Experts explore low emission zone for Brighton and Hove to reduce pollution

Experts explore low emission zone for city to reduce pollution Experts explore low emission zone for city to reduce pollution

AN ANTI-pollution zone is being investigated as a way to clear Brighton and Hove's poisonous air.

Experts are looking at ways to set up a low emission zone (LEZ) across congested areas of the city to reduce pollution and improve people's lives.

This could see lorries and buses banned from key routes which experience high levels of traffic.

It comes as Brighton and Hove was named as one of the worst 12 areas in the country for air pollution.

The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs said LEZs were one of “the most effective ways of improving air quality in our towns and cities in the shortest time possible”.

Officials are considering creating LEZs in the most polluted parts of Sussex.

But this is unlikely to take on the same format as that in London where the owners of larger older vehicles have to pay up to £200 a day to use the roads.

Nigel Jenkins, of Sussex Air Quality Partnership, said: “We're working with councils, including Brighton and Hove City Council, and looking at all the air quality management areas in the county to see what we can do.

“A low emission zone is a definite option but it does not need to be along the London model.

“London is different as it already has all the infrastructure in place so can monitor vehicles.

“A similar zone like that would require cameras and a lot of investment.”

Mr Jenkins said options could involve restricting HGV use in roads where lorries regularly drive.

He added a more likely option would be working with bus and taxi companies to ensure their vehicles are modern and use alternative fuels, such as gas.

Norwich and Oxford have already created low emission zones along these lines.

Not a silver bullet

The Green administration said the problem in the city came from emissions from all cars not just older ones so an LEZ targeting older vehicles like in London would not be effective.

Ian Davey, the chair of the council's transport committee said: “The city's air quality problems aren't news to many residents, who for years have had to put up with dangerously high levels of pollution.

“A low emission zone is an option, but not a silver bullet. It's one of a number of tools that may help deal with the problem of air pollution, along with promoting sustainable transport and working to keep traffic steadily moving.”

Green MP Caroline Lucas added: “The council is already taking action to reduce road congestion in the city and promote sustainable transport, but the truth is that poor air quality is too big a problem for councils to deal with alone.

“While low emission zones could be part of the solution, we would need a formal commitment from the Government to a national roll-out of LEZs to ensure that councils get the resources they need to make this a reality.”

Hove MP Mike Weatherley expressed concerns over the “rigid targets” in place in LEZs elsewhere.

He said: “On paper low emission zones can appear like a neat solution to improving air quality, which is something that I am sure everyone wants for our city.

“However, as we recently saw with the Big Lemon and the low emission zone in London, our very own eco-bus company didn't even meet the rigid targets imposed by the zone to allow it to travel in London - to collect an eco award - without paying a punitive fee.”

Roger French, from Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, said any regulations on buses would need to be phased in over time.

He added: “In the long term it is a good idea and we are already investing in new buses as much as we can.

“But you cannot throw a bus fleet away overnight.”

Andrew Cheesman, of the Brighton and Hove Taxi Forum, warned any LEZ would simply push the problem elsewhere.

He said: “Whatever the council has done it has made it worse.

“Making Lewes Road one lane has made the pollution worse because of the traffic.”

He said a congestion charge was more likely to reduce traffic numbers and improve air quality.

The council's hand may be forced after the European Commission ruled the Government could not delay making improvements to air quality in Brighton and Hove and the other 11 worst affected areas of the country.

It means the government faces fines for not meeting targets, and there are fears these could be passed down to the local authority under the Localism Bill.

Areas in the city with the highest levels of Nitrogen Dioxide in 2011

Middle of North Street - 79 microgrammes per cubic metre

Viaduct Terrace - 70.9

Lower North Street - 65.9

Lewes Road, south of Vogue Gyratory - 65.5

Oxford Street, near London Road - 65.4

Marlborough Place - 61.5

New England Road, near Argyle Road - 58

Western Road, west of Churchill Square - 57.7

Queens Road, north of the Clock Tower - 55.8

East Old Shoreham Road - 54.4

Legal limit - 40

Pollutant Health effects at very high levels

Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Ozone: These gases irritate the airways of the lungs, increasing the symptoms of those suffering from lung diseases.

