Dozens of protesters stood in Western Road, Hove, last night (Thursday 5 November) as workers prepared to start painting road markings for the planned red route.
The protest appears to have initially stopped any work although the group did not obstruct workers from painting in loading bays and junction markings.
Business owners and residents have campaigned against the red route since it was proposed last year and submitted a petition signed by more than 3,000 people to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The red route is due to come into force this month, banning vehicles from stopping, unlike double yellow lines which, apart from one stretch, permitted stopping but not parking except by blue badge holders.
Major repair works have been carried out over the past month and are near completion, with workers painting the lines for loading bays last night because loading and unloading will be more restricted by the new red lines.
Traders said that almost no premises had rear access and that the disproportionately few proposed loading bays would make it hard if not impossible for some deliveries to be handled securely in line with health and safety law.
Western Road Community Group representative Catherine Lane, who lives in the area and runs a business there and cares for her disabled father, has been a prominent voice of the campaign.
She said: “People of every nationality just turned up spontaneously as it was not formally organised, uniting to protest against what the Labour cabinet are doing to the high street we love and the thousand-plus jobs that depend on it.
“Plus, also the disservice they are doing to exclude the disabled and elderly from our street.
“We are going to organise another one for tonight (Friday 6 November) and one for every night for as long as it takes.
“They will be peaceful and legal and will spring up at any time of day or night.”
The protesters met outside Farrow and Ball although there was no suggestion that the council was sourcing its red paint from the upmarket chain.
Labour councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, approved the £200,000 red route in June.
After traders threatened to take legal action, the decision was made again by the council’s cabinet in September, when Councillor Muten recused himself.
Opposition councillors requested a “call in” of the decision but a scrutiny committee debated the request and declined to ask the cabinet or council to overturn it.
Brighton and Hove Buses supports the scheme which comes after two earlier red routes – along the A23 London Road and Preston Road and along a section of Lewes Road.
Data published by the council in April showed that since the double red lines were painted along the two roads, the number of injuries had fallen from 11 to three in Lewes Road and from 15 to nine in London Road.
The lines forbid vehicles from stopping 24 hours a day – and, crucially, can be enforced by cameras which means getting a ticket is much more likely. It has meant far fewer parked vehicles have obstructed cycle lanes and bus stops.
Buswatch has also spoken in favour of the latest red route.
The campaign group’s chair Nash Travelman said: “We believe the planned red route is essential to back up other measures aimed at encouraging more bus travel.
“This is a corridor with around 46 buses per hour on 11 different routes (equivalent to one bus each way every 78 seconds), we understand that buses now take 15 per cent longer from Hove to reach Churchill Square than they did 10 years ago.
“This scheme will complement bus service improvements which could be wasted should this scheme not go ahead.
“We absolutely welcome the fundamental right to protest but cannot condone one that deliberately gets in the way of workers who are carrying out the work, delaying progress of the reopening for everyone’s – including bus users’ – benefit.”
Council figures published in April also showed that, in London Road, there were more than 100,000 extra movements of people on the road in the 12 months after the red route was brought in.
The council said that the number went up from 4.78 million in the year from May 2023 to April 2024 to 4.89 million from May 2024 to April 2025.
Financial projections forecast that the Western Road red route could raise £50,000 in income once camera enforcement begins.
The Labour deputy leader of the council, Jacob Taylor, said that he hoped that the route would not make any money because “then it would be working”.
A public meeting about the latest scheme was told that the two existing red routes each generated a six-figure sum although Councillor Muten expected that to reduce over time.
Councillor Taylor said that he would join Councillor Muten and officials as early as day one of the Western Road red route to talk to businesses and assess its effects.
Complete with crime scene tape. Nice. BHCC are definitely committing a crime against local businesses with their greed to rake in Red Route fines at the expense of helping local businesses thrive by allowing customers to park even for a short time anywhere near them. Moreover their Disability Discrimination most certainly breaks the law. A Disabled bay far outside the max 50m a Blue Badge holder is deemed capable of walking is no use. Nor can many dementia sufferers be left abandoned on the kerbside while their driver/carer looks for somewhere else to park several streets away. We have a council with no empathy or understanding of human needs. How many Councillors have even run a business?
