TRADERS in George Street, Hove, are condemning the controversial experiment to make the street car-free during the day.

They say business has dropped dramatically and that councillors should drop the scheme now. Last time pedestrianisation was tried, the experimental scheme was dropped after only a few weeks by Hove Council following similar complaints. Brighton and Hove has given this experiment a longer run of 18 months to give it a true test. It should not be deflected by the protests, which do not reflect the opinion of all businesses. But the council should see whether there are any problems with the scheme which can be remedied now. If the summer is fine, George Street should be able to create a carnival atmosphere provided traders co-operate. At the end of the experiment, if the scheme has proved a failure it will be easy to reverse.

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