Particles: Fine particles can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of heart and lung diseases.

Carbon Monoxide: This gas prevents the uptake of oxygen by the blood. This can lead to a significant reduction in the supply of oxygen to the heart, particularly in people suffering from heart disease

Comments(54)

Ligand Fields says...
1:16pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Doubtless the Top Gear brigade will be up in arms at these ruminations, demanding a return to the 1950s and a coal fire burning in every hearth!

deltaP says...
1:50pm Fri 29 Jun 12

And, of course, slowing the traffic down to 20mph will reduce pollution. I have to wonder where some of our wonderful councillors were educated.

graham_Seagull says...
2:01pm Fri 29 Jun 12

deltaP wrote:
And, of course, slowing the traffic down to 20mph will reduce pollution. I have to wonder where some of our wonderful councillors were educated.
If anything have a moan at the car manufacturers for making cars that cannot travel at lower speeds efficiently whilst making sure they can travel at 100mph far too easily.

deltaP says...
2:08pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Free movement of cars is essential to the lowering of pollution. Stopping them frequently for long periods merely increases it. So, with the present system of moving groups of cars from one set of traffic lights to the next, of course, you will always see a rise in pollution levels.
I note that Western Road west of Churchill Sq is on the list. Isn't that buses and taxis only? With chicanes to slow down the mad bus drivers who elswhere use their buses as weapons.
As for the rest of the locations, they all have a proliferation of traffic lights that stop the traffic even when there is nothing waiting to cross in the other direction. How many times have we all come up to the lights as they change to red, then sat there for a couple of minutes while not one car, lorry, bus or even cyclist crosses before the lights go back to green? Come on B&HCC you wasted a fortune ripping out perfectly good pedestrian crossing signs only to replace them with a vastly inferior system (where you have to look to your side instead of across the road where it is natural for everyone to look while waitng to cross) and on installing that huge white elephant along the Old Shoreham Road in Hove. Don't you think all of that money would have been better spent on something worthwhile, like traffic volume sensors for the lights?

Bubs says...
2:18pm Fri 29 Jun 12

When travelling across Brighton in a car you are forced to go this way, that way, around the no entrance, along the one way system, left, up, down - it makes you go twice as far in distance as you would otherwise have needed if the roads were not so convoluted. I'm no expert but doesn't that mean that each vehicle spends twice as long in the city, and uses twice as much fuel and expels twice as much pollution? Just a thought...

NickBtn says...
2:22pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Caroline Lucas added: “The council is already taking action to reduce road congestion in the city and promote sustainable transport"

That sounds good. So what is the action?

Increasing bus fares - that'll help promote sustainable transport.

Making Lewes Road north of the gyratory single lane that'll help too. After all the area south of the gyratory is now a problem area following "improvements"

Seafront road charge increases without signs on the outskirts of town - that increases pollution and congestion as tourists drive around trying to find somewhere affordable to park

The goal is right. The methods seem to making things worse by being so poorly thought through

Some ideas:

Bus routes that don't all go along the same heavily congested and polluted route (that'll help reduce chaos when accident happens or road needs digging up again!)

Leave Lewes Road dual carriageway. It works now - why break it? Yes improve gyratory and cycle lanes - but all of this can be done and still keep dual lanes

Don't make the whole city 20mph. This is more pollution (find AA's research online). Target to key residential areas and around schools

Stop bus fare rises above inflation. And put on competition. Big Lemon has been squeezed out of key routes - but prices and service improved on these routes first... Odd that!

Immortal says...
2:26pm Fri 29 Jun 12

And they're talking about reducing the speed limit to 20MPH, can you imagine the emissions created by cars restricted to 1st & 2nd gear?

bug eye says...
2:34pm Fri 29 Jun 12

spot on comments that say cars are forced to constantly stop for long periods behind built out bus stops and the excessive pedestrian crossings and traffic lights etc. we need more roundabouts, zebra crossings both seem to have disappeared in this city. we need intelligent traffic lights etc. everything the 3 administrations have done has made things worse not better. cars are greener now therefore it is clearly council policy that is at fault suprise suprise. it is ridiculous cars are forced to drive around and around to park or get from a to b in the most direct manner. areas in east brighton hippy student green land should have permit parking to discourage students having 5 cars to a house etc. hgvs should not have to circle hove lagoon 24/7 to enter shoreham harbour so a new entrance/exit needs to be found. make london road 2 ways again to ease viaduct rd. bus lanes are really a waste of time and have not improved journey times significantly enough to justify the extra pollution of queuing traffic. bus lanes should be peak time weekdays only. etc. etc. progressive thinking please like they do in london and europe.

