Total cycle casualties drop slightly in Brighton and Hove in 2010 - despite two fatalities last year, and overall rise in casualties since 2008.

Cycle casualties in B&H 2008-2009-2010

Total casualties amongst cyclists on roads in Brighton and Hove dropped slightly in 2010 compared to 2009, according to a spokesperson for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) - although there were two fatalities during 2010 vs none in the previous two years, and the latest data confirms the picture of increasing cycle casualties since 2008.

The information was provided by a BHCC spokesperson in response to a query from this blog after national statistics released by the DfT showed a six per cent increase in cycle casualties in the UK. The rise in casualties among cyclists was said to be due to an increase in the numbers of cyclists on the roads.

Total casualties in Brighton and Hove fell from 163 (2009) to 157 (2010), and serious injuries fell from 32 to 21.  In 2008 there were only 127 casualties amongst cyclists.

The council spokesperson advised that local statistics should be used with caution since the small numbers make it hard to be certain of trends. However, the 2010 data does seem to confirm a general picture of rising cycle casualties since 2008.

Full data provided by the BHCC spokesperson follows:

CYCLING CASUALTIES (INCLUDING PASSENGERS)

3 full years

	Pedal Cycle Casualties
YEAR	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2008	0	22	105	127
2009	0	32	131	163
2010	2	21	134	157
Total	2	75	370	447

Cycling casualties increased significantly in 2009 and then reduced slightly in 2010. 

Half years

	Pedal Cycle Casualties
HALF-YEAR TO JUNE	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2009 to end June	0	16	67	83
2010 to end June	1	10	64	75
2011 to end June	0	16	65	81

The number of cyclist casualties for the first half year of 2011 fall between the totals for 2009 and 2010 in the same period. 

PEDESTRIAN CASUALTIES

3 full years

	Pedestrian Casualties
YEAR	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2008	1	45	161	207
2009	1	57	145	203
2010	1	47	143	191

Half-years

	Pedestrian Casualties
HALF-YEAR TO END JUNE	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2009 to end June	1	32	74	107
2010 to end June	0	23	78	101
2011 to end June	2	24	85	111

Although there has been a downward trend for pedestrian casualties in the past few years, the 2011 half-year data shows a slight increase in numbers.

POWERED TWO-WHEELER CASUALTIES

3 full years

	PTW Casualties
Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2008	2	33	93	128
2009	1	31	82	114
2010	4	33	63	100

Half-years

	PTW Casualties
HALF-YEAR TO END JUNE	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2009 to end June	1	16	43	60
2010 to end June	3	13	35	48
2011 to end June	0	20	31	51

As with the pedestrian casualties, there has been a steady reduction in PTW casualties over recent years, however in the first six months of 2011 there has been a slight increase when compared to 2010 figures.

Due to random fluctuations, comparing data for single years or for short periods, rather than using several years’ data, can be misleading and does not necessarily show a change in trend. Also, giving percentage changes on small numbers can be extremely misleading. For example, comparing PTW KSI casualties half year 2010 to 2011 shows a highly significant increase of 25%, but this is actually an increase of 4 casualties, none of which were fatalities.

Please note:
Reported Injury Accident data is provided to Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) by Sussex Police (the data owners)
BHCC does not hold accident data where there are no recorded casualties.
BHCC reconcile the current year’s data during the first quarter of the following year. BHCC also continue to amend/improve data after this period, which may mean data differs slightly from Sussex Police and as published by Dft.

Safety improvements to Hove's controversial Cycle Freeway will reduce car parking space, and are a victory for cycling

Cllr Alex Phillips w protest petition 19 Feb

18 August 2011. Safety improvements to the "cycle freeway" on Grand Avenue/The Drive have been given the go-ahead by Brighton & Hove City Council. The decision is victory for cycling, as it is a result of protests earlier this year when the then Conservative-led council proposed scrapping the cycle freeway (which is designated official cycle route no 82). The proposal was defeated after local and national protest. In the 5th May Local Elections the Conservatives lost power to the Greens, who had been at the forefront of moves to protect the cycle route.

Today, a council spokesperson said: "The proposed work will widen the gaps at some of the driveways and crossovers along the route to improve visibility and safety not only for cyclists but for all road users. Although the measures will involve a small loss of parking space, six extra parking spaces have recently been created in Grand Avenue/Church Road and another outside the Courtlands Hotel in Hove."

The council is publishing a traffic order this week on the reduction of parking space for members of the public to make representations.

Councillor Ian Davey, cabinet member for transport and the public realm, said: "The cycle lane is a safe and popular route down to the seafront, but there have been concerns about visibility along some parts of it. We promised to do something about that and are now bringing forward a programme of minor works.

"Residents strongly support cycle lanes and we are committed to improving routes such as completing links to the north of the city and developing routes to the east and west."

In March, councilor Davey presented a petition to council with over 3,500 signatures from residents asking to retain the Grand Avenue/The Drive cycle lane. Councillors resolved to keep the route and install any improvements.

