A proposed red route for a stretch of Western Road has been “called in” by opposition councillors who want the issue to be debated by the full council or sent back to the council’s cabinet for a rethink.
The call-in request was made by Conservative councillor Alistair McNair and co-signed by 15 councillors including fellow Tories as well as Greens, a Brighton and Hove Independent and an Independent councillor.
The request is due to be discussed at a special meeting of the council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee next Tuesday (6 October).
Members are expected to question the decision made to approve an “experimental traffic regulation order” by the council’s cabinet earlier this month.
The grounds are that
- there is no Western Road-specific evidence that supports the scheme’s “stated primary objective”
- the consultation summary did not include business comments
- loading bay provision has not been tested against demand
- the economic impact would be assessed after the red route is in place
The red route will prohibit drivers from stopping in Western Road between Montpelier Road, Brighton, and Holland Road, Hove.
Labour councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, has previously said: “The red route will help tackle long-standing problems with obstructive parking, congestion and delays.
“This will benefit residents, businesses, bus passengers and other road users alike.”
The experimental traffic regulation order is due to come into effect once major repair and resurfacing work is completed along Western Road.
At the cabinet meeting on Thursday 17 September, campaigners raised their concerns about the proposals.
Western Road Community Group member Catherine Lane cited a claim in a council press release – but not in the official report on the proposal – that bus journey times had become 16.7 per cent longer since 2015.
Ms Lane has previously raised concerns about the effects of the proposed red route on disabled people as they will not be able to stop as they can on double yellow lines.
In June, she shared her concerns about the effects on disabled people who cannot walk unaided to the shops and services they require.
The Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey said that quicker bus journey times were not the legal purpose of the red route but the council would monitor congestion to see whether it reduced.
Drivers repeatedly parking illegally on double yellow lines had been one of the key issues that the council hoped to address.
According to the report to the council’s cabinet, there were 705 enforcement visits to vehicles parked on the existing double yellow lines from April to August this year.
Officers issued 684 penalty charge notices – or parking tickets – but vehicles were driven away 2,315 times before a ticket could be legally issued.
Traders and residents are understood to be consulting their legal advisers to decide whether to challenge the council’s decision in the courts by way of a judicial review.
The council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 5.30pm next Tuesday (6 October). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
Good. Every reason for installing the Red Route on Western Road is demonstrably false. It is an evil adminstration indeed which actively seeks to destroy local businesses through turning a large community village area into some authoritarian highway, unwelcoming to all.
A handful of opposition councillors have called in.
What you may have forgotten is labour have a majority, so they will push it though regardless as it’s obviously needed.
As it’s experimental the calling in can happen after they install it. So it’s an exercise in locking the door after the horse has bolted.
A waste of money installing it then.
Every reason James?!
You advance a brave argument which, in part, suggests you are entirely at ease with the planks that habitually leave their Chelsea Tractors on double yellow lines.
How would you suggest the aforementioned planks can be prevented from a) waiting for a parking attendant, b) moving their vehicle before a ticket is issued and c) simply returning to the same location when the parking attendant has gone?
There is no case for Red Route on Western Road the council are desperate to raise revenue and it is a fact that a massive amount of revenue is raised by the ANOR cameras operating on the Red Route in London Road and Lewes Road. There has been no assessment of the economic impact (the Western Road Community Group research shows turnover reduction of 35-75% in London Road since the Red Route was introduced, Taj closing is just one of many cases), there has been no safety data because Western Road has many crossing points and is one of the safest roads in the city and there is zero congestion compared to other routes. The economic and devastation to businesses and residents would be massive and a legal challenge for a judicial review will be inevitable. The council should drop this immediately.
