Plans to improve the infamous Seven Dials junction have split residents.

Brighton and Hove City Council wants to make changes to the junction, which has seen a series of people injured in crashes over the past five years.

Residents say they are keen for the area to be made safer but opinion is divided between community groups as to the best way forward.

The council has proposed to improve the visual appearance of the area by introducing new paving and removing unnecessary railings and street clutter.

Crossings It also plans to introduce zebra crossings as well as wider pavements while reducing vehicle speeds and narrower lanes in a bid to improve cycle safety.

Vernon Terrace could be closed to northbound traffic and the possibility of introducing two-way traffic flow in Bath Street is included.

Consultation on the scheme ends on Monday and the last open meeting on the plans was held on Tuesday (October 30).

Traffic displacement

While there is agreement among residents that Vernon Terrace should remain two way and Bath Street should continue to be one way, locals cannot agree on how the junction can be improved without pushing traffic into residential roads.

A spokeswoman from 7 Dials NW community group said: “The meeting proved what diverse opinions there are about the Seven Dials project amongst the various community groups and the individuals that came.

“It was important that all views were shared but the stated aim was to discover what unifies people around the dials so that it could lead into something that could be used to influence our local councillors and thereby council decision making on the plans that the engineers are presenting to them for approval.

“Proposals that improve the safety, aesthetics and protect residential roads and side roads from an increase in traffic flow were welcomed. There were disagreements about exactly how these aims could be achieved.”

The junction has seen 41 collisions over the last five years. A total of 44 people have been injured.

To contribute to the consultation email sevendials@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 290487.

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