Old Shoreham Road Cycle Lane Scheme consultation begins

The news of improvements to The Drive came a day after council commenced consultations on its plans to revive the Old Shoreham Road Cycle Lane Scheme. At a special meeting on 17 August, Cllr Ian Davey agreed to begin consultation on proposals to improve cycling on the Old Shoreham Road. The previous Conservative administration shelved plans for a major cycle lane on this route after nearly £100,000 had been spent developing the proposals.

The improvements will be part funded by a successful bid to national transport charity Sustrans for £330,000 under their ‘Links to School’ initiative.

Councillor for Goldsmid ward Alex Phillips commented: "The campaign to create more cycle lanes, increase the number of pedestrian crossings and improve road safety in Goldsmid has been one that I have been involved in together with the local community for many years. The development of this east-west route in the City will encourage more people to cycle to school or work, and will make those who are already regular cyclists on our roads feel much safer."

Councillor Ian Davey said: “The proposal includes a segregated cycle lane from BHASVIC to The Drive, as well as pedestrian improvements to the junctions with The Drive. Thanks to successful high-profile public campaigns, such as the recent 'save The Drive cycle lane', we have begun to restore the city’s reputation as city of excellence for sustainable transport, and we look forward to attracting more funding for this purpose."

Urban A roads 17 times more dangerous for cyclists than car occupants

Last week I reported that casualties among cyclists have been rising, presumably due to increased rate of cycling. Today I got more data from the DfT, which confirms cyclists are at considerably higher risk than car drivers in both urban and rural areas.

Last week I noted that cyclists were 14 times as likely as motor car drivers to be injured per mile travelled, and I wondered if maybe the great difference in risk was due motorways being very safe places for a good part of the journeys made by cars. I asked the DfT to clarify this.

Today, a very nice spokesperson from the DfT sent me data from 2009 which shows that casualty rates (per mile traveled) for cyclists were 10 times greater than those for car occupants. If we remove the motorway from the equation the ratio improves: in urban areas, cycling is 8 times more dangerous than car driving, and in rural areas it is 'only' 6.5 times more dangerous.

However, within urban areas, on A roads, cyclists were 17 times as likely to be injured as people in cars, per mile travelled. (see table below). While we may argue that cyclists travel less miles, so suffer less overall risk of injury, we must still be concerned that the risk per mile traveled is so much higher for cyclists, especially on urban A roads - which, in my town, are often designated cycle routes.

This is a powerful argument for constructing segregated cycle routes to separate cyclists from A road traffic.

Casualties per billion miles traveled on various roads - 2010	Urban Roads (A roads)	Urban Roads (other)	All Urban Roads	All Rural Roads	Motor way	All Roads
Pedal cycle	14,234	4,485	6,120	3,758	0	5,543
Car	839	688	751	579	201	576
x more dangerous 4 cycles	17.0	6.5	8.1	6.5	0.0	9.6

Extracted from "Reported Road Casualties  Great Britain: 2009  - Annual Report  - Table 26

Scary Places on Official Cycle Routes - No 1. Vogue Gyratory on Route 90 in Brighton

The Vogue Gyratory in Brighton is a classic cyclists nightmare. Named for an old blue movie cinema that used to be on the site, the gyratory was built in the 1980s with no provision for cyclists. Yet it is on a main traffic artery Brighton to the Universities and Lewes - and on official Regional Cycle Route 90.

Left filtering cars cut across your path as you cycle to Lewes & Uni on Regional Cycle Route 90

As you cycle north along the Regional Cycle Route 90, which follows the main Lewes Road connecting London to Brighton, the cycle lane disappears and you find yourself on a multilane gyratory. You are cycling uphill, and have to cross left filtering traffic in order stay in the middle lane and get to the exit where route 90 continues. In the middle of this is a traffic light where advance advance stop lines for cyclists have been painted.

You can negotiate this gyratory with an assertive attitude, but as an official cycle route, surely it should be safe for intermediate level cyclists? Remembering we are encouraging school children to cycle to school.

Brighton's city council has won a £4.5m grant to develop sustainable transport along this route, aka Lewes Road Corridor. But it does little to address this unfriendly Gyratory, except for proposing 'green wave' priority for cyclists at the traffic lights. Really, a separate cycle lane is needed, not minor provisions such as the proposed 'green wave'.

We need a new city plan to undo the damage of decades of planning exclusively for motorcars.

Painted lines and green waves alone don't make things safer for cyclists and pedestrians - this gyratory is a short distance from the underpass where a cyclist was killed in a collision with a van only a year ago, also on cycle route 90, while cycling along the cycle lane.

More on the Lewes Road sustainable transport project on my blog

Cyclists 14 times more likely to be injured than car drivers - per mile travelled on British Roads

Statistics released by the UK's Department for Transport show that cyclists are 14 times more likely to become casualties on British roads, when compared with car drivers, per mile traveled (extract above, link to detailed stats below).

