Progress for Brighton public transport

Halfway through the Greens’ four-year term, transport chief Ian Davey says progress has been made, but more needs doing.
Frank le Duc reports

Asking Ian Davey, the Greens’ transport chief, what he has achieved two years into the party’s four-year term in charge of Brighton and Hove somehow brings John Cleese to mind. In The Life Of Brian, Cleese asks: “What have the Romans ever done for us?” He is assailed by a list, including the roads, which he begrudgingly accepts. Not that he was happy about it. Councillor Davey reels off a list of his own.

It includes the roads – the cycle lane on Old Shoreham Road and the bus and cycle lane on Lewes Road – for starters. And the 20mph limit covering dozens of residential roads. Air quality has improved, he said, and a citywide review has brought more coherence to the amounts charged for parking on-street and in car parks. Brighton Station and the surrounding area – the “gateway” to our city for thousands of visitors – is undergoing a series of changes. And a bike hub is to be built at the station, making it much easier for hundreds of cyclists to find a secure place to park. Edward Street is to have a bus, taxi and cycle lane.

He hopes that a planning inspector will back his scheme to pedestrianise more of the roads around The Lanes. Millions of pounds are being spent on vital schemes such as shoring up the seafront arches under the A259. Thousands of old and expensive street lights are being replaced with cleaner, greener and cheaper ones. And a couple of cold winters and the resulting potholes have also made it important to spend considerable sums on road maintenance.

Councillor Davey has faced opposition to several of the measures that he has championed. And at times he has been personally vilified. Like most politicians he wears a relatively thick skin. But it’s not hard to detect that he sometimes takes the criticisms to heart, perhaps a little more than some of his colleagues. Even in Brighton and Hove, public life is not for the fainthearted. The Greens have just under two years left until voters give their verdict. In that time Councillor Davey has more plans to persuade people to switch from cars to bikes, buses, trains or walking. He talks about improving the public realm, making our roads and streets safer – for walking, cycling and even just breathing. He expects some opposition but regards the biggest challenge as a lack of funds.

GOOD FRIEND

Few would expect a Green councillor to have kind words about a member of the current coalition government but Ian Davey praised the Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker. He said: “Most of the good stuff that’s happened in transport is down to Norman Baker. He’s achieved a tremendous amount.” He cited the push for 20mph speed limits in residential streets and backing for sustainable transport such as cycling and bus use, adding: “All this under a Conservative-led administration.”

Mr Baker, the MP for Lewes, has proved to be a good friend to Brighton and Hove. Councillor Davey said that the minister was able to approve funds for schemes like the Lewes Road bus and cycle lanes because he knew that Brighton and Hove would make them happen. Funding for the Lewes Road scheme came from the government, Brighton and Hove Buses and Brighton and Hove City Council. And when Mr Baker opened the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane, the Greens shared his praise. He returned recently to Brighton Station just after plans for the bike hub there had been approved.

Mr Baker’s Department for Transport will put £500,000 towards the not-for-profit scheme. Train operator Southern, Network Rail and the council will also contribute six-figure sums. Councillor Davey called the proposed railway station bike hub the most comprehensive scheme of its kind in this country. He said: “It’s going to be a great incentive for more people to try cycling. It will also encourage people to combine different types of travel, combining the bike with the train.” The bike hub includes showers and changing rooms, secure bicycle parking and a spares, repairs and servicing centre.

“The Station Gateway Project will bring big improvements,” he said. Some of the proposals have been modified. The taxi trade was vocal in its objections – as was the bus company. But the options were limited Councillor Davey said, adding: “The station is such a busy area and it’s surrounded by conservation areas. I’d like to have done more but you wouldn’t choose to start from here!”

SEVEN DIALS

Even some of Councillor Davey’s political rivals supported his plans for the Seven Dials. Councillor Graham Cox, a Conservative who served as a police officer for 30 years, was among them. The high number of crashes at the Dials underpinned the case for change. Councillor Davey said: “When we started, everyone was saying you’ve got to do something about the Seven Dials. And when we came forward with plans, everyone said you can’t do that. We’ve been able to take the vast majority of the local community with us.”

Support was tested when the plans threatened a Victorian elm tree. Protests followed before the scheme was adjusted. He said: “The tree in particular showed we listen and respond. I hope now people can see the work progressing. It’s more than half way through. The feedback I’m getting is largely positive. I’m sure people will appreciate the difference that it will make both to road safety and the quality of the environment.” The scheme is due to be completed around the end of the year.

He said: “The Old Shoreham Road wasn’t just a cycling scheme. It was also about making it safer for pedestrians – children going to and from school. Average speeds have dropped from over 40mph to under 30mph. It’s transformed the area from just being a busy road to one which is much more pleasant and much safer.” He wants to extend the cycle lanes westward to the junction with Sackville Road and Nevill Road. An application for funds has been submitted.

He said: “Much of what we want to do now is reliant on making special applications for funding.” Another key scheme is in the Lewes Road where bus and cycle lanes were due to be completed this month. Thousands of students are expected to use both. In talking about plans to make the area around The Lanes better for pedestrians, including millions of visitors, Councillor Davey said: “It’s about rescuing the heart of our city.” The outcry when Duke Street was pedestrianised in the early 1980s is largely forgotten now. Councillor Davey acknowledges objections to the council’s current scheme – being tested at a public inquiry – but added: “Traders are crying out for it.”

HOSTILE

A £6 million project is intended to transform Edward Street, with £3.5 million coming from Mr Baker’s department. Councillor Davey said: “The street is dominated by the traffic and the infrastructure at the moment. It’s a really hostile environment. It goes beyond being a transport project. It’s about urban regeneration.” The huge £420 million modernisation of the Royal Sussex County Hospital was one reason for looking at Edward Street as a transport corridor.

And American Express’s new offices added to the need for action. He said: “There are road safety issues there. It’s a hard road for pedestrians to cross and it’s not a good road for cyclists either.” He hopes that extending the 20mph speed limit will help pedestrians and cyclists throughout Brighton and Hove. He brushes off criticisms that it’s unenforceable. He said: “20mph is almost like a marketing exercise. It’s selling an idea. There will be more promotional work.

Interestingly nobody has asked me for their own street to be taken out of the 20mph area – only other streets.” The latest wheeze – or the latest idea to reduce wheezing – is the proposed low emission zone. The policy has been tested elsewhere and is intended to tackle Brighton’s poor, but improving, air quality. The council is working with the bus companies, listening to traders and talking to innovative engineers at Ricardo in Shoreham. Councillor Davey said that he and his party had solid achievements to celebrate and more to come. “Brighton has been decribed as a horse and cart town but we have more than eight million visitors a year. We want to persuade more of them not to drive here. And we want to persuade more of the people who live and work here to make sustainable transport choices. We’re doing the right things and trying to make the best of the situation.”