Radical scheme could transform main Brighton city centre route

12:19pm Wednesday 4th July 2012 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter

OPTION: One of the ideas proposed by the councill OPTION: One of the ideas proposed by the councill

The gateway to Brighton, used by hundreds of thousands of people a year, could be radically altered, with vehicles shifted to one side of a busy traffic island.

Valley Gardens, which runs from The Level to the Palace Pier, is one of the major routes for people visiting Brighton and Hove’s seafront.

However, as part of a plan to make the area more attractive, Brighton and Hove City Council could limit traffic flow to just one side of the green space.

With opposition councillors urging nothing is done to affect local businesses, the local authority added it was one idea put forward and stressed no decision had yet been made.

Ian Davey, chairman of the council’s transport committee, said: “It is possible to do the most amazing things with such places.

“We’re looking at a number of suggestions on making this a place people would go for pleasure, rather than cross with trepidation.

“Nothing is decided and there will be lots more public consultation.”

A number of ideas were put forward by members of the public, residents and business owners in the area.

The local authority said it backed its own view that the area is visually unattractive and spoilt by complicated traffic systems which make it difficult to cross from east to west.

Suggestions include linking the park to key attractions such as the Royal Pavilion, Dome complex and North Laine and making it more pleasant for cyclists and pedestrians.

Water features fed by rainwater or the ancient underground Wellesbourne stream would be investigated, while vegetation and grassland could be featured to help meet the city’s ambitions to become a UN Urban Biosphere Reserve.

Street Wi-Fi could make the park more heavily used by business people and students, alongside areas for picnics, play and performance.

Conservative councillor Graham Cox said: “At the moment it is confusing and illogical and doesn’t work for pedestrians, cyclists or motorists.

“I think the council should be looking at anything that makes the whole environment more attractive, as it will ultimately be to everyone’s benefit.

“However, any proposed changes would clearly need to be modelled very carefully to make sure there |are no unintended impacts that could damage local traders and businesses.”

Labour councillor Alan Robbins said: “We would like to see the evidence to support any changes.

“I can see how it would work linking the North Laine but do not want traffic to be left stationary, adding to air pollution, which the council is trying to reduce.”

After discussing the issue at its transport committee meeting on Tuesday, the council will draw up some firm proposals for the area.

What do you think of the idea?

Comments(29)

Ligand Fields says...
12:34pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Free the Wellbourne stream from its entombment!

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Ligand Fields says...
12:36pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Just think how nice the Level would be if it was full of salmon and water voles.

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censored says...
12:51pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Given that I filled in a consultation on this about 3 years ago, how is it news?

But yes, there were some lovely plans put forward.

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chilliman says...
12:53pm Wed 4 Jul 12

I can't quite see how this can be done without leading to more bottlenecks, unless extra traffic lanes are put in on one side while the other is closed and converted to parkland.

It seems an ideal spot for fringe events as well as travellers and demos.

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Ligand Fields says...
12:55pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Yeah, and whites-only "Occupy" camps protesting against "the 1%" which somehow mysteriously seem to exclude the 5% of non-white city residents. I mean I'm sorry but excuses about funding for their Diversity Officer being cut just don't cut it.

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Crystal Ball says...
12:56pm Wed 4 Jul 12

This will all end in tears. And streams.

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Ligand Fields says...
1:02pm Wed 4 Jul 12

It will end when I can go fishing by the banks of the wellbourne stream, savagely rupturing a fish's mouth on my cruel hook.

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billy goat-gruff says...
1:05pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Great idea! It's time cars were banned from the centre! Every sunny day there is a traffic jam along there as motorists blindly make for the Palace pier, like lemmings, then wonder where they can park, and then pollute the seafront in a fruitless quest for a parking space. Let's have a park and ride, before Preston Park, and a monorail tram or electric buses down to the pier and sea.

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Wiggsy says...
1:42pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Like the idea of a monorail tram, though would have to be more successful than the one in Sydney!

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Kate234 says...
2:10pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Sounds a great idea lets make the queues build up out of Brighton even more so all the tourists and visitors can't get in by car. As the shops close down due to lack of footfall and businesses move and set up there offices elsewhere we can have parties in the parks and claim Social Security.

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ripmaxman says...
2:16pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Another ridiculous plan by the Greens! Yet another bottleneck which will lead to more traffic queues, the result will be more pollution!!!

The reason that we have the current traffic problems is as a result of some of the traffic schemes put in place by the Green party. You will never stop people using cars so the council should look very carefully at what some of our continental cousins have done to help traffic flow and not make bottlenecks hoping people won’t drive.

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Joshiman says...
2:42pm Wed 4 Jul 12

The paragraph" and making it more pleasant for cyclists and pedestrians." says it all.Gridlock,more traffic lights,more instant pedestrian crossings,more single lanes for the motorists,more bus lanes,more pedestrianisation of the centre,doubling of car parking charges tells you something.Motorists are the enemy at the gates of Brighton.