The statistics include all journeys including motorway journeys, which have very low accident rates - but no cycles. I presume if we compare stats for urban roads the two modes of transport will show more similar causality rates. I have asked the DfT for data filtered to show urban areas only, and hope to present it on this blog when it becomes available.

We need to know accurate data for urban areas because perceived safety is one of the most important issues for people deciding whether to cycle to work and school, according to Cycling England studys.

These statistics need to be taken with caution. The number of miles journeyed is an estimate based on manual roadside traffic surveys. I've mentioned one factor - motorway journeys - that make car stats look safer.

Ken Kifer's study suggests that experienced cyclists (such as members of the UK's CTC) have far fewer accidents than inexperienced riders, and says cyclists, who travel fewer miles than motorists, and have a healthy lifestyle, are overall living less risky lives. Other experienced cyclists say cycle accidents are rare, and any risk is balanced by increased health benefits (Guardian discussion).

Do these statistics have an impact on our 'real' lives? My local paper (Brighton Argus) tells me people are being injured every day driving their cars, more so, it seems, than walking or cycling. I know of a couple of people knocked off their bikes by cars at junctions and corners.

So far as I know only one cyclist has been killed in Brighton and Hove in the past few years. Student Joanna Walters was killed while cycling on a cycle lane that forms part of the national cycle network. The cycle lane at times runs along the hard shoulder of a busy dual carriageway, and Joanna was struck by a van at the pinchpoint formed by the underpass.

Many motorists have died in the same period - hence we have the impression that cycle accidents are rare.

Although the number of cycle casualties is low compared to motor car casualties (because in the UK only 2% of trips are made by cycle), if we are to increase cycling to European levels, there could be a fifteen fold increase in cycling.

Cycling increased by 23% since 2000. So, although the casualty rate per mile cycled was reduced, cycle causalities rose steadily since 2007 when 16,195 cyclists were injured on the road. This figure rose to 17,185 out of a total of 209,000 road casualties in 2010.

The data above shows 8% of casualties are cyclists. Yet no more than 2% of our journeys are made by bicycle. This implies that we are four times as likely to be injured per cycle journey than in a car journey. (Compare to figure of 14 times more likely to be injured per mile (above) maybe due to longer car journeys).

We cannot ignore these statistics while telling adults to cycle to work and parents to let their kids cycle to school. They already perceive cycling as dangerous (Cycling England survey), and if anything the stats back them up. If its not as dangerous as all that, lets see the data. If DfT is serious about addressing this issue, as Norman Baker says it is, it will analyse the data to provide real information about the relative safety of cycling (and walking) in urban areas - compared to traveling in cars or buses. The DfT may then wish to take a more systematic approach to providing safe cycling routes for inexperienced cyclists, if it is to be credible about aspirations for sustainable transport. This means taking a close look at what's been done in cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam to make cycling safe.

Link to DfT Report: (Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Main Results 2010, 30 June 2011)

Increased cycle casualities due to increase in cycling, says DfT's Norman Baker, and suggests "trixi mirrors" might improve safety

Minister of Transport Norman Baker said today that increased cycle casualties on Britain's roads may be due to increased rates of cycling - and suggested measures to improve visibility for truck drivers at traffic lights might help.

Mr Baker, UK's Regional and Local Transport Minister, said: “We take the issue of cycle safety extremely seriously and are working to reduce the instances of death and serious injuries of cyclists on our roads.

“The year-on-year rise in the number of cyclists killed and injured may be due to the increase in cycling we have seen in recent years."

Mr Baker was responding to Department for Transport data released last week that showed cycle casualties increased by 10% in 2011 compared to 2010.

The DfT has not published statistics showing increase in cycling for the period to March 2011. Rather, 2010 statistics say that cycle casualties rose by 1%, and cycle use rose by 1% in 2009-10 - supporting the Minister's claim that increased cycle causalities were due to increased cycling:

The number of pedal cyclists killed increased by 7 per cent from 104 in 2009 to 111 in 2010. The number seriously injured in accidents reported to the police increased by 2 per cent to 2,660. Total reported casualties among pedal cyclists also rose, by 1 per cent, compared to 2009. Pedal cyclist traffic levels are estimated to have risen by 1 per cent over the same period. (Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Main Results 201030 June 2011)

Minister Baker is right about the long term trend. From 2000 to 2010, there has been a 23% increase in the number of miles cycled annually from 2.6bn to 3.1bn miles. (DfT Table TRA0101 Road traffic (vehicle miles) by vehicle type).

In the same period, 2000 - 2010, reported cycle casualties per billion miles fell by 30%, from 7,900 to 5,500 casualties per billion miles cycled. (DfT: Reported casualty rates: by road user type and severity Great Britain: 2000-2010).

