public square east of the Royal Pavilion and links the seafront and Valley Gardens cycle lanes, is set to be completed this summer.
Council officers will be available to answer questions on the scheme at Jubilee Library tomorrow from 4pm to 6pm and on Wednesday 21 January from 3pm to 4.45pm.
Happy New Year. Don’t bother visiting here.
Ahhh finally it will be great to cycle that route now.
Finally I can safely cross the road without taking a mile diversion because of some lame outdated roundabout.
To all the people driving through here every day, catch a bus…
A mile diversion, hmm, all they are doing is taking out a roundabout and moving the lights twenty feet closer to the junction.
Another crazy vanity scheme that is destined to fail and cause chaos for residents and visitors
You mean like VG1/2 which is a vast improvement for driving or walking
You are obviously a comedian
You mean the additional congestion around St Peter’s Church and the increased running times of buses, do dream on.
RIP decent flowing traffic. All downhill from now
Joke of a council
Another absolutely ridiculous scheme by a council that know nothing about how to plan roads. It is going to cause mayhem, and they are just doing it to please a small minority of people. Cyclists and the council keep harping on about pollution and saving the planet and yet they cause more….well done big round of applause for all of you. I feel sorry for the businesses and workers especially painters, decorators, delivery drivers etc way to make their jobs harder. If it’s not broke don’t fix it is an old saying. But then they have messed up the seafront road and madeira drive with useless cycle lanes anyway so what does this matter to them. And before any cyclists jump on mouthing it off don’t bother no matter what you say you will never change my mind, the ridiculous cycle lanes do not get nearly enough cyclists to warrant being there.
The roundabout has worked perfectly well for decades,no need to change it. What a waste of money! The disruption will be dreadful.
The important question here is who has it worked well for? It might be good to remember this is a project to improve those who actively travel; less so for vehicular traffic.
100%
200%
Er, just millions of people trying to travel from A to B each year, including buses and emergency vehicles, Benjamin. How does traffic flow work on your planet?
My planet includes all forms of transport, including cycling and walking, when considering traffic flows, Tracey. It’s the same world the rest of us are living in. You should join us, lol.
Benjamin I’m confused as to how this will improve things for those who “actively travel”. I’ve lived in Brighton for over 50 years and have never experienced any difficulty walking down the Old Steine and across to the seafront so how is it to be improved?
Must have been walking with your eyes closed. Was truly terrible.
In good faith, it’s bringing better connectivity between the Old Steine, seafront and surrounding areas, and enhancing the environment with improved safety and accessibility, addressing concerns about the current dangerous feeling when travelling between these areas that was flagged up in the council’s consultation process.
Effectively it has worked for everybody.
Pedestrian’s will still have to use controlled traffic lights as they do now to cross the road, so little benefit here.
Cyclists however do need some consideration. Textile and lanes for cyclists seems to work at other roundabouts around the country, just a thought.
It might also be good to remember that this is a Major Trunk route that also includes Buses and I note you agree this scheme is less for vehicular traffic. As I said to you before, at each scheme, Public Transport is always impacted requiring Bus operators to review timetables, and at every change, these are becoming worse and worse making them less attractive and pushes a few more back into their cars.
It has been noted by the councils own comments, that this will cause some congestion and of course pollution, so that itself can not be an improvement to people’s health.
so the die is finally cast. I’m surprised there was not a gang of nutters down there stood round a fire singing we shall not be moved
A nightmare for pedestrians with all the cycle lanes they have to cross especially in front of Pier.
There’s one cycle lane in front of the pier. Stop, look both ways, and cross it. Is that really a nightmare for you
Another genius idea NOT from the powers that be in B&H city council
Does everyone remember the i360 that they ploughed us council tax payers money into after being told that it was a mistake and yes it lost millions of our money but the city fat cats thought they knew best
That money would have been better spent repairing the promenade that have been falling into disrepair for absolutely years
B&H city council are worse than useless they are making Brighton less attractive to visitors every year
Making traffic jams everywhere for the residents of B&H the council tax goes up year on year yet the service gets worse. Shops boarded up everywhere
It’s about time they outed all the dead wood at the top of the tree which is most of them to be honest and got new people in that could bring Brighton back to the great well known city it once was
Quite a lot to be concerned about in the world, good to see respondents have a sense of priorities.
It is possible for people to have concerns or opinions on multiple matters of varying importance.
All designed to increase the N0x which will lead to congestion charging. Everything that labour touches turns to💩
Everything?
Absolutely
As a conspiracy theory, that would be a really roundabout, uncertain way to try to implement something like that. As I’ve cited to you before, the number of stars that need to align for that to be feasible is astronomically unlikely.
Where are people supposed to paint their flags now? Scandalous
Vote Conservative! Or Reform!!!
Good to see some people are maintaining a sense of humour in these difficult times.
Yes because the conservatives were so competent, efficient and beneficial to the country when they were in power. The carousel of 37 prime ministers they had were each better than the last, and all of them free of any scandal or drama. Oh wait….
Hahahaha thanks for that. I needed a chuckle
I think you might want to see what they’ve been doing in Kent County Council, you might very well change your mind on that one, fella.
Council consultants said this would result in more congestion and pollution.
BHCC does it anyway because the Transport Dept/Muten are in bed with the cycling lobby at Bricycles/Sustrans.
Is the cycling lobby in the room with you now?
Why are you peeping though mullens bedroom window. Grim man
They didn’t, actually. The reports more accurately say it will likely make little change overall, and it also recognises it is limited in scoping the full extent of it’s benefical aspects. Martin and I had a great and in depth converstion about this on one of the previous articles when that claim came up last. Worth a read.
I’m quite optimistic to see how this goes! As a pedestrian who has lived here for 12 years I thought Valley Gardens phase 1 and 2 were a great success so I’m hopeful this will be the same.
Also important to remember the funding for this came from specific allotted money from central government that could only be used for purposes like this, they couldn’t just use it to fix whatever pet peeve we personally have.
There are pedestrian crossings already enabling easy crossing to the seafront and across London Road. Putting traffic light to control two major A roads along the coast and north to London will slow circulation as the waiting times are longer than free choice on a roundabout. There will be long queues of idling traffic in all directions with delay and increased pollution. It’s not really surprising that the green zealots employed by Brighton and Hove don’t know this.
Nothing will change, you have Pedestrian controlled lights now, being replaced with Pedestrian controlled lights that will be moved 10-20 feet closer to the new junction.
VG1/2 are not a success, St Peters place a shambles, no dedicated bus lanes, buses, taxis, delivery lorries and ordinary traffic all bunch up in a small section of road, a danger zone crossing the road here.
Disaster. Cue tailbacks & idling engines. The roundabout worked. Why change it?!
There are pedestrian crossings already enabling easy crossing to the seafront and across London Road. Putting traffic light to control two major A roads along the coast and north to London will slow circulation as the waiting times are longer than free choice on a roundabout. There will be long queues of idling traffic in all directions with delay and increased pollution. It’s not really surprising that the green zealots employed by Brighton and Hove don’t know this.
“How to waste money and ruin a city”, by the Brighton & Hove Council Cabinet.