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Ligand Fields says...
2:45pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Bring back the horse and cart! (or would that be cruel to horses?)

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deanaprior says...
3:24pm Wed 4 Jul 12

This is a great plan but no council has ever had the courage to put it into practice. At the moment the so called Valley Gardens is just a motorway central reservation populated by street drinkers. Closing one side could create a wonderful open space for the people who actually live in Brighton not those who just transit through i or just use it as a shopping centre.

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Ligand Fields says...
3:27pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Stop oppressing street drinkers - they live here too, you know.

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DB Brighton says...
4:41pm Wed 4 Jul 12

I wonder how any of this fits in with the redevelopment of the Circus Street indoor market area?...

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rolivan says...
4:58pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Has Brighton and Hove got something against building a Bridge that can be used by Pedestrians and Cyclists entering into the Pavilion and across into the gardens.In fact we could do with a few more bridges.

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Bob_The_Ferret says...
5:29pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Roll on the revolution.

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JoePara says...
5:45pm Wed 4 Jul 12

No, just concrete over the South Downs as a car/coach/lorry park, then force everyone/thing to get on very high priced buses & trains to enter the town TAKING THEIR MONEY with them to spend as usual. Green's great......yeah.

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Wooton Basset says...
7:08pm Wed 4 Jul 12

i think the andy pandy would be pleased, but can't you just tell everyone else in the country not to bother coming to brighton, because its run by nutters.
ps. use the drive idiots..

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george smith says...
7:50pm Wed 4 Jul 12

rolivan wrote:
Has Brighton and Hove got something against building a Bridge that can be used by Pedestrians and Cyclists entering into the Pavilion and across into the gardens.In fact we could do with a few more bridges.
With the stream we could be another Venice with all the bridges

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Can this be says...
8:00pm Wed 4 Jul 12

I thought the Wellesbourne stream had been running through the key London Road sewer for decades. Not sure what the water features would be if that is the case.

Are we saying the Bus Lanes go or are we going to sacrifice our prized elms? It will not all fit in.

Has this been thought through?

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HJarrs says...
8:53pm Wed 4 Jul 12

What a great idea. I should think that this came from an imaginative consultation held on Grand Parade a few years ago, which really stretched the imagination.

Today there is a lot of tarmac, 7 lanes in places, given over to vehicles. Most of which is empty for most of the day. It is a very inefficient use of space.

Pedestrians are hemmed in by railings and the crossings are dangerous (I have prevented people from getting knocked over at St Peter's Church several times over the years).

Simply put, this should be the jewel in the crown of Brighton and Hove, instead it is a disgrace.

As usual the Clarkson wing over emphasise the economic impact of their ability to drive unfettered. If well designed (that the challenge) it will increase walking and footfall all along and across this corridor and that will more than make up for any displaced traffic.

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Reflect on your post says...
6:10am Thu 5 Jul 12

Unlike many, strikes me that it would be a great idea. Perhaps we could apply a toll principle to vehicles using the road before diverting them finally into a mandatory car park with a £20 min charge per stay. The green areas would be ideal for use by gypsy travellers.

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Roundperson says...
10:13am Thu 5 Jul 12

Will they need to dirvert the stream ? Perhaps 'Park and ride is dead in the water' has some other meaning.

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Leon says...
12:49pm Thu 5 Jul 12

When I read the headline "Radical scheme could transform main Brighton city centre route" I thought the council and police were going to clean up London Road and The Level. It all looks like it needs a good scrub.

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tartanesque says...
1:49pm Fri 6 Jul 12

Joshiman wrote:
The paragraph" and making it more pleasant for cyclists and pedestrians." says it all.Gridlock,more traffic lights,more instant pedestrian crossings,more single lanes for the motorists,more bus lanes,more pedestrianisation of the centre,doubling of car parking charges tells you something.Motorists are the enemy at the gates of Brighton.
Yep - motorists totally spoil things for everyone else. I totally agree with you. Let's reclaim the streets for the people. Let's TREBLE car parking charges!

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tartanesque says...
1:52pm Fri 6 Jul 12

billy goat-gruff wrote:
Great idea! It's time cars were banned from the centre! Every sunny day there is a traffic jam along there as motorists blindly make for the Palace pier, like lemmings, then wonder where they can park, and then pollute the seafront in a fruitless quest for a parking space. Let's have a park and ride, before Preston Park, and a monorail tram or electric buses down to the pier and sea.
Well said.

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Brighton voice says...
10:49pm Mon 9 Jul 12

Having looked at the Greens plan for a “new” city centre park and put all traffic on the eastside of what is now Victoria Gardens a few obvious points arise.
 What advantage does this achieve well if you are looking ahead to slyly creeping either a city centre congestion or low emissions charge zones such a move substantially reduces both set up and running costs.
 If such a plan was implemented you would still need a bus lane in each direction and two general lanes in each direction plus cycle lanes to avoid gridlock and bankrupting the city. So how much would this all cost as a recycled labour scheme originally supported by the Greens? It does underline the anti car doctrine of the Greens.

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