To put this another way: for every million miles cycled, the average cyclist might expect to have accidents resulting in injury 5.5 times. If we say, for example, that average journey distance was 3 miles, I make that, erm, one accident per 60,600 journeys. If you did around two cycle trips a day, that would take a round 100 years.

In the short term, though, there was a surge in cyclist deaths. UK cyclist organisation CTC reported on 30 June a 10% increase in cycle deaths per billion miles in 2010. Maybe this is a statistical blip - and some have blamed the severe winter. "Cycle casualty numbers not reducing fast enough" 

Trixi mirror - Guardian

Norman Baker added: “We want to see more innovative measures being put in place to improve cycle safety and we have authorised a trial of trixi mirrors in London which, if successful, could be used elsewhere in the country to make cyclists more visible to drivers.”

Trixi mirrors were first suggested in 2009, when when the Guardian reported on Boris Johnsons idea of visibility mirrors at traffic lights, and quoted Transport for London's suggestion that visibility problems with large lorries are causing most of the cycle casualties:

"Of the 15 cyclists who died on the capital's roads last year, nine were killed in collisions with lorries. In most cases the lorry was turning left and the driver failed to see the cyclist on their inside, according to TfL. The proposed mirror would give the driver, who will be looking at the traffic signals as they wait for the lights to change, a clear view of anyone between the lorry and the kerb, or those just below the front of their vehicle." (Guardian 16 June 2009)

Cyclists killed or seriously injured up by 10% on last year: UK Department for Transport figures released last week

Cycle casualties rise as all others fall - DfT

The total number of reported pedal cycle casualties rose by six per cent, and the number killed or seriously injured (KSI) rose by 10 per cent, in the year to March 2011 compared to 2010, according to a Department for Transport report issued August 4. Meanwhile, casualties for all other forms of transport have continued the long term reducing trend.

Cycle causalities have been rising steadily since 2007. In 2007, 16,195 cyclists were reported injured on the road, and this figure has risen each year to the current figure of 17,185 - of a total of 209,000 road casualties. While the number of injured cyclists is lower than the number injured in motorcars, the proportion of injured cyclists is high compared to the official figures for numbers of journeys made by bicycle. Estimates say around 2% of journeys are made by bicycle - but the above figures show that 8% of casualties are cyclists.

There has been speculation that this cycle causality increase is linked to increased cycling, but the increase in casualties appears to be greater than the increase in cycling - at least on a national level where cycling is reported to have increased by 1.5% (I got this figure from a Channel 4 report - I'm trying to get a confirmation from DfT).

The DfT report - "Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q1 2011" - showed reducing causality figures in all other forms of transport. Pedestrian, motorcycle and car user casualties reported to the police showed overall reductions of 1, 5 and 7 per cent respectively compared with the year ending March 2010. Pedestrian, motorcycle and car user casualties KSI also fell, by 3, 6 and 9 per cent respectively compared with the previous 12 months.

The DfT report didn't feel the increase in cycle casualites was important enough to include in its key findings table, which I reproduce below.

"Key findings from the Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q1 2011 include:
• There were 1,870 people killed and 24,770 killed or seriously injured (KSI), in reported road accidents in the year ending March 2011. This represents a fall of 10 and 5 per cent respectively compared to the previous 12 month period. 
• There were 208,150 casualties (slight injuries, serious injuries and fatalities), 5 per cent less than the year ending March 2010.
• Total reported child casualties (ages 0-15) fell by 3 per cent to 19,810 with those killed or seriously injured down 4 per cent (2,510), compared with the year ending March 2010.
• The number of injury road accidents reported to the police fell by 5 per cent (to 154,030) and the number of fatal accidents by 8 per cent (to 1,770) compared with the 12-month period ending March 2010. 
• Motor vehicle traffic levels fell by 0.7 per cent compared to the 12 month period ending March 2010."

I've asked Brighton and Hove City council for comparative figures for our city. Last time I wrote on this subject was in 2009, when there was an increase of 6.8% in cycle casualties in B&H. There was supposed to be an increase in cycling of 27% in the 2006-2008 period. We need more complete statistics if we are to correlate increases in cycling with casualties in B&H.

Click here for Link to "Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Quarterly Provisional Estimates Q1 2011"

Global warming may bring colder weather to England - video model shows temperature rise 1850-2100 - with great soundtrack

Today I stumbled across a video model of rising temperatures around the globe. It shows a map of the world coloured to represent temperature in different places. It shows temperatures since 1850 to 2100, fluctuating, swirling, but over all rising from blue to red. Of course, it is a computer generated model, not the actual truth. But it shows the trend to date, and there's no reason to presume the trend will change anytime soon. The video shows really well how temperatures fluctuate, but the trend continues.

It also shows an interesting anomaly, of note to those of us living in Brighton, England. Although temperatures are shown to rise around the world (shown in red), in one tiny part of the world, they fall (shown in blue). That's our part of the world, the north-eastern Atlantic. I presume that's because the Gulf Stream ocean currents which bring the warm weather to England are predicted to fail (we really are far north have such mild winters, as far north as Canada).

