Seventy buses an hour are being diverted down a narrow and potholed street along one side of a 200-year-old regency square in Brighton.
People living in Bedford Square have complained to Brighton and Hove Buses and to Brighton and Hove City Council and have been told noise and vibration should end over the weekend.
The diversions started on Monday (2 November) and were necessary, the bus company said, because of roadworks – the repairs being carried out in Western Road and the preparations for the red route.
One Bedford Square resident, Jim Hatley, said: “The first thing we knew was when the windows started rattling on Monday morning.”
Mr Hatley contacted the bus company, saying: “I’m writing to complain about the redirection of your buses down Bedford Square, which started today and was done without warning or consultation.
“The road is very narrow, meaning massively heavy buses are passing just a few feet away from our flat, shaking our windows every few minutes and rattling items on shelves.
“It’s not a road suitable for this sort of traffic and the surface is already badly damaged and potholed, which will now get even worse.”
Another resident said: “As of this morning, high-frequency bus traffic has been rerouted right down through the square due to the Western Road resurfacing.
“We completely get that Western Road needs doing but the diversion down here started with zero notice to residents and it’s causing quite a bit of worry across the square.
“A few main issues that have cropped up immediately
- Vibrations and vaulted basements: We’ve got buses rumbling through every few minutes. Several basements here (especially along the west side) have vaults extending under the pavement and folks are getting serious vibrations rattling shelves and fittings. With historic pipework under these streets, people are naturally nervous about structural stress.
- Road width and choke points: Between narrow passing spots and the inevitable pavement parking, it’s only a matter of time before double-deckers get wedged or clip parked cars.
- Speed: While some drivers are being careful, quite a few are really hammering it down the square.
- The seafront turn: Turning a steady stream of full-sized buses right on to King’s Road at the bottom is already looking like an accident waiting to happen.
“It’d be really helpful to know how long this diversion is actually scheduled to last (and) whether the bus company can strictly enforce a crawling speed limit through the square while it’s in place.”
Residents also asked whether was “any scope to reconsider routing the heavy flow down residential squares that weren’t built for this kind of axle weight”.
Unsurprisingly, they preferred the previous diversion route, up Montpelier Road to the Seven Dials and down Goldsmid Road and Davigdor Road. The diversion via Bedford Square was intended to make it easier to stick to bus timetables.
Gordon Frost, operations director at Brighton and Hove Buses, said: “Essential resurfacing works in Western Road have resulted in a temporary bus diversion to keep the city moving while the works are carried out safely.
“The diversion is in place until the weekend when we understand the roadworks will be completed by the council.
“In addition, we have reminded all drivers to take extra care as they travel through Bedford Square. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
This is not what the council agreed. They said they were re-diverting all buses via Seven Dials and Davigdor Road. So what are they playing at? The seafront road is already partially blocked with roadworks without having buses diverting onto it as well. Are there any adults left working at the council?