There is nothing I find more offensive than someone upset about restrictions on where they can park pretending they’re really on a moral crusade to protect the rights of the disabled.
It was illegal parking that prompted this change in the first place. It was fine for cars to block access to everyone – not just disabled people – then. And now, when enforcement has failed and more drastic action is taken, suddenly you’re outraged about lack of disabled access? Give me a break!
100% agree only business owners taxi drivers park along there. Not shoppers.
I deliver to shops every week along the stretch they are red routing. There is almost never a problem with holdups. Parking is only allowed on one side of the road at the moment at peak times. If they had traffic wardens actually working along that stretch the problem would go away. The problem for the businesses is that they do not have back entrances for deliveries, and there won’t be enough loading bays for all the delivery vehicles. That is why they are protesting. The council decided to do it and they are not remotely interested in listening to anyone who disagrees with them.
How has enforcement ‘failed’? They don’t seem to have a problem issuing PCNs in the side streets around Western Road.
It has failed because it hasn’t stopped people parking illegally.
Look at them with their candles! Come on, get a grip.
They need to draw a line under this.
The decision has been made. It has been scrutinized and it will be reviewed. If it doesn’t work it will end.
Who made the decision and who authorised them to do so without public mandate, Katy? it wasn’t in the local Labour manifesto in 2023. Democracy matters and requires ongoing public consent to have any authority. Installing a Red Route on Western Road is blatantly just a council cash cow which answers no genuine issue on Western Road. Councillor Taylor has admitted the whole thing is ‘experimental’ and talks about the ‘proof of the pudding’ FFS. These are people’s livelihoods he is experimenting with.
It’s only a ‘cash cow’ if drivers break the rules and get fined!
Quite a simple concept really.
Two lines, in red, specifically, Ms Katy?
Would’ve been nice to know which businesses these people represented.
So I can avoid them.
Like you spend any money in Western Road in the first place, lol.
They’re the ones with ‘no red route’ posters in the window.
Right on Brighton, stands up for traffic!
While Oxford St in London is pedestrianized, Western Road traders are still back in 1960s mode.
If they want to keep traffic flowing they should ban bicycles, it’s like driving behind a baby crawling along the street, impossible to guess what they will do, impossible to pass, if you’re driving a bus I’ve no idea what you do.
Why are the council being so nasty over this? Ten years ago they would have ditched such an unpopular idea in the fade of public pressure, but even though there is an election looming, they seem determined to see how disliked they can become.
That’ll be the same “traders” who block the pavements with their cars vans and taxis and at the same time their shop entrances are filled with smokers hanging around. Then there’s the others who don’t live or work there but turn up for a bit of protest anyway, they’ve earned those red lines in every way possible, won’t listen don’t care so red lines it is then, well deserved red lines.
One of the first B&H news articles about this was about a florist who handily had her pic taken with her van on the double yellows.
Thus supporting the need for the red route to be put in place.
Some of these people are their own worst enemies.
Won’t take long before some of the self entitled clowns park on the pavement,,, again.
They have the right to protest maybe we sell should do specially about the ending of businesses everywhere in the city because abhorrent parking measures
However motorists of this area FULLY ABUSED the yellow lines parking and parking restrictions and are now facing consequences.
There were hours were buses really struggled to get through because cars parked ALL ALONG
Good. the coptic Christian arab shop owners parking multiple vehicles they have taken over that road. Barbers vape coffe Arab restaurants my opinion its a money laundering selling drugs road. Too many same shop to make money. They are owned by same people group of people.
The coptic people have been done for hiring illegals in hair and newsagents. Importing illegal cigarettes alcohol vapes harming unsuspecting customers. Flooded brighton with alcohol stores. The owners taxi vehicle and his 10 friends with their cars parked so buses people struggle.
This council hates local businesses. Hasn’t even refunded their pavement licences for the last 6 weeks they couldn’t use them due to the road works. Disgusting attitude to experiment with people’s lives against their will and in a Cost of Living crisis. No Red Route damage wanted on top.