The video was made by Danish Glacier Scientist Dr. Aslak Grinsted. He said it is a run from the INMCM4 model from the Institute of Mathematical Modelling (Russia).

The sound track on the video is great. It's composed by the scientist who made the video.

For those of you of a technical bent, who want to know more, click here for the author-composer's website

Who's to blame for rising air pollution? Greens pile pressure on Brighton and Hove Conservatives

London Road (Brighton) - Argus

Brighton and Hove Green Party released information to back up their claims that air pollution has risen in the city - by up to 40% between 2007 and 2010 - and that the policies of the previous Conservative administration over that period are to blame.

Earlier this week, the local Green Party website published links to publications that detail where the biggest rises in air pollution occurred:

"On 21 July Brighton & Hove City Council released its latest Air Quality Action Plan which contained the air quality figures for 2010. This can be viewed here: Air Quality Action Plan 2011 (page 23). These reveal an increase in traffic related air pollution across the city particularly in Nitrogen Dioxide which is the main pollutant measured. Comparing figures with earlier years contained in the preceding report air pollution has increased significantly. The 2010 report can be viewed here: 2010 Air Quality Progress report (page 24). Parts of Lewes Road for example have seen an increase of pollution levels from 52 ug/m (microgramme per cubic metre) to 74 between 2007 and 2010, a 40% increase in four years."

The website also pinpointed 2009 press statements by Ian Davey - who warned of rising levels of pollution - and Conservative Cabinet Member Geoffrey Theobold - who said transport planning measures had ensured continuing improvement in nitrogen dioxide levels citywide.

In the Brighton Argus of 19 May 2009, Ian Davey said air pollution levels were increasing in some areas. He said "the council is not solving the problem and it may be getting worse in some areas of the city". He said more effort was needed to get people to cycle and walk to work to school and work. [Recent data suggests much of our traffic originates from inside the city - and that a large proportion of car journeys to work are less then three miles long - ed].

Ian Davey suggested improving the cycle and walking network and a 20 mph limit as well as improvements to the bus network to ease the pressure on the number of buses passing through the city center. [These might include rapid transit links, and direct links between suburbs avoiding the city centre - ed.]

He added: “The Conservative administration needs to recognise that if you keep insisting on more car parking you will get more cars.”

Here is the response of the Conservative administration, quoted in here from the 2009 Argus article.

"Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, cabinet member for the environment, said in a statement that coverage of air quality was alarmist. He said: “I would recommend that your readers visit our city air watch website which is recognised as one of the best local authority air on the internet websites. Our air quality action plan is improving air quality ... The council recorded an improvement at more than 80% of its sites in 2008. Transport planning measures have ensured continuing improvement in nitrogen dioxide levels citywide.”

Nigel Jenkins, project development officer for the Sussex Air Quality Partnership, said there had been an overall improvement in air quality over the years which can be pinned down to a series of measures. He said: “The air quality in most cities in the UK is improving because there are European and UK driven initiatives that are reducing pollution across the board. In Brighton there is a very good bus system and generally there have been technological improvements with cleaner engines in cars. If we had the number of cars that we have today on the roads ten years ago the emissions would have been dirtier than they are today.”"

As regular readers of this blog know, the Conservative Administration 2007- 2010 cancelled several crucial elements of the Cycle Town network for safe cycling and attempted to repeal the city's commitment to sustainable transport - to replace it with policies in favor of the car.

We emailed Geoffrey Theobold to comment on this issue - but no reply so far.

For more information on why we should be concerned about rising levels of NO2 click here.
For more analysis of the Air Quality Action Plan, including graph of rising NO2 at several locations click here

Mayor uses tank to crush illegally parked cars blocking cycle lanes etc...

In celebration of today's historic victory for Sustainable Transport at Old Shoreham Road in Brighton and Hove, I post this humorous but apparently true video of Vilnius' cycling Mayor, A Zoukas, driving a tank over cars parked illegally in his town. Apparently, some people think they are above the law over there. I wonder if our own cycling-champion of sustainable transport, Cllr I Davey, will soon be adopting similar tactics along Dyke Road...

Revival for 'crucial cycle lane' as Old Shoreham Road Cycle Lane Scheme receives £330k funding from Sustrans

OSR planning story starts Nov 2009

3 August 2011. Brighton and Hove City Council announced today that it will revive the "crucial cycle lane" once planned for the Old Shoreham Road (OSR) - and scrapped by the previous Conservative council administration.

This is a special moment for cycle campaigners, and for the author of this blog, since the changes in spec, safety worries, and eventual scrapping of the 'OSR' scheme sparked interest in the campaign for sustainable transport in Brighton and Hove in 2009.