Joshiman says...
2:51pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Delta P's post is exactly spot on and explains why we have this problem in Brighton.The Council should get in the real world ,digest what Delta is saying and act on it.Bus lanes/cycle lanes/pedestrian crossings,ridiculous
ly timed traffic lights.Its not rocket science,you dont need to spend more taxpayers monies on an antipollution squad.Strewth its so obvious.

Joshiman says...
2:51pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Delta P's post is exactly spot on and explains why we have this problem in Brighton.The Council should get in the real world ,digest what Delta is saying and act on it.Bus lanes/cycle lanes/pedestrian crossings,ridiculous
ly timed traffic lights.Its not rocket science,you dont need to spend more taxpayers monies on an antipollution squad.Strewth its so obvious.

john5001 says...
3:01pm Fri 29 Jun 12

bloody hippies

Crystal Ball says...
3:03pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Would this be to top-up the coffers after loaning £14m for the no-doubt-pointless iTower at the wasteland that is the (former) West Pier area?

rolivan says...
3:07pm Fri 29 Jun 12

The readings have mainly been taken from the main roads which strangely enough are in Valleys that run along London Rd and Lewes Rd the pollution is obviously going to take longer to disipate I do not think it is a very good model why did they not give readings for Dyke rd avenue and Warren rd Wilson ave or Madeira dve?

Maxwell's Ghost says...
3:21pm Fri 29 Jun 12

And Lewes Road and London Road may soon have more buses travelling along them, many not in service, as the bus company is selling off Conway Street depot and opening a new one on the site of The Argus building in Hollingbury.
In addition to the additional buses which will travel along these routes to the Hollingbury depot, the Lewes Road will be one lane for vehicles in the outside lane.
Also vehicles trying to turn right across this road will sit in traffic for considerable time, unless the council installs traffic lights at every right turn.
This will just mean more congestion, more buses, more pollution.
We have been lied to about the Lewes Road plans being about sustainable transport.
It's just an excuse to get a lane in so the bus company can move its vehicles about.

Tallywhacker says...
4:05pm Fri 29 Jun 12

and next...surprise, surprise...congestio
n charging. by any means for any reason you will pay to come to Brighton.

graham_Seagull says...
4:12pm Fri 29 Jun 12

deltaP wrote:
Free movement of cars is essential to the lowering of pollution. Stopping them frequently for long periods merely increases it. So, with the present system of moving groups of cars from one set of traffic lights to the next, of course, you will always see a rise in pollution levels.
I note that Western Road west of Churchill Sq is on the list. Isn't that buses and taxis only? With chicanes to slow down the mad bus drivers who elswhere use their buses as weapons.
As for the rest of the locations, they all have a proliferation of traffic lights that stop the traffic even when there is nothing waiting to cross in the other direction. How many times have we all come up to the lights as they change to red, then sat there for a couple of minutes while not one car, lorry, bus or even cyclist crosses before the lights go back to green? Come on B&HCC you wasted a fortune ripping out perfectly good pedestrian crossing signs only to replace them with a vastly inferior system (where you have to look to your side instead of across the road where it is natural for everyone to look while waitng to cross) and on installing that huge white elephant along the Old Shoreham Road in Hove. Don't you think all of that money would have been better spent on something worthwhile, like traffic volume sensors for the lights?
theres traffic lights as there are too many cars! plus as a pedestrian I want to be able to cross the road!

