Brighton and Hove City Council has installed a bus lane in London Road which has led to many queues, some starting as far back as Patcham on Fridays and Saturdays - queues which never existed before the introduction of the bus lane.

The council may introduce bus lanes along the seafront, reducing the road to one lane in each direction, and the entire length of Western Road.

If these alterations are carried out, the result will be the closure of many businesses in Western Road and nose-to-tail traffic along the entire length of the seafront from Saltdean into Brighton.

We, the Motorists Equity and Unity Party (MEUP), have put forward many solutions to the city's traffic problems. The result has been that councillors who agree with our scheme are transferred from the transport committee.

The total cost of our modifications to solve the city's traffic problems is less than £1.5 million yet the council continues to ignore our solutions and continues to make the town look more like London every day.

Brighton has gradually turned into a no-go area for the city's inhabitants.

The council has a penchant for pedestrianised areas and removes as many car parking spaces as it possibly can, forcing all car users into the multi-storey car parks.

When are we going to be allowed to have our city back and park outside the shops we use?

We are not all shopaholics and simply wish to buy our goods as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

The councillors seem to see things differently and wish us to spend three or four hours at a time shopping.

There would appear to be some connection between the strategy of the council and the major shopping chains in the town.

We have campaigned for limited parking in London Road and, by some miracle, the council has actually installed some official car parking spaces in the past few weeks.

Perhaps the closure of the Cooperative store and the move of the Sainsbury's superstore to the New England Street site may have added some extra incentive?

  • Pete Sayers, secretary, Motorists Equity and Unity Party, Southfield, Polegate