Two more roads in Brighton and Hove are to become red routes, starting with the stretch of Western Road between Holland Square and Montpelier Road, with Queen’s Road to follow.
The roads will be marked with double red lines to indicate no stopping, let alone parking, except in marked bays, with camera enforcement in prospect.
The latest red routes were agreed a year after the first two were brought in along Lewes Road and the A23 London Road and Preston Road.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet has agreed to keep the first two and to turn two more roads into red routes at a cabinet meeting at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Thursday 20 March).
Labour councillor Trevor Mutem, the council’s cabinet member for transport and parking, said that the first two red routes had improved traffic flow and bus punctuality.
The rules ban stopping for any vehicle apart from cabs and blue badge drop-offs but they have been criticised by traders and residents.
Business owners along London Road – M&B Meats and Pamir – have complained about receiving fines when delivery drivers are in loading bays and away from their vehicles for more than six minutes.
Other businesses – Presuming Ed and Smokemart – have struggled with lack of available loading bays.
More loading bays have been created along London Road since the scheme went live last April, with the loading area lengthened outside McDonald’s and Taco Bell because initially it was too small.
Councillor Muten said: “Can I make this clear – the red routes have not increased the length of road where parking is restricted.
“In fact, since the red routes were introduced in April, five new loading bays and one four-metre motorcycle parking bay have been added to London Road.
“We have listened and responded and will continued to do so.”
He said that the difference was enforcement, with the council’s transport control centre team monitoring the cameras and making “fair decisions”.
Councillor Muten said: “Loading bays are ignored by some who think the brevity of their illegal parking has no consequence – yet it does.
“The scale of disregard of existing parking restrictions on some main routes is such that we need to consider more robust enforcement.”
He said that bus build-up and hazards happened even when vehicles stopped “for a couple of minutes” when people went to the shops.
Brighton and Hove Buses had reported improved punctuality and reliability on the services using Lewes Road, London Road and Preston Road, he said.
Councillor Muten added that Cycling UK and Bricycles had said that cyclists felt safer because there were no illegally parked vehicles in the Lewes Road cycle lane.
The red routes will be funded from the £3.2 million Bus Service Improvement Scheme budget for 2025-26.
A longer-term strategy for red routes is expected to be brought before the cabinet later this year.
Another money making scheme by the council extorting hard earned cash from hard pressed motorists
It’s not like there are more restrictions, you were NEVER allowed to park there. Now it’s more enforceable. You don’t want to lose your hard-earned cash to fines? Follow the rules of the road. Simple.
You seem to have all the answers for every problem anywhere in Brighton and Hove. Your comments are ubiquitous. Why are you not putting yourself up for election as a councillor? As well as head of the grammer/spelling Gestapo?
I feel a bit guilty now thinking the first thing I thought was “It’s spelt grammar”. Thank you very much for the compliment though, I strive for a solution-based approach, and do try to have an informed opinion on things. Cllr. Lyons also suggested the same thing, funnily enough, which was nice of him to say.
In this instance, I can confidently say that as a qualified driver, I am aware of and keep myself updated with the highway code, as we all agree to do when we sign after we pass our test.
Good. Cleaner air beckons.
…..until VG3 takes effect!
Hahaha, you can’t help yourself! Cllr. Muten lives rent-free in your head!
Whoa! Boring Benjy is getting edgy! I’ve been savaged by the master of bland,inept drivel ..
What lives in your head – blancmange?
Great news, about time
‘improving traffic flow’ says Muten.
The new cycle lanes and ‘improvements’ on the A23 by Preston Park include built-our bus stops which will mean traffic cannot overtake parked buses as it could before
So, more congestion and pollution…
Thanks Trev!
As soon as VG3:kicks in, traffic will be at a standstill anyway, so Muten’s premise about keeping traffic moving will be invalid
The disregard of existing parking restrictions is the problem
There doesn’t seem to be any consideration for anybody else
It’s just what they can get away with
But I imagine this will lead to even more pavement parking on side roads. Nord Cafe seem to have claimed the pavement as a customer parking space
I sat on a slow bus the other day as it tried to navigate its way past all the cars illegally parked on Western road.
These new red routes became inevitable once all the shop and restaurant owners decided it was OK to park every evening outside their premises, selfishly blocking or narrowing the road for everyone else.
Sometimes they even park on the pavement, knowing that the traffic wardens rarely work after 9pm.