graham_Seagull says...
4:15pm Fri 29 Jun 12

bug eye wrote:
spot on comments that say cars are forced to constantly stop for long periods behind built out bus stops and the excessive pedestrian crossings and traffic lights etc. we need more roundabouts, zebra crossings both seem to have disappeared in this city. we need intelligent traffic lights etc. everything the 3 administrations have done has made things worse not better. cars are greener now therefore it is clearly council policy that is at fault suprise suprise. it is ridiculous cars are forced to drive around and around to park or get from a to b in the most direct manner. areas in east brighton hippy student green land should have permit parking to discourage students having 5 cars to a house etc. hgvs should not have to circle hove lagoon 24/7 to enter shoreham harbour so a new entrance/exit needs to be found. make london road 2 ways again to ease viaduct rd. bus lanes are really a waste of time and have not improved journey times significantly enough to justify the extra pollution of queuing traffic. bus lanes should be peak time weekdays only. etc. etc. progressive thinking please like they do in london and europe.
intellilgent lights? We need less cars in town thats the only way to reduce pollution!!! the only way!!!
I always love it when car drivers make out they arent part of the problem, its everyone else!!
how would you have the hgvs NOT circle the lagoon bearing in mind they need to get aruond the other side of the wharf anyway - build a bridge OVER the water perhaps? It would have to be very high to get over the ships and ridiculous expensive!
Cars are greener but there are MORE of them!
We need less of them!

graham_Seagull says...
4:16pm Fri 29 Jun 12

rolivan wrote:
The readings have mainly been taken from the main roads which strangely enough are in Valleys that run along London Rd and Lewes Rd the pollution is obviously going to take longer to disipate I do not think it is a very good model why did they not give readings for Dyke rd avenue and Warren rd Wilson ave or Madeira dve?
the argus has simply picked on the hotspots - there are readings in the council website for those areas that you mention, but they arent hotspots hence no action required

graham_Seagull says...
4:18pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Joshiman wrote:
Delta P's post is exactly spot on and explains why we have this problem in Brighton.The Council should get in the real world ,digest what Delta is saying and act on it.Bus lanes/cycle lanes/pedestrian crossings,ridiculous

ly timed traffic lights.Its not rocket science,you dont need to spend more taxpayers monies on an antipollution squad.Strewth its so obvious.
Idiot!! There are simply far too many cars!! take away the lights and the build outs and what happens to the traffic? it stops somewhere doesnt!! You can take all the lights away. You are missing the most obvious point in there are far toio many cars on the road which cause the pollution!!

HJarrs says...
4:19pm Fri 29 Jun 12

It would be worth an Argus article to understand exactly why B&H is in the bottom 12 for air pollution. Traffic is obviously one factor, improvements in technology such as improved engine efficiency and stop start are one. Modal shift, which soooo enrages many is another. However, I have been to plenty of places with worse traffic. Is topography an issue? Is the proximity to the sea (ozone etc) a factor. No doubt inefficient gas heaters, open fires and stoves will be a factor in the colder months, particularly in the valleys. There should be a clamp down on non-smokeless zone approved stoves and a ban on smokeless fuel open fires.

graham_Seagull says...
4:20pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
And Lewes Road and London Road may soon have more buses travelling along them, many not in service, as the bus company is selling off Conway Street depot and opening a new one on the site of The Argus building in Hollingbury.
In addition to the additional buses which will travel along these routes to the Hollingbury depot, the Lewes Road will be one lane for vehicles in the outside lane.
Also vehicles trying to turn right across this road will sit in traffic for considerable time, unless the council installs traffic lights at every right turn.
This will just mean more congestion, more buses, more pollution.
We have been lied to about the Lewes Road plans being about sustainable transport.
It's just an excuse to get a lane in so the bus company can move its vehicles about.
...and another stupid post. Yes buses cause pollution but whenn at least half full they create much less than 20 or 30 cars in its place. There are TOOOO MANY CARS IN BRIGHTON. Nothing to do with the traffic lights, build outs, or anything else you can try to blame! Eventually cars queue somewhere, they stop, they pollute. There is no other way than to reduce cars!!

