Brighton city centre traffic grinds to a halt amid road changes

A new cycle lane on the A259 seafront road has prompted “mayhem”, drivers say, with vehicles at a near standstill during peak hours.

Brighton and Hove Buses is being forced to divert services, the AA is warning drivers of delays on all approaches to the Aquarium Roundabout and video appears to show an ambulance struggling through traffic.

The council said it was aware of congestion along sections of the A23 and A259 and urged motorists “to consider whether they could make their journey in a different way”.

The new seafront cycle lane, from the Fourth Avenue junction in Hove to the city centre, recently joined the closure of Madeira Drive as one of a number of emergency traffic measures introduced by Brighton and Hove City Council.

The measures were first introduced under a Labour administration and now look set to be extended under the Greens.  

The schemes were introduced to provide more space for cyclists and pedestrians in light of social distancing measures.

But residents say they are causing “chaos” across the city and many motorists, buses and tradespeople have been left crawling through the city centre at a snail’s pace.

Brighton and Hove Buses have also spoken out on the issue, stating delays to its customers have been caused by "implementation of the cycle lane at the Palace Pier roundabout". 

In a scathing review of the new measures, Conservative Lee Wares, group transport spokesman on the council, said: “Regretfully, we are now seeing the consequences of the Green administration failing to undertake appropriate and necessary impact assessments.

"For a so-called Green council to create pollution on an unprecedented level with the traffic jams they are causing is unforgivable.

“We know we need better cycling and walking infrastructure, but this utter madness needs to stop now.”

Video taken by Nikki Larsen-Disney on Tuesday at 12.50pm captured long tailbacks on Marine Parade eastbound.

She said: “An ordinary midweek day. Not rush hour, no sunshine, no tourists.

“There is a complete bottle neck at the roundabout where the empty cycle lane starts.”

Video taken on Monday showed a blue-light ambulance apparently struggling through traffic on the same route, prompting concerns about response times.

And footage taken on Thursday near Adelaide Crescent, Hove, showed a blue-light ambulance crossing to the other side of the road to get around westbound traffic.

However, a South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman said the new measures are not leading to delays to response times after checking with local managers.

“We would of course urge people to always be alert for the lights and sirens of any emergency vehicle to allow it to progress,” he added.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue and East Sussex Fire and Rescue have also been contacted for comment.

According to AA data, the heaviest delays appear to be around the Aquarium Roundabout.

Marine Parade westbound seems the most affected route, however slow-moving traffic has been reported across the city centre.

A scaffolding firm sent staff home staff as they would not have enough time to navigate traffic.

Melanie Beaumont, speaking for Cross Scaffolding Sussex Ltd, said: “It took us almost 15 minutes from Lower Rock Gardens to the pier.

"We are losing a lot of time and money getting from job to job, which includes paying wages while lads are just sitting in traffic.

“Yesterday we had to send the lads home as they would never have got along the seafront in time to complete the job and then get back to the yard.”

Councillor Pete West, joint chairman of the transport and sustainability committee, said: “We are aware there is some congestion along sections of the A23 and A259.

"August is usually an extremely busy time of year in Brighton and Hove and transport officers are closely monitoring traffic flow around the city, including where new temporary transport measures are in place.

"We would encourage motorists to consider whether they could make their journey in a different way to ensure those who need to use a vehicle, including the disabled and emergency services, don’t face unnecessary congestion.”

Martin Harris, Managing Director of Brighton and Hove Buses, has spoken about the delays to services.

He said: "We support the council's work to create a greener recovery and as a provider of an active travel service, we support the promotion of more cycling and walking in the city where it offers choices that switch journeys away from cars.

"The council has listened to and recognised the needs of bus users in a number of its recent temporary schemes and rightly so - our bus users are already back to making the equivalent of 28 million journeys per year.

"There are delays being experienced by our customers and colleagues since the implementation of the cycle lane at the Palace Pier roundabout.

"It is early days and we really do need to find ways to reduce the traffic that causes congestion.

"If doesn't settle very soon for bus services we will seek to work with the council to make the situation better for the many bus users coming into the city from the east on the A259.

"This has been a great partnership success for the city in converting many journeys from car to bus in the past, and a success we need to build on for the future."