A council spokesperson said today: "A safe cycle route could now be built along part of one of Brighton & Hove's busiest roads. The city council has won £330,000 from the sustainable transport charity Sustrans to help develop a 1.5 km route along the Old Shoreham Road from the BHASVIC junction on Dyke Road to The Drive. Sustrans' 'Links to Schools' cash would be added to £125,000 of council funds to complete most of the work by March 2012.

"Lanes on either side of the road will have low kerbs to physically separate motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. No parking spaces will be lost under the plan. Two busy junctions on the route will also get safety improvements for pedestrians and cycles. Councillors believe the new lanes would fill a vital missing link in the local cycle network, particularly from the seafront in Hove to the Seven Dials area.

"Previous surveys of residents along the road, which carries up to 27,000 vehicles a day, have shown 66 per cent favour a dedicated cycle route."

Cabinet councillor for Transport and Public Realm Ian Davey said: "This shows the council meeting manifesto commitments to improve cycling facilities. Where we build cycle lanes we want them to be excellent, user-friendly and safe lanes which link to existing routes and facilities and really improve everyone's experience of moving around the city by bike.

"This is a crucial east-west route across the city but traffic speed and volume can make it an uncomfortable place for cyclists and pedestrians. The proposed scheme will make Old Shoreham Road safer for everyone including young people using the many nearby schools.

"When the Grand Avenue cycle lane was threatened last year there was a huge petition asking for the council to extend, rather than reduce, cycle facilities. This is our positive response."

A new consultation will now be undertaken before any work starts, subject to official cabinet member approval on August 17.

The council spokesperson added: 'The scheme is being reprieved by the new administration after councillors shelved the idea last year."

Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with the systematic destruction - by the Conservative administration - of plans to transform Brighton and Hove into a cycling city, or more accurately, into a sustainable transport city. These plans were the basis of the Cycle Town grants made to the city from 2005 by Cycling England. The Old Shoreham Road (OSR) Cycle Lane was the backbone of the scheme, providing a safe cycling link between the town centres of Brighton, Hove and Portslade. In 2009, the city planners under Conservative leadership removed segregated cycle lanes from the OSR plans and then found the scheme to be unsafe - and cancelled it. After that they cancelled the Marine Parade cycle lane scheme, and finally tried to rip up the one part of the scheme already installed - The Drive. Public protests, a big media campaign, and a huge swing at the May local elections saw the Tories lose half their seats, and the Greens gain power in the council.


Stuart Croucher, a member of the team who designed the original scheme, made an impassioned plea for the reinstatement of the scheme, and a powerful argument in favour of a network of segregated cycle lanes for young people and learners, in an interview he gave to this blog last year.

The original plans - and the 'crucial' part played by OSR cycle lane - are all shown in another entry on this blog.

Brighton and Hove's electric vehicles project wins top PRISM award

Electric car and charge point (pic - Elektromotive)

 28 July 2011. Brighton & Hove City Council has won a national award for its work to promote the use of electric vehicles - CIVINET’s PRISM Award for the most "outstanding, ambitious and innovative scheme in the field of sustainable urban mobility in the UK and Ireland". 

A council spokesperson said: "Electric vehicles produce zero emissions on the road, a huge advantage over conventionally powered vehicles in terms of air quality."

Three charge locations already running

The council’s electric vehicle charging point scheme began in February 2010 and was the first project of its scale in the UK outside London. Four on-street electric vehicle charging points were installed at Bartholomew’s in central Brighton and Ditchling Road opposite The Level. A further four have been recently installed, two at Withdean Stadium which will be up and running at the end of the week and two at Madeira Drive. The council is working with energy supply companies to have the Madeira Drive points running by autumn.

The charging points were installed by Elektromotive Ltd, who released survey results in June saying two thirds of motorists would be more likely to buy an electric vehicle (EV) if charging posts were readily available at roadsides and in car parks across the UK.

A registration scheme for UK residents has been set up by the council and Elektromotive. A trial period is underway offering incentives to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles, including free registration, parking and electricity whilst vehicles are recharging.

Brighton & Hove is the only city in the country to have gained funding for such a project from the EU’s CIVITAS Archimedes Project; and is working with five other cities in Europe to share best practice, experience and skills.

The scheme was set up during the Conservative administration of the City council, and has cross party support.

At a national level, 2011 was billed as a "breakthrough year" for electric cars when the government launched a £5,000 grant for sales of the cars. But at the end of June, the promised vision of a network of electric highways wired up for a fleet of battery-powered cars became the latest government pledge to fall victim to spending cuts. The Department for Transport said it was, however, still committed to spending £30m to build 8,500 charge points in eight "Plugged in Places" pilot areas in London, Milton Keynes. the North-East of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the East of England.

Brighton & Hove City Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for transport and the public realm, Councillor Ian Davey, said: “Our vision is to make Brighton & Hove the UK’s greenest city, and we are committed to achieving a clean and energy-efficient transport system.