graham_Seagull says...
4:22pm Fri 29 Jun 12

HJarrs wrote:
It would be worth an Argus article to understand exactly why B&H is in the bottom 12 for air pollution. Traffic is obviously one factor, improvements in technology such as improved engine efficiency and stop start are one. Modal shift, which soooo enrages many is another. However, I have been to plenty of places with worse traffic. Is topography an issue? Is the proximity to the sea (ozone etc) a factor. No doubt inefficient gas heaters, open fires and stoves will be a factor in the colder months, particularly in the valleys. There should be a clamp down on non-smokeless zone approved stoves and a ban on smokeless fuel open fires.
its bacause we have too many cars in a very small space. Plus the way our roads are designed they usually run west to east and the prevailing wind blows over the top, meaning the pollutioin at road level is churned around a la a washing machine effect. Its particularly key to the western road, north street, church road

graham_Seagull says...
4:24pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Tallywhacker wrote:
and next...surprise, surprise...congestio

n charging. by any means for any reason you will pay to come to Brighton.
if you dont want congestion charging then people have to get out of cars so there are less moving around town. If we dont then it will be another tax designed to change behaviour.
We are all too fat and lazy not to drive so we have to accept the consequences, whcih will be a congestion charge.

John60 says...
4:29pm Fri 29 Jun 12

What a stupid idea!

graham_Seagull says...
4:34pm Fri 29 Jun 12

John60 wrote:
What a stupid idea!
congestion charging? Well if we dont want it then alot of people have to change their behaviour and drive less. Its as simple as that.

HJarrs says...
4:38pm Fri 29 Jun 12

graham_Seagull wrote:
HJarrs wrote: It would be worth an Argus article to understand exactly why B&H is in the bottom 12 for air pollution. Traffic is obviously one factor, improvements in technology such as improved engine efficiency and stop start are one. Modal shift, which soooo enrages many is another. However, I have been to plenty of places with worse traffic. Is topography an issue? Is the proximity to the sea (ozone etc) a factor. No doubt inefficient gas heaters, open fires and stoves will be a factor in the colder months, particularly in the valleys. There should be a clamp down on non-smokeless zone approved stoves and a ban on smokeless fuel open fires.
its bacause we have too many cars in a very small space. Plus the way our roads are designed they usually run west to east and the prevailing wind blows over the top, meaning the pollutioin at road level is churned around a la a washing machine effect. Its particularly key to the western road, north street, church road
I don't disagree with you that there are too many cars in B&H, however you could be fiorgiven for thinking that the third world war had broken out if some road space is used for another mode of transport.

nemenator says...
4:56pm Fri 29 Jun 12

What has happened to the online Air Quality measurements? There were several stations around Brighton that could be checked online and now there are just 5 outside the city centre. It would be useful to check the above readings especially as the Greens are so eager to tax cars out of existence.

Zeta Function says...
5:22pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Doesn't stop them building flats in high polution areas for poor people!

bogs says...
5:49pm Fri 29 Jun 12

The amount of hot air that Graham seagul is coming out with is far more dangerous than exhaust fumes!!!

bug eye says...
6:42pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Graham_seagull how many posts do you need to make, you are wrong no matter how many times you say the same thing. it is not just car drivers that can see how bad the road schemes are but as a pedestrian and cyclist i can too. I want to take responsibility and let dcars get to their destinations quicker and drivers less agitated, rather than be polluted to death by silly schemes, or victim of road rage. and shoreham harbour are planning a new entrance for shoreham port, they just need to get on with it.

brightonian57 says...
12:19am Sat 30 Jun 12

Forcing cars to travel at 20 mph throughout the city is no way to cut emissions

microft says...
2:20am Sat 30 Jun 12

Basically, Brighton was built before cars were about. The problem is, people expect and want to be able to drive anywhere and everywhere and our roads just can't cope with that. 20 mph in all honesty isn't really going to make too much of a difference as the roads are so congested anyway. I'd encourage people to get off their backsides, walk and use public transport and enjoy the views of the city that you don't se when you are stuck behind a steering wheel. If petrol prices went up by a decent amount then maybe that would force a lot of people out of their cars and on to public transport, those well off enough to drive could then be whacked with high parking fees to subsidise public transport for the rest of us. We've really got to get away from this view that it's someone's right to just keep on driving everywhere with no conciousness.

