Brighton Area Buswatch

Representing Bus Users

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Bus User concerns about Valley Gardens

Brighton Area Buswatch has deep concerns about Brighton Council´s plans for Valley Gardens. This would create a open space along the A23 corridor, between St. Peter´s Church, and Edward Street. While this may sound good on paper, we believe there are a number of serious design issues, including restricting parts of the main A23 entrance to our city, down to a single lane in each direction.

Brighton currently has proportionately the highest bus usage in Britain (outside London); our major concern is the proposals risk undermining this positive outlook- by substantially increasing unreliability problems, discouraging bus usage, and increasing fares.

One of our concerns relates to the council using an October mid-weekday, for its traffic modelling. This does not take into consideration heavier traffic- during the summer holidays, most weekends, (etc.), when we as bus users are most likely to suffer from unreliability problems.The city is after all, a major resort and shopping destination.

Our other issues include:-

  • The restrictions risks causing long queues beyond the bus lanes. In addition, buses will suffer further problems, as motorists seek alternative routes.
  • Problems with the Grand Parade/Church Street junction could potentially be worse than halving southbound traffic flow.
  • Problems at the St. Peter´s Church/London Road junction and bus stops.
  • Potential problems with right-turning vehicles, causing northbound delays.
  • Likely problems with bus lane enforcement. Plus other issues.

We do not want Brighton to follow London, where traffic management measures are blamed for reducing bus usage, especially as our local bus usage is so important to the city´s economy.

We have not just stood still. We have created an alternative- that not only answers all our concerns, but would actually be beneficial to bus services, including reducing delays during the construction period. Yet it retains most of the positives from the current proposals, and offers the potential for further cycling/pedestrian enhancements.

We hope you believe in a positive bus service, and would like to help us try to maintain it. Please read our attached letter, and look at our enclosed alternative proposal (in two halves). All these have been agreed by the executive committee.

Our concerns in greater detail (PDF version)- click here

Our concerns in greater detail (Word file)- click here
[NB] This often opens in an incorrect display format

Diagrams of the alternative

Southern (left) side of diagram (PDF file)- click here

Northern (right) side of diagram (PDF file)- click here

Thank you for clicking.

27 September 2017