If the whole of Western Rd on that side was 15 min free parking with a maximum stay of 15 min, that would be great, with the existing exception of blue badges. Double yellow lines essentially offer that, and, in general, it works. The street is wide enough, there are no notable safety issues, deliveries can take place, and the disabled can park and access shops. Having a disabled bay 100 m away is useless—how many people with limited mobility can walk that far? The council’s ableist, anti-business approach is lamentable, myopic and cruel. At a time when local traders need support and more customers through their doors, the council appears to be making survival even harder. BHCC is willing to experiment with people’s livelihoods… look at the damage done by the red route on London Road.
What is the actual damage done on London Road? Is there any evidence that is not untested opinion to support this damage?
It’s important to provide the case if your going to allude to similar happening on other red routes.
Yes Taj and other shops have closed down due it. London Rd is also far more insulated from the impact of the red route there as many shops have rear loading bays, there is a public car park and the footfall has always been much higher than on this section of Western Rd and has been boosted by a number of large new building developments close by. The owner of Archipelagos Gyros said his takings went down by up to 30% in Lewes due to the red route. Richer sounds have said the figure is about same. There are actually a large number of people that have come forward and spoken up. All people the council should have spoken to to understand the economic impact on the street if they cared and had done their jobs to a competent standard.
It doesn’t work though – large stretches are constantly clogged up by the pillocks who own the vape shops, barbers and grim looking restaurants or their mates and just park with impunity since they know they can get away with it. They either move when they see the warden coming and return shortly after or aggressively confront & bully them until they give up trying to give out tickets.
It doesn’t work though – large stretches are constantly clogged up by the pillocks who own the vape shops, barbers and grim looking restaurants or their mates and just park with impunity since they know they can get away with it. They either move when they see the warden coming and return shortly after or aggressively confront & bully them until they give up trying to give out tickets.
I have read many comments on several forums about this. Whilst I have zero faith in the Council listening, as it seems that we have all been disenfranchised in recent years (regardless of which political party is in) I will comment.
In short, as a resident and builder I can say that I know we will not work in any red route area, or close to one. The constant inability to park near the job, to unload, take deliveries and dispose of rubbish means that it is not viable. That includes emergency call-outs.
The evidence from London Road, if read correctly and not through the skewed view of the Council declaring increased footfall, while paying no attention to footfall being merely the increased number of residents, proves that this kills off trade. From bankruptcy to empty to units, London Road failed and they actually have rear delivery options.
Western Road is not supposed to be a highway for buses. It is meant to be somewhere to shop. There is NO honest reply to as to why they cannot add paid parling to a 1 hour maximum and apply fines like elsewhere.
What next? Will they try this on Church Road? The current roadworks are a good example of what the road will feel like. Meanwhile the excessive number of buses wrecking the road… that’s fine? Why are the Council beholden to the bus company?
Western Road is now dead. Dead in the daytime and dead at night time. The businesses and traders should demand compensation as it’s not their fault the council let the road get into such a state, and they didn’t ask for a Red Route either. And nor did we residents. .So the council are effectively changing their terms and conditions of trading without their consent.
Get this red route implemented as soon as possible please. People peddling myths about disabled access and scaremongering about businesses closing are just distractions from the truth. Traders want to be able to park their cars anywhere with impunity.
Since you clearly don’t care about the disabled, how are business premises supposed to be accessed for window cleaning, maintenance, deliveries, including hazardous beer kegs, and building works? You really think it’s safe or possible for all of them to be hundreds of yards away from where they need to be?
Money, money, money in the Council coffers. And there, Ladies and gentlemen is your REAL reason for the Red Route. MAGIC MONEY TREE! Now please don’t stand in the way of Council plans to roll it out citywide and make life a living hell for every resident and business trying to work and earn a living in Brighton and Hove. Or anyone daring to visit in a car or with an elderly parent to what used to be a prime and welcoming TOURIST RESORT for the day, even EV drivers who thought they were doing the right thing for the environment. Tradesmen are already moving out of Brighton and Hove in their droves, refusing to work in certain areas or charging danger money to cover their PCNs and who can blame them?
The red route restrictions can’t come quickly enough. The antisocial parking on Western Road has become an absolute farce in recent years.