Brightonlad86 says...
7:19am Sat 30 Jun 12

I need a car for work (I drive 60+ miles a day). A train would cost me £30 per day, and it would take 5 hours to get there (no trains early morning). It also isn't possible to get a bus. So I have to pay for car tax and insurance to drive. This cost (£800+ per year) means I plan to make FULL use of my vehicle. If B&HC want to make things difficult for me to drive into Brighton I shall spend my money elsewhere... As a result shops lose a potential customer.

Here's an idea.... Put up road blocks on all routes into Brighton and only allow residents in! This would cut about 50% of the congestion and mean jobs for local people as 'outsiders' wouldn't be able to get to work. Yes, it would mean business' lose customers, but at least the people who live local wouldnt take their custom elsewhere and the council tax payers would not be the ones to suffer.*

*Sarcasm is such a wonderful thing

sbiscorrupt says...
9:02am Sat 30 Jun 12

Not perfect but...

http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=ZS_wjo378
h4

Joshiman says...
9:12am Sat 30 Jun 12

Graham seagull.Whats it like living in a bubble.?Get real,cars are here to stay forever.

pissed off says...
10:34am Sat 30 Jun 12

Fact.1. lower speed limits= higher engine revs.
Higher engine revs= lower gear.
Lower gear = high fuel use.
High fuel use = more polution.
Fact.2. More bus lanes =less road space.
less road space= more traffic jams.
More traffic jams=more polution
So lets stop all the sniping & digs at each other and get onwith sorting it out.

vince m says...
10:52am Sat 30 Jun 12

In the vain hope that councillors on the Environment Committee might read this, I'd propose that taxis be stopped from using Western Road as a rat run. Have a look yourselves; only about 20% of the taxis are actually carrying a fare. The rest are just speeding. A 10mph speed limit and camera would not go amiss there either. For the main shopping street, it is an absolute disgrace.

On the continent all vehicles other than buses and trams are barred from many city centres during the day and they manage just fine.

Give priority to bicycles throughout the three main city wards.


The main arteries of the city are regularly choked, but not with traffic. There are endless road works and I doubt if there's been a single month in the last 20 years when the A259 hasn't been pockmarked with holes. The contractors dig the holes and then abandon the work unfinished in the evenings, leaving chaos in the rush hours.
Charge them £1,000 a day for each and every hole. No exceptions. They'd soon pay the overtime to get the work done ASAP.
But then we'd need to have a proper Green council and MP for any of this to happen, wouldn't we?

Corrupt Scumbag says...
12:16pm Sat 30 Jun 12

I think it's important that all contractors and councils are allowed to continue their important work without interference or awkward questions from the public.

Joshiman says...
1:12pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Albeit at a snails pace with bollards for decoration purposes.Unfortunate
ly that is the reputation we have.

HJarrs says...
1:19pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Brightonlad86 wrote:
I need a car for work (I drive 60+ miles a day). A train would cost me £30 per day, and it would take 5 hours to get there (no trains early morning). It also isn't possible to get a bus. So I have to pay for car tax and insurance to drive. This cost (£800+ per year) means I plan to make FULL use of my vehicle. If B&HC want to make things difficult for me to drive into Brighton I shall spend my money elsewhere... As a result shops lose a potential customer.

Here's an idea.... Put up road blocks on all routes into Brighton and only allow residents in! This would cut about 50% of the congestion and mean jobs for local people as 'outsiders' wouldn't be able to get to work. Yes, it would mean business' lose customers, but at least the people who live local wouldnt take their custom elsewhere and the council tax payers would not be the ones to suffer.*

*Sarcasm is such a wonderful thing
There will always be people that absolutely need a car or a van either because work and / or family can't be reached conveniently by any other means, or too much must be carried. People like you that are put in an awkward position by the majority driving only short distances on the streets of B&H.

From my experience, B&H is not always particularly busy except for a very intense rush hour in the morning and evening and then on popular weekends.

I will bet a pound to a penny that most of the rush hour traffic travels less than 5 miles in each direction. Weekends are probably different but still have a large proportion of short distance journies.

