The city’s transport chief says the heatwave won’t impact work on Valley Gardens – although it may make it go slower at times.
The last emailed update on how the reworking of the roads around the Old Steine was progressing said work to lay down the resin bound gravel surface around the War Memorial had been delayed because of June’s heatwave.
With temperatures set to climb almost as high again this week, Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet member for transport Trevor Muten said although the heat might slow down some works, the project wasn’t being significantly held back overall.
He said: “The Valley Gardens programme is not significantly impacted by weather conditions, although hot weather may mean slower progress on some days.
“We mentioned the resin bound gravel in the last newsletter in case people were wondering why the section around the war memorial had only been partly completed.
“This had been paused because of the previous spell of hot weather, but that section has since been completed. Work to finish the paths around the gardens will be scheduled later in the summer.
“As this is the final work being carried out in those areas, and will be completed by an additional specialist contractor, it will not cause any delays to the overall project which remains on schedule to be completed later this summer.”
Meanwhile, a group of people from local walking and cycling groups organised a thank you – complete with cake – for the contractors who have been working on the project.
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.”
Duncan Blinkhorn from BikeHub said: “Valley Gardens Phase 3 is a game changer for cycling in the city, at last linking our key cycle paths.
“The Bike Hub team applauds the hard work involved in getting us to this point, with congratulations and gratitude to all involved.”
Cicely Lloyd from the Brighton Multicultural Women’s Cycle Club said: “The new infrastructure will improve cycling for The BMWs, making both our group rides and the cycling experience for individual members much safer and more enjoyable.
“Many of our members have learnt to cycle later in life and safe cycle paths make a huge difference to building confidence and overcoming barriers.
“We are very grateful to everyone who has worked on the improvements.”
Katy Rodda from Living Streets said: “Valley Gardens 3 is a nationally important example of how prioritising space for walking and wheeling creates a better environment for visitors and residents alike.
I do hope that the War Memorial will be deep cleaned. It has been looking very shabby for a long time.
I hope they put a crossing over the cycle lane by the memorial.
It seems the new crossings do not conform to legal requirements (while and black striped poles with yellow lights) so are probably not enforcable like the ones by floating bus stops.
Suggest pedestrians, especially those with visual disabilities, take extra care in the area.
So this is basically just another Cllr Trevor Muten penned report including pictures from Bricycles – all about the benefits for cyclists with the needs of other road users a secondary concern.