Thousands of people have signed a petition objecting to a “red route” in Western Road but the council has defended its plans to prevent cars and vans stopping there.
Western Road business owner Alastair Gourlay presented the petition, signed by 3,800 people, to Brighton and Hove City Council yesterday (Thursday 23 July).
The petition was headed, Say No to the Red Route on Western Road from Holland Road to Montpelier Road.
Mr Gourlay, managing director of Real Patisserie, told councillors that a core group of people who objected to the red route had spent hundreds of hours speaking to those who would be most affected.
They included people with disabilities, carers, delivery drivers, tradespeople, taxi drivers, businesses and residents – and the core group said that they found that the majority did not want the red lines.
He said that the number of accidents had fallen in Western Road in the past three years and questioned whether introducing the red route would improve bus journey times.
Mr Gourlay said: “We all want healthy high streets. Western Road one of the city’s busiest and best.
“Before we risk jeopardising that, surely the evidence that this scheme will deliver greater benefits than will be its cost should be crystal clear.”
He urged the council to pause, scrutinise and discuss the red route and question whether the route was in the best interests of Brighton and Hove and its people.
Labour councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and sustainability, urged people in Western Road in Brunswick and Adelaide ward to “come with us” as he made the case for the red route.
Councillor Muten said: “Double yellow lines on Western Road are routinely abused leaving even blue badge holders unable to park.
“Cars block pavements. Vans obstruct dropped kerbs. Access is restricted. Sight lines (are) impeded, making Western Road more hazardous than it needs to be, especially for disabled people, who are less mobile, and parents with buggies.
“Do not ask us to turn a blind eye.”
He said that when the traffic warden appears customers and staff from businesses rush out and move their vehicles elsewhere which does not solve the problem.
Green councillor Ollie Sykes, who represents Brunswick and Adelaide ward, said: “The fear of the retailers is that this distinct and special part of our city known as Brunswick Town will decline and disappear due to red route impacts.
“I share the fear but not the conclusion and am very sensitive to this so I request that we work very closely with the new group formed – Western Road Community Group – to monitor impacts and listen to suggestions from that group on mitigation.”
Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons said that he struggled to understand why the council was moving forward with the red route after half the people who responded to the public consultation were against the proposals.
He said: “Consultation responses do not give much of an endorsement for a red route.
“Delving further, it appears that the consultation was actively promoted to cycling groups but not simultaneously promoted to businesses, disabled residents or residents in streets likely to receive displaced traffic.”
Independent councillor Samer Bagaeen, a professor of planning, said that Western Road was a principal high street, not just a traffic corridor.
Councillor Bagaeen said: “We should be designing transport around successful places, not simply moving traffic through them.”
A policy that improved vehicle flow but undermined local businesses and accessibility, he said, would not be a balanced policy.
The council announced an “experimental traffic order” that would formally create the red route on Friday 12 June but a start date for the change was not included in the announcement.
Work is still needed to put in more disabled parking bays and loading bays.
For the first two weeks of operation, any drivers breaking the rules would be sent a warning.
After that, the council would send a £70 penalty charge notice, with the fine reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
In the first six months, traffic flow would be monitored by cameras, as would loading and disabled bays, to assess the effects and to make any necessary changes.
The experimental traffic order cannot be extended beyond 18 months and changes would be made only in the first year, the council said.
As a reminder, you were NEVER allowed to park along Western Road. The only thing Red Routes change is the ability to face an immediate enforcement and consequence of unlawful parking.
Correct, many of the business owners along western Road park their cars all day.
And, for blue badges?
It will be the same as London Road. Blue badge holders can be picked up and dropped off on a red route. Parking is in designated bays.
You are assuming that all disabled persons can be left alone while carers go and park elsewhere. Some cannot and not all are the driver. An ignorant position.
You, and no one you know are disabled.
Stupid moron
The blue badge bays are located so nowhere on Western Road is more than 50m from one.
This is incorrect. Most of Western Rd is currently double and single yellow lines. Blue badge holders can park for up to 3 hours on double yellow lines and the council has removed this facility meaning with the new proposed bays about 88% of Western Rd will be inaccessible to those who qualify for blue badges due to mobility issues. It is a cruel scheme designed to raise fine money from motorists at the expense of disabled people, residents who will now have to suffer displaced commercial traffic into their quiet residential side roads and shop keepers who now know that many of them will lose their businesses
That’s right . Exactly what you’d expect from the ‘active travel’ cretins in the Transport Dept and Clown Prince Muten and his cycling mates
Huge if true.
If you sit on the front seats of a double decker bus
As it weaves along along Western Rd trying to avoid the irresponsibly parked cars and pedestrians trying to cross the road between them. You don’t need to be a Proffessor of Transport to think something is wrong
Using the scientific method of Google Maps, just browsing along the street, you can see the number of unlawfully parked vehicles are in the double digits, reflective of a typical day.
The council will just ignore the petition this is about money.
Remember Councils were brought into help us not rule over us…they don’t even answer the phone.
Good, the red route is needed. TBH they should pedestrianise the whole thing and be done with it
And, for blue badges?
Do you really think they care, the answer is wait and see.
As Michael says. It’s not an argument against Red Routes, but ensuring there are appropriate bays as well.