People can blame the council, the Greens, the Spagheti Monster for the congestion, however the cause of the congestion comes down to lots of individuals making independant decisions without sufficient regard to others.

Terry K says...
3:48pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Trams are the future, they had them for 50 years in Brighton before, so why not bring them back, they offer cheap fast, clean transport for all.

divers69 says...
5:18pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Joshiman wrote:
Delta P's post is exactly spot on and explains why we have this problem in Brighton.The Council should get in the real world ,digest what Delta is saying and act on it.Bus lanes/cycle lanes/pedestrian crossings,ridiculous

ly timed traffic lights.Its not rocket science,you dont need to spend more taxpayers monies on an antipollution squad.Strewth its so obvious.
So cycle lanes add to the level of pollution? Cant quite get my head round how encouraging more people to ride their bikes instead of making short car journeys will do anything but improve the quality of air in Brighton. And thats before factoring in the savings of having a healthier population.

All 9 of me says...
10:12pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Brightonlad86 wrote:
I need a car for work (I drive 60+ miles a day). A train would cost me £30 per day, and it would take 5 hours to get there (no trains early morning). It also isn't possible to get a bus. So I have to pay for car tax and insurance to drive. This cost (£800+ per year) means I plan to make FULL use of my vehicle. If B&HC want to make things difficult for me to drive into Brighton I shall spend my money elsewhere... As a result shops lose a potential customer.

Here's an idea.... Put up road blocks on all routes into Brighton and only allow residents in! This would cut about 50% of the congestion and mean jobs for local people as 'outsiders' wouldn't be able to get to work. Yes, it would mean business' lose customers, but at least the people who live local wouldnt take their custom elsewhere and the council tax payers would not be the ones to suffer.*

*Sarcasm is such a wonderful thing
it is when someone knows how to use it.

Maxwell's Ghost says...
9:50am Sun 1 Jul 12

Graham seagull is a cheeky sod. He posted last week that he drives a 160 mike round trip to work each day. Get stuffed you are a huge polluter and should move closer to work instead of taking a fancy to Brighton then working miles away a polluting all your neighbours and then coming on here on your pedestal.
You are a lazy selfish polluter.
I cycle a 42 mile round trip to work and breathing in diesel fumes has proven to be extremely dangerous to cyclists as the particles lodge deep into our lungs.
I want the council to do something about all the empty buses going alof the lewes road before it allows even more of them to sit in the lane next to me.
And graham get off your backside and out of your car and cycle to work even if you do half the journey by bike. Better still move nearer.

Brightonlad86 says...
1:02pm Sun 1 Jul 12

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
Graham seagull is a cheeky sod. He posted last week that he drives a 160 mike round trip to work each day. Get stuffed you are a huge polluter and should move closer to work instead of taking a fancy to Brighton then working miles away a polluting all your neighbours and then coming on here on your pedestal.
You are a lazy selfish polluter.
I cycle a 42 mile round trip to work and breathing in diesel fumes has proven to be extremely dangerous to cyclists as the particles lodge deep into our lungs.
I want the council to do something about all the empty buses going alof the lewes road before it allows even more of them to sit in the lane next to me.
And graham get off your backside and out of your car and cycle to work even if you do half the journey by bike. Better still move nearer.
So now people are selfish for driving to work?? What ever next? Some people, like myself could not cycle even if we wanted to!! Have u ever tried carrying tools etc on a bike?

In today's climate it is not always possible to work locally!! Id rather work local and walk/cycle to work than own a car. Also, why should someone have to move closer to work, potentially uprooting famillies etc.

