MORE bus lanes could be added to Brighton city centre to stop the £18 million Valley Gardens’ redesign from significantly slowing up public transport.

Bus bosses are pushing for up to three lanes on the exits of Valley Gardens in response to concerns the scheme could significantly slow bus journeys.

Work tweaking the scheme continues two years after an independent review was launched and more than five years after the first design brief was drawn up.

Transport campaign group Buswatch, which withdrew its support for the scheme earlier this year, remain unconvinced further tinkering will make any difference because the major issue of general traffic reducing to one lane in either direction will remain.

Preliminary highway designs were approved in November and committee members will vote on the public space plans tomorrow. A further report on both aspects of the scheme could still be required in the autumn.

It would then have to go through planning with further consultation to allow work to begin in the spring with the first phases scheduled to finish by the end of 2019.

The project’s total five year timeline, including changing the Aquarium roundabout, was highlighted as one of Labour’s reasons for halting it in 2015 but the administration is now asking consultants to explore phasing to avoid clashing with other roadworks - which could extend its completion date further.

The plans aim to “radically simplify” the road system with car users restricted to the east side of the Steine and public transport to the west.

Concerns still remain that reducing traffic down to two lanes in some sections could cause tailbacks during busy periods, studies suggest cars will be delayed by two seconds and buses by 21 after the “improvements” are introduced.

Andrew Boag of Buswatch said new lanes could be added in the A23 at Patcham, approaching Preston Circus and in Marine Parade from the Aquarium Roundabout.

He added: “Additional bus lanes would be welcome but we still have reservations.

“Cutting the general traffic lanes down from four to two will increase tailbacks so it won’t matter if there are more bus lanes if the buses can’t get to them.

“It could make things worse, we don’t think it will make things better.

“Labour has not done anything substantial to the scheme, it is still basically the same from three years ago.

“They are putting a lot of faith in the traffic modelling but its based on Monday to Friday peak time traffic when everyone knows that its weekends, holidays and event days when its worst.”

Councillor Gill Mitchell, Brighton and Hove City Council’s transport committee chairwoman, said a consultant was being employed to look at junctions, including those at London Road and Cheapside, on the periphery of the scheme.

She said: “We want to look at not just physical changes but also signals too, there is still a lot of work on highways going on.

“This is a really major project with the potential for a very significant impact on the city centre so we have to be very careful how it is improved.

“Is it ever possible to please everyone? Our aim is to improve Valley Gardens as a public open space to make it a far more enjoyable area for people to walk and cycle through.”

LESSONS WILL BE LEARNT FROM THE LEVEL’S MAKEOVER

LESSONS learnt from the £2.2 million refurbishment of The Level will be used in the Valley Gardens scheme, a senior councillor has said.

Brighton and Hove city councillor Gill Mitchell said the expanded city centre park will be a “safe space”.

The assurances come days after the council announced it would be making further improvements to lighting, cameras and visibility at The Level which continues to attract anti-social behaviour despite its 2013 revamp.

Latest plans for the Valley Gardens scheme reveal hopes for a wide range of potential uses for the green spaces which will be expanded to the equivalent of five tennis courts.

The increased space will largely come from transforming the current Richmond Terrace junction into a public square.

In a reprieve for attractions like The Ladyboys of Bangkok, which were threatened by earlier proposals, space will now be allocated to allow large events.

The wide range of possible uses for the improved park space include food markets, fun fairs, promotional events by brands, outdoor cinema, bandstands, public art spaces including hardened display cases, spaces for busking and storytelling and a Speaker’s Corner similar to Hyde Park.

Some of the uses are anticipated to creating a revenue for the council.

Cllr Mitchell, environment committee chairwoman, said the plans would look to limit maintenance in times of shrinking council parks budgets with the use of "high-quality, durable materials" and reduce previous “resource intensive” plans.

She said: "The approach we are taking is more simplistic in terms of landscaping and the gardens. We want them to work as public open space so that people will be able to move through them and we want them to be safe, we are learning lessons from The Level.
"This could be the first time we have had a proper city centre park right from The Level right through to the seafront."

Pedestrian advocate Stephen Young: "There are so many different stakeholders who have a stake in how this pans out. I’m not sure you can resolve potential conflicts, it is a thankless task, but you can find a way of negotiating them.

“If you look at Pavilion Gardens on a sunny day, which is a relatively small green space, and it will be absolutely rammed with people and compare it with Valley Gardens where there will be nobody.

“Valley Gardens is a massive piece of public space which does not work at the moment, it does not get used but hopefully that will change.”