Taxi Driver Online

Labour councillors blast seafront cycle lane as ‘ideologically driven, poorly planned and totally unnecessary’

Five Labour councillors have criticised the seafront cycle lane for causing an “unacceptably difficult time” for the local taxi trade with unnecessary “mayhem and gridlock”.

They said that putting in a cycle lane next to the existing one at the expense of a lane of traffic was “ideologically driven, poorly planned and totally unnecessary”.

Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, the former chair of the Licensing Committee on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “I am writing on behalf of all the local taxi drivers who at present are having an unacceptably difficult time working in the city due to the mayhem and gridlock that has been created by the closure of two lanes of the seafront stretch of the A259.

“This was done to create a ‘temporary’ cycle lane which would purportedly make social distancing easier so comes under the covid-19 emergency banner.

“Although many wonder how it actually achieves that, as it is hardly used, with cyclists preferring to use the cycling lane that was already available along the seafront.

“There have been strong signs that the cycle lane will actually become permanent and be extended further along the seafront, causing even more havoc.

“I have been a member of the Licensing Committee for over five years and was chair for four years and am now opposition spokesperson.

“During that time, I have done my very best to stand up for the taxi trade with the assistance of other members of the Licensing Committee.

“We have stood up to Uber, we have fought to get a better deal over the train station for taxi drivers and recently we wrote to a government minister to ask that money was made available for taxi drivers for perspex screens and personal protection equipment, especially as many taxi drivers are of BAME origin and therefore very vulnerable to getting seriously ill from covid-19.

“We were met with a very disappointing and loud silence.

“During the covid emergency there were only 27 per cent of local taxi drivers working and, even then, the pickings were slim.

“Many taxi drivers were on the edge of despair as they fell through the holes in the net of many of the assistance schemes from the government.

“Finally, lockdown ended and taxi drivers hoped for recovery, which looked likely until the double whammy of the closure of two lanes on the A259, which many consider was ideologically driven, poorly planned and totally unnecessary.

“The A259 is a main arterial road from east to west and vice versa and as such it needs the traffic to run smoothly.

“Unfortunately, it does no such thing currently and is causing misery not only to taxi drivers but to countless other people trying to get across the city in cars and on buses as the impact of the closures affects many of the surrounding roads.

“Please don’t forget that our taxi drivers are a lifeline for the disabled and vulnerable and are also vital for the tourist trade.

“If we want the city to recover economically, we need to be a lot smarter than this and keep the city moving.

“By all means have cycle lanes but let’s use some common sense, consultation and compromise in order to establish where they can work best and without causing such conflict between drivers and cyclists and putting the city’s economic recovery at risk.”

The statement was also signed by three other Labour members of the Licensing Committee – councillors Chris Henry, Peter Atkinson and Carmen Appich – as well as their Labour colleague Les Hamilton.

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IDFIMH

What a mess.

Firstly well done to those councillors for supporting the trade, I actually believe they mean it and it isn't a publicity stunt to keep the trade quiet.

However the Labour Party was in charge in June when this cycle lane was passed under emergency law !!!!!

Now that the Greens are running the council the B in B&H stands for Basketcase.

However even the nutty Greens have eventually realised they have dropped a bollock and the council are currently killing the cycle lane and putting it back to how it was, and has been for the best part of 150 years.

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IDFIMH

U-TURN: Part of controversial seafront cycle lane will be removed amid 'serious concerns'



PART of a controversial seafront cycle lane is being removed – days after it officially opened.

Brighton and Hove City Council will be removing the new A259 lane from the Aquarium roundabout to West Street tonight.

It comes after Brighton and Hove Bus Company voiced its concerns about bus journey times and congestion.

The council’s lead member for transport Pete West said: “Congestion on this stretch has had a knock-on for major bus routes and delays to bus journey times – that is unacceptable.

"Sadly, attempted changes to adjust traffic light timings have not provided the answers needed as there is still insufficient capacity for the volume of traffic heading towards West Street.”

The radical changes to the seafront road’s layout were agreed at a June 23 meeting and the lanes were officially opened last week.

After opening, motorists, buses and ambulances battled “gridlock” with vehicles at a near standstill during peak hours.

Brighton and Hove Buses was forced to divert services, the AA warned drivers of delays on all approaches to the Aquarium roundabout and video appeared to show an ambulance struggling through traffic.

At the time, 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 rest of the cycle lane will remain and a bid has been submitted to the Government to extend to the city’s western boundary.

Cllr West said: “We recognise the serious concerns raised by public transport users and providers that congestion in a small section of the additional temporary A259 cycle lane has caused unavoidable delay to public transport in the city.

"We have therefore reluctantly agreed to suspend this short stretch of the lane.

“In the midst of a pandemic which attacks our lungs, as our city recovers we are committed to ensuring that we have many good sustainable transport options including public transport, walking and cycling – and ensuring that these form part of a network of attractive alternatives to private car use.

“We urge those using cars to consider alternative travel options, the necessity of their journey and the impact this has on others by creating congestion.”

The controversial lane and the new lane on the Old Shoreham Road were funded using £663,000 in Government cash.

It was one of 29 new or potential changes to pavements and road layouts across the city as part of the Interim Covid-19 Response Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

Conservative transport spokesman Lee Wares objected to the plans at the time.

Speaking after today’s announcement, he said: “Using officer delegated urgency powers, the section of the cycle lane was removed because of the increasing congestion they were causing together with the inevitable rising pollution, lowering air quality and negative impact on the economy.

"This is what happens when the council refuses to undertake the necessary impact assessments, traffic modelling and proper consultation.

“Labour and the Greens were so focused on rushing to spend the money they could grab from Government they forgot the key basic activities needed when introducing massive untested, unqualified and ill-thought out transport schemes.

“Recently Cllr West said ‘give them a chance’, well that has happened and it has gone disastrously wrong. Now every implemented scheