It's a mess

Please can someone explain what Brighton and Hove City Council is trying to achieve from the complete mess it has made of Lewes Road in Brighton?

Having started with the roadworks for the “traffic calming” measures, we can get a real feel of what life will be like once this main route into our city is down to one lane permanently. It may well be calming the traffic – in fact it is so calm it’s at a standstill – but drivers will be far less calm as they battle to gain entry into our town.

In fact, if I didn’t live here I wouldn’t bother – even now I prefer to shop in Crawley. Living in Bevendean, it is actually quicker to get there and cheaper to park.

I understand there was lots of opposition to the Lewes Road scheme. A few organised groups appear to have got the vote through by the skin of their teeth.

I thought part of the Greens’ agenda was to reduce pollution. Sitting in traffic with an engine idling for an hour is not economical or ecological, just the opposite.

Surely it’s not too late to stop this scheme from reaching its crazy conclusion. A sensible act would be to review the impact it is already having on residents and local economy, and stop it if needs be.

Paul Whitmore, Auckland Drive, Brighton

What's not to like?

IT is genuinely exciting to see the first of the new-style “floating” bus stops and a section of widened cycle lane on Lewes Road, next to Wild Park.

It is a shame Conservative councillor Ken Norman (Letters, January 15 and 22) fails to appreciate it, or see this is a work in progress; not a one-off, but part of a project to improve three whole miles of the A270.

At last, our city is addressing the safety concerns which have prevented thousands of people from cycling this route for many years, a route which serves four university sites, the Amex stadium and numerous communities along it.

Contrary to Coun Norman’s comments, the bus stops do have dropped kerbs; the nearside lane will eventually become a bus and taxi lane, so no general traffic will be held up by stopping buses; new and improved bus shelters will be installed at a later date, when more of the new-style bus stops have been built.

Having the cycle lane routed behind them will reduce the conflict between bikes and buses, making cycling safer and bus journey times shorter.

The general traffic will be separated from buses and bikes and able to flow without disruption from them.

Like the two-thirds of people who supported these plans when consulted, I am another Brighton resident who will feel better served by a Lewes Road which prioritises cleaner, healthier and more efficient forms of transport while still providing ample road space for private vehicles.

We are fortunate to have a city council committed to building for a more healthy, sustainable and affordable future while also attracting £4.2 million in Government funding to invest in local jobs.

What’s not to like?

Duncan Blinkhorn, Lewes Road for Clean Air

Coun Norman’s original criticism of this bus stop was that there was “a raised curb for passenger access to buses”.

I wondered at first whether he had actually visited this bus stop, or maybe just driven past in his car. There are dropped kerbs between the existing shelter and the bus stop.

These are no different from the other thousands of dropped kerbs all over the city which everybody – including people with children in buggies, older people and those with a disability – are able to “negotiate” without problem.

It might also be better to leave words such as “ideology” out of the mix and just try to sort out Brighton and Hove’s traffic problems. He should give this scheme his wholehearted support.

Adam Pride, Foredown Drive, Portslade

As a member of the steering group for this scheme, I was told months ago that all bus stop islands being built would have shelters. This was shown in plans for the scheme, discussed by councillors last year.

The shelters won’t be moved until near the end of the project because doing them piecemeal would be more expensive than doing them one by one.

As for buses holding up traffic, the inside lane is going to for buses – the other is for traffic.

Does Coun Norman realise than none other than his Conservative colleague the Mayor of London is proposing a similar scheme in East London? But while London is still considering it, Brighton and Hove City Council has beaten them to it, gaining praise from a wide range of people and bodies.

The Lewes Road scheme is intended to make things better for those travelling along it by sustainable means, encourage those who have been put off to try cycling and make it safer for people to cross the road.

Mark Strong, City Transport Partnership