Start date for improvements to Seven Dials in Brighton set

10:53am Wednesday 20th February 2013 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter

WORK: An artist's impression of the Seven Dials changes WORK: An artist's impression of the Seven Dials changes

The start date for work on a controversial roundabout has been agreed.

Brighton and Hove City Council believes its changes to Seven Dials in Brighton will improve safety and benefit all road users.

The local authority has confirmed work will start on March 4 with works phased to minimise disruption.

The project will take about nine months ending in December.

Transport bosses said various surrounding roads will need to be closed or partially closed in rotation for three or four weeks at a time.

Ian Davey, chairman of the council’s transport committee, said: “We apologise for any disruption caused but are confident that that once the works are complete people will appreciate the improvement.

“The schedule has been planned to keep nuisance and disruption to a minimum.

“We’re seriously committed to addressing any concerns people raise during construction.”

About 7,000 letters have been sent to residents explaining the details of the programme.

The work will see the creation of a longer oval traffic island to replace the current mini-roundabout.

Traffic engineers say this will mean vehicles from various roads will merge more gradually rather than converging on a single point.

Other measures include removing street clutter and changing pelican crossings to zebra crossings to make it quicker and easier to cross.

Guard railings will also be removed.

Consultation took place in October and the scheme was approved in January.

Contractors Edburton will have a site office in Montpelier Crescent, Brighton, throughout the scheme.

For more information email sevendials@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 292929.

Comments(16)

upsidedowntuctuc says...
11:04am Wed 20 Feb 13

Davey will keep disruption to a minimum Don't make me laugh Edburton are their chosen contractor of delay and disruption.
How many more roads are they digging up at the same time?
It used to be only one major scheme at a time in order to keep the City open Now it is more the merrier.
Where is this money coming from ?? The Greens spend it in anyway they can to disrupt traffic while services Schools and Social care are cut.
Removing the railings is nonsensical. Coupled with Zebra crossings instead of controlled ones Total disaster .

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s_james says...
11:08am Wed 20 Feb 13

Removing railings and generally removing street clutter makes the area more presentable. Zebra crossings also perfectly sensible. Are we really going to experience TOTAL DISASTER?

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tdwright says...
11:14am Wed 20 Feb 13

About time I say. That junction is lethal and the plans look very sensible.

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hovian says...
11:56am Wed 20 Feb 13

Makes sense to enlarge the central island as currently it is so small that too many cars can enter into the roundabout at the same time making it dangerous. This scheme should funnel traffic in more safely.

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
12:07pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Got no objections to them having a crack at making Seven Dials safer, but why aren't there any people (in cars or on foot) in the picture? It's like one of those video game adverts on the TV when they say "Not actual game footage".

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billy goat-gruff says...
12:12pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Get rid of the clutter - those railings are death traps to cyclists!

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bug eye says...
12:36pm Wed 20 Feb 13

my only concern is that narrowing lanes approaching the roundabout will inevitably cause more congestion and pollution, otherwise getting rid of the clutter should be the way forward. The highways however have an appauling track record, just look at the new 4 set of traffic lights along a 100yard stretch on the seafront by regency sq. yet another case of causing congestion and pollution unnecessarily. pollution will undoubtedly go up when figures are next release, therefore giving the anti car greens an excuse for congestion charge, that will be a lark.

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toldsloth says...
12:42pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Can we PLEASE have one major set of roadworks (sorry) "Improvements" going on at once in the city? The Lewes Road "Improvements" have gridlocked that side of the city and it seems that every week somebody is digging up The Drive........

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Hove Actually says...
12:52pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Any chance of seeing a plan view?
This was the one junction that will benefit from a major make over.

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toldsloth says...
1:01pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Hove Actually wrote:
Any chance of seeing a plan view?
This was the one junction that will benefit from a major make over.
Plan view is available affixed to the railings at the Dials. Be aware that there appears to be an awful lot of road narrowing (sorry) lane reorganisation......
.

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Crystal Ball says...
1:11pm Wed 20 Feb 13

toldsloth wrote:
Can we PLEASE have one major set of roadworks (sorry) "Improvements" going on at once in the city? The Lewes Road "Improvements" have gridlocked that side of the city and it seems that every week somebody is digging up The Drive........
So that will be falling on deaf ears then.

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Phani Tikkala says...
1:46pm Wed 20 Feb 13

This is going to be hysterical. Narrowing of junctions onto the dials from 2 lanes to one.... so it'll be the same number of cars, just half the capacity of the road. Cue queues building up all the way back to the A23 for 9 months if not longer

Another good reason to go shopping either at Holmbush or Crawley... £5.70 to park for 12 hours in Tunbridge Wells centre....

Another nail in the coffin of Brighton and its businesses. Are the Tories and Labour going to just sit by and fiddle while Brighton burns at the hands of Caesar Kitcat and his arrogant chums?

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upsidedowntuctuc says...
2:35pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Well Bigger roundabout might be sensible BUT removing the railings will have people and cyclists wandering between road and pathway
No protection for pedestrians should a Lorry or Car cut the corner or dare I say it a Cycle.
Someone will be killed as they decide to cut the corner when approaching a Zebra Crossing on foot rather than walk an extra few meters.

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Pebbles says...
2:52pm Wed 20 Feb 13

Removing the railings may make it look prettier, but they were put there to stop idiots pedestrians who feel they are superhuman from trying to cross the shortest way from a to b, meaning dodging cars.

What will happen now is that those same superhuman pedestrians will now by able to cross the roads wherever they want.

The consequences of this is that the accident rate will indeed go up in this area, which will give the greens (with a small 'g') even more amunition against the motorist.

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Thumper Hove says...
6:56pm Wed 20 Feb 13

This development is by the same bunch of Green muppets who brought us the Old Shoreham Road cycle motorway. I leave along that folly and I've seen only one or two cycles at a time using the scheme. No doubt it looks like the 7dials development will also narrow roads to a ridiculous level, what happens the first time a lorry attempts to deliver to the local Co-op??

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Plantpot says...
10:56am Thu 21 Feb 13

billy goat-gruff wrote:
Get rid of the clutter - those railings are death traps to cyclists!
Really? I've lived near The Dials for many years. I haven't heard of any deaths, perhaps you can tell me how many there have been?

What do you think of the huge petition raised by locals calling for no change?

What about the disabled and blind people calling for no change because the lack of rails and the unmanaged crossings may be a death trap for them? And at the very least may prevent them going out?

What about the pollution from the inevitable snarl ups shortly to be caused? What about diverting queuing motorists onto residential side streets and turning them into rat runs?

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