“We’re working with other cities and countries to share expertise and best practice. It’s exciting to think that what we do here will influence future transport policy, not only in the UK but also in Europe.”

For further information about using electric vehicles and the city’s charging points visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/elec-vehicles or phone 01273 292455 / 290367.

Review of council-subsidised bus services underway in Brighton and Hove

"Breeze up the Downs" country access buses are among subsidised services up for review

27 July 2011. Brighton and Hove City Council has embarked on a review of dozens of bus services that depend on council subsidy for their survival. Any changes which result from the review will come into effect in September 2012. The review also asks whether any new 'direct' bus services are needed.
 A spokesperson said: "Brighton & Hove City Council plans and funds a number of bus services. We pay for some complete routes and a number of evening, Sunday and school services. As these services are not profitable, they would not run without financial support from the council.

"The Transport Act 1985 gives local authorities the powers to seek tenders, and then to issue contracts, for bus services which are considered ‘socially necessary,’ but which are not commercially viable. Contracts for existing supported services were issued in September 2008, and are due to expire in September 2012. Before going out to tender for replacement services we are very keen to take into account the views of local communities throughout the city"

Residents are being asked to consider the following questions:
• Do the services run at suitable times ?
• Do they run to useful destinations ?
• Do the services offer value for money ?
• Are there any areas of Brighton & Hove which are not currently on bus routes, and where a bus route would be beneficial ?
• In terms of employment and educational opportunities, and of encouraging bus travel, are any new “direct” bus routes needed ?

If you would like to discuss any of these points, or if you have any questions, please do contact Richard Johnson on (01273) 292480, or by e mail richard.johnson@brighton-hove.gov.uk
The full review document can be downloaded at the link below
Bus Services Review – July 2011
Or click "read more" for list of services affected (extracted from Review Doc above)

In a related development, a council source said earlier today that the proposed CTS rapid transit service was shelved because of lack of funds. This would have enabled rapid bus links to reduce journey times on public transport - a move seen as essential if the city is to reduce air pollution caused by short car journeys. In B&H, 27,000 car journeys per day are work commutes of less than three miles, according to a report released last week.

"Appalling 40% increase in air pollution under previous Conservative administration" slammed by Green councillors in Brighton and Hove

26 July 2011. Earlier today, the Green Group of Councillors in Brighton & Hove's City Council criticised the "appalling 40% increase in air pollution under previous Conservative Administration".

Green Councillor Ian Davey said: "New figures show a serious deterioration in air quality over the four years of the previous Conservative administration."

A spokesperson for the Green Group of Councillors said air quality figures for 2010 released last week, showed that parts of Lewes Road saw air pollution levels rise by 40% in the four years to 2010. The figures were released in Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) Air Quality Action Plan 2011.

Cllr Davey is Cabinet member for Transport & Public Realm in Brighton & Hove since he was appointed under the Green-led administration which came to power following local elections on 5 May 2011.

Cllr Davey said: “Air quality is incredibly important for residents’ health. You don’t need to be a scientist to work out that these figures are appalling. When I raised concerns over deteriorating air quality over the last four years, the Tories accused me of being alarmist while claiming that air quality was improving.

“These figures show how irresponsible and complacent their attitude was. Rather than dealing with the problem they preferred the easy option of ignoring it.

During the period of Conservative administration of the council (2007 - 2011), several important components of the city's Local Transport Plan, made in the year 2000, were cancelled. These included the Old Shoreham Road Cycle Lane scheme (backbone of the proposed cycle network) and the Bus Rapid Transport Scheme which would have had high impact on reducing car use. The minority Tory administration even attempted to "repeal" the council's commitment to sustainable transport, saying it "unfairly penalised" the car driver.

The public reacted against Conservative attempts to dismantle cycle lanes in Hove in February this year. In local elections on 5 May, Conservatives lost almost 12 of their 25 seats on the council - and the Greens became the new leaders of the council.

Today, Cllr Davey said: “The Green administration will not shrink away from showing the leadership necessary to tackle the problem. We are starting with the Lewes Road where we have been successful in winning £4m from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. Our immediate efforts will be focused on getting traffic moving to prevent congestion and pollution, while working to offer people a real alternative to using private cars to get in and around the city.”

The £4m bid for the Lewes Road corridor project was made under the Tory administration, but Greens claimed credit for the idea. For more on the Lewes Road Corridor Project click here.

The Conservative councillor who was responsible for Environment was today emailed for comment, but we have not yet had a response.

For analysis of the AQAP 2011 report: click here.

CTS rapid transit system in Brighton and Hove could become reality this year, according to AQAP report

Could Brighton & Hove's CTS look like this example? Many Continental and USA cities use Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems with standard buses, light-rail like stations, queue jumpers, priority traffic lanes and signals. Stations at one-mile intervals.

26 July 2011. A rapid transit public transport scheme could become reality in Brighton and Hove as early as later this year, according to Brighton and Hove City Council's Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2011.