Whilst my wife and I will normally walk or use busses when shopping locally, generally if we are on our way to or from somewhere we will stop to run in and grab a couple of bits (snacks, flowers, gifts, etc.) , to stop locals doing this, whilst it might seem small, can have a huge impact on those shops bottom lines. If we cannot stop at our small local independent shop then our other option is to go to one of the larger chains where there is a car park. I believe this is the point that the Council seem to have entirely missed. It can be chaos on the road, especially around the Norfolk Square bus stops right near where I live, and something does need to be done but some reasonably placed Short Stay Spaces would at least go some way to mitigating the reduced number of quick Pop In shops most of us will do fairly regularly. Whilst not an entirely unreasonable idea, it certainly needs to be given more thought and deeper consulting and planning with the local businesses rather than rushing it through just because the council have been given some money to do it.
This has been in the works for well over a year and more.
How much more consultation do you want?
> we will stop to run in and grab a couple of bits
You are the problem. Putting a car on the kerb on hazard lights now blocks the traffic behind you and the bus can’t pass easily. The BMW sitting there on hazard lights has more of a knock on that the owner admits. And when one starts doing this, others follow.
It is just selfish. Park the car somewhere. Make your “quick run” from the parking spot in a side street and gamble on the parking warden not catching you in the parking spot. At least when you are in the parking spot you are not blocking traffic.
Western road has been used as a car park for decades and most of the cars belong to the business workers, not customers. Personally I’m looking forward to the introduction of the red route.
We had the same complaints from Tories (who don’t live in the area) about the first red route. I doubt any resident wants it to go back to how it was now.
Blame the people who constantly park on the double yellows and make the area dangerous for pedestrians, not the council trying to fix the problem.
Another cash cow for the council because using cameras is cheaper than hiring enforcement officers to police the double yellow lines already there. They don’t care about businesses, delivery drivers or the disabled. It’s all about how much profit they make. Very disappointing that Councillor Sykes did not seek evidence of a proper area-wide consultation and evidence-based conclusions that red routes benefit shopping areas before deciding to be a Judas to his electorate on this. The Ward will remember who not to vote for in next year’s May election.
If drivers didn’t break the rules of the red route they’d be no fines to issue.
Why is that a concept so many drives don’t grasp?
Don’t want a speeding fine? – don’t speed
Don’t want a parking fine? – don’t park where you shouldn’t
Don’t want a bus lane fine? – don’t drive in a bus lane
Have you thought this through?
Double yellow enforcement is different to red route enforcement. The former does not prevent widespread parking on Western Road. Which you already know.
Enforcement also prevents illegal parking. Just not as profitable for the council. Case closed.
Again if drivers didn’t break the rules they’d be no need for fines.
Yet day after day drivers break the rules, get fined and then complain about the fines which their own actions caused.
The sheer number of people who objected to the idea of the red route would indicate the scale of illegal parking on Western Road as it is now. Bring on the red route! No one has the right to park a car anywhere they like unless they have permission to do so. Sensibility seems to desert the minds of those who leave them on yellow lines, obstructing the thoroughfare without a thought for others as they do!
The section of Western Road between Churchill Square and Waitrose should also be in the red route.
Fed up of cars parking on the pavement – not just half on the pavement and half on the road but the whole vehicle.
I hope the Council takes up the powers against cars parking on pavements that have recently been passed into law.
It is currently only illegal to park on the pavement in Scotland and London. As an habitual pedestrian I’ve noticed a marked increase in builders/delivery drivers parking on the pavement outside the purely residential sections on Lewes Road since the introduction of the red route without a corresponding increase in delivery bays…
All the numpties who own shops and restaurants along there and then clog the road up with their cars or their mates who have popped in for a chat have only themselves to blame.
Well thanks to people like you they won’t be owning businesses or shops for much longer. A once thriving shopping area will be turned into a no stopping backwater full of empty units providing no local employment.
It didn’t go that way on London Road. In fact a lot of the empty units pre red route are now occupied spaces, not only offering local jobs, but making the appeal of the street a lot nicer.
Will there be zombies too? They often appear in post-apocalyptic wastelands.
The red route should definitely go ahead. I drive, cycle or walk down this street every day, and it’s always a nightmare, I see the same cars parked there all the time, and for hours on end, causing nuisance for all other road users and pedestrians.
I bet 95% of those who object are the business owners who can’t be arsed to find a proper parking spot to leave their cars for hours on end, day after day.
> I see the same cars parked there all the time, and for hours on end, causing nuisance for all other road users and pedestrians.
This is the most obvious point. Or the same shops with “blue badges” in use on Mercs parked around the corner. Usually it is the boss doing this. Some people think there are different rules for them.
Just need to run a survey. Twice a day, at different times of day, walk down the street and note which cars are parked on double yellows. 90% will be the same cars same places every day.
I used to work with someone who used his Mum’s blue badge to park on the kerb at Old Steine for hours on end. Just so he didn’t need to find a place to park while working. These are the real people that mean we can’t use Double Yellow lines properly for that “five minute dash”.
As a resident living just 10m from Western Road, I am completely in favour of the Red Route. A majority of the historic paving slabs have been destroyed by drivers, not to mention the daily slalom driving down Western Road. The plans clearly show dozens of loading and disabled bays. Many of these drivers are just parking to avoid paying like the rest of us. It’s not hard, we use our feet (or wheelchairs) to enter shops and restaurants, you don’t need to park directly outside. Bring on the Red route and the much needed resurfacing! Thank you Coucil!
Looking forward to the red route going ahead, with appropriate mitigations for deliveries and blue badge holders. We don’t have a right to park anywhere without permission. People rightly get upset about abandoned hire bikes and e-scooters blocking the pavement – apply the same logic to illegally parked vehicles.
As a disabled blue badge holder with mobility issues, I can’t wait for this red route to come into force. It is the selfish actions of many motorists that have created the need for this action and it is long overdue.