Your views are seriously absurd!!

taxidiy says...
5:29pm Sun 1 Jul 12

funny how four of those roads scores are buses only

Maxwell's Ghost says...
10:51pm Sun 1 Jul 12

Brightonlad86, not at all. I drive a car and so does my partner. I accept I am a polluter. However, I do have the opportunity to cycle most days to work although I work all over the Uk and also drive to jobs.
However, Graham Seagull wants everyone else on bikes and walking while he admits to driving a 160 mile round trip to work.
Now that is taking the ****.
You can't be a polluter and then tell everyone else then need to get on their bikes.
It's unrealistic.

tomdruitt says...
7:24pm Tue 3 Jul 12

FYI Just to clarify...
Mike Weatherley is almost right when he said, "“However, as we recently saw with the Big Lemon and the low emission zone in London, our very own eco-bus company didn't even meet the rigid targets imposed by the zone to allow it to travel in London - to collect an eco award - without paying a punitive fee.”... but not quite! The problem for The Big Lemon in London is not that it's too polluting (it's not - see http://www.thebiglem
on.com/aboutUs/Fuel/
) it's that the Low Emissions Zone in London is based not on the vehicle's actual emissions, but the age of the vehicle. The Big Lemon's vehicles are all registered before October 2006 and so must pay £200 every time they go into London regardless of their emissions.
Whilst I think that Low Emissions Zones are a good thing, I believe they should be based on the actual emissions of the vehicle, not simply its age.

Old Ladys Gin says...
11:50am Thu 5 Jul 12

Lesson may be learned from elsewhere:

In Barcelona the maximum speed limit was reduced to 80kph (50 mph or thereabouts) in order to reduce pollution and collisions.
This limit was imposed even on the cities many multi lane ring roads - some with at least 8 or more lanes.
After a year the scheme was abandoned and largely for two reasons:

1/. Pollution was hardly affected.

2/. Collisions involving serious injury and death in creased by more than 40 percent (whilst decreasing elsewhere in the state of Catalunya).

Make of it what you will but I know which conclusions I draw.

Kate234 says...
2:24pm Thu 5 Jul 12

Most modern cars have very clean engines. I am sure if you look at the emissions for older cars versus newer ones the older cars are by far cleaner. The easiest way to reduce emission would be to link the price and waiting list of a parking permit to the fuel emission of the vehicle. Cars are a necessary part of life. If you knew that if you moved to Brighton the waiting list for a permit for a Toyota Jeep (one of the worst emitters) versus a Audi A1 was longer it would probably influence your car purchase when you came to change it.

Joshiman says...
5:54pm Thu 5 Jul 12

All caused by badly designed roads,too many badly controlled traffic lights every 50 yards.Musical colour games to annoy and supposedly get car drivers so agitated that they will abandon their cars for expensive public transport.All the heavily polluted areas are the gridlocked areas where traffic crawls at a snails pace.

Joshiman says...
6:01pm Thu 5 Jul 12

Forgot to mention to the anti pollution squad.Check out the A259 Rottingdean/Saltdean run.The pollution levels have probably doubled since they introduced single lane traffic because of the bus lanes.Very soon ordinary car drivers will get taxi signs fitted so they can use the bus lanes and help reduce carbon emmissions by making the traffic flow.

Old Ladys Gin says...
8:00pm Thu 5 Jul 12

Brightonlad86 wrote:
I need a car for work (I drive 60+ miles a day). A train would cost me £30 per day, and it would take 5 hours to get there (no trains early morning). It also isn't possible to get a bus. So I have to pay for car tax and insurance to drive. This cost (£800+ per year) means I plan to make FULL use of my vehicle. If B&HC want to make things difficult for me to drive into Brighton I shall spend my money elsewhere... As a result shops lose a potential customer.

Here's an idea.... Put up road blocks on all routes into Brighton and only allow residents in! This would cut about 50% of the congestion and mean jobs for local people as 'outsiders' wouldn't be able to get to work. Yes, it would mean business' lose customers, but at least the people who live local wouldnt take their custom elsewhere and the council tax payers would not be the ones to suffer.*

*Sarcasm is such a wonderful thing
And entirely lost with the printed word, and at best, the lowest form of humour.

RogerWQ says...
12:47pm Fri 6 Jul 12

OLG got the saying a bit wrong and omitted the punch-line, it should be:
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence".
Meanwhile, the quickest way of avoiding the might of the European Commission being brought to bear down on us, is to change the traffic patterns in the listed hotspots where the "legal limit" is being exceeded.
I suspect the guilty parties are the buses (given the locations of the black spots), so buses need to be rerouted so they do not all use the same corridors, and then they will distribute their pollutants more evenly across the City.

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