Your article (November 26) on Brighton and Hove City Council apparently proposing, then backing down on, a ban on vehicles turning left from London Road into Oxford Street omits one key detail: there is already a decade-old “ban”.

According to road signs in place for possibly more than 15 years, private cars are already not allowed to turn right or left from London Road into Oxford Street.

The signs were put up for a “trial” which everyone then apparently forgot about.

It’s illegal to enforce on such a trial so some drivers were making the turn anyway.

This all came about because some residents were asking us to enforce the ban. On discovering it was just a trial we realised we could not, under law.

Far from this being our proposal, we have simply consulted traders on a previous administration’s proposal. Some people want the ban, others do not.

But as we felt buses were not hampered by people turning left we’ve now lifted the left-turn ban, while the right-turn ban remains.

Councillor Pete West, Green, chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee, Brighton and Hove City Council