*** Update: 27 July 2011. A council source commented today: "The CTS proposal was made in a previous era when there was money around for such schemes, alas, whilst it remains an aspiration, the funding is no longer in place for this."

The AQAP report issued last week says the Coastal Transport System (CTS) (formerly known as Rapid Transport System (RTS)) could begin in 2011/12 "subject to acceptance of the Business Case by the Government".

If approved, the express, limited-stop-route would run from Brighton Marina in the East, via the Royal Sussex Hospital and Brighton Station, then along the Kingsway to the King Alfred, and finally to Shoreham Harbour in the West. CTS could connect with other public transport links. This would hugely speed up journey times for those using public transport along these routes.

The report says: "The CTS is designed to create a step change in public transport services and infrastructure in Brighton & Hove by providing an attractive, alternative for some journeys to reach both existing and future planned destinations. This will provide sufficient choice for some car drivers and assist in contributing towards transport modal shift that is in line with the council’s LDF Core Strategy. CTS aims to deliver a socially inclusive transport mode. The increased capacity of the public transport network will offer environmental and economic benefits to the city.

CTS would initially link key social, leisure, residential, business and employment destinations between Worthing (West), Brighton Marina (East) and Brighton Station (City Centre). Utilising a high quality, frequent express with limited stops, the CTS will complement, rather than compete with, existing local bus and train services.

The CTS is propsed to use two key corridors (east and west) with segregated priority on the route and at junctions where possible. The route will be :

• East out of Brighton Station – North Street – Eastern Road – Royal Sussex Hospital – Brighton Marina.
• West out of Brighton Station – West Street – Kings Road – King Alfred Centre - Shoreham Harbour

The routes will link the railway station, the retail centre, major businesses such as American Express, the Royal Sussex County Hospital and visitor destinations such as the Marina and the seafront.

CTS is based on the concept of high frequency, limited stop services to primarily meet the needs of passengers who otherwise may not have considered conventional local Brighton and Hove City Council – England July 2011 bus services. It is expected that there will be 10 RTS stops in Brighton & Hove.

Proposed CTS stops:
• Brighton Station – a key interchange for longer distance passengers seeking links to American Express, Hospital, Marina or Shoreham Harbour developments – the number and type of buses and taxis needs to be managed at this interchange from an air quality point of view
• Clock Tower – access to Churchill Square and other central retail areas in Brighton centre although the number of buses at this junction must be managed with a view to the air quality implications
• North Street – access to the Cultural Quarter, tourist, retail and employment areas, plus bus to bus interchange, North Street has between 3,500 and 4,000 buses a day
• American Express (Edward Street) – serving one of the city’s major employers
• Royal Sussex County Hospital (Eastern Road) – a key sub-regional health facility
• Brighton Marina – a significant leisure destination and retail destination , as well as serving major residential development and the proposed Brighton International Arena
• Brighton Conference Centre – gives access to the Brighton seafront as well as an important destination
• Hove Seafront – offering an intermediary stop serving residential and employment uses, as well as offering a tourist link
• King Alfred Centre – a potential redevelopment site
• Shoreham Harbour – significant regeneration potential for residential, commercial, leisure and community uses.

*** UPDATE 27 July 2011: In the notes to the AQAP report, the CTS Rapid Transport System is mentioned as an option to the Local Transport Plan (2) which was the plan for the period 2000-2011, and now succeeded by LTP3. The notes say the Rapid Transport System was to have been implemented by BHCC and Brighton and Hove Bus Co. It was rated as having "HIGH" impact on air quality. The budget cost was £11.4m mainly for planning a priority route for express buses. Other benefits were to reduce impact of private car use resulting in less noise, congestion and improved road safety. "Targeted at specific road network but will also reduce private vehicle traffic citywide".
Intriguingly, the notes say that the Rapid Transport System was to have been implemented in 2008-2009. There's obviously some discrepancy here with the main text of AQAP, which says the CTS project would be implemented in 2010-11.
It seems this Rapid Bus scheme was left over from the original Local Transport Plan of 2000. Other parts of this sustainable transport plan (such as Old Shoreham Road) fell victim to the policies of the Tory administration in the years 2007-2011, which, apart from relentless cost saving, also attempted to "repeal" the council's commitment to sustainable transport - because it "unfairly penalised" car drivers.

For more analysis of the AQAP 2011 report: click here.

Air pollution hotspots in Brighton and Hove

The Lewes Road, London Road and Old Steine are some of the areas in Brighton where air pollution exceeds EU limits, according to a map published in Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2011, a report published a few days ago.

The pink and red areas on the map above are areas where the average pollution during 2010 exceeded the EU maximum NO2 allowed (40ug per M3) . Some areas were almost double the EU accepted levels:  Measuring points at Oxford Street London Road end, 82A Lewes road, North Sreet, Viaduct Terrace all recorded averages above 70ug per M3.

For more analysis of the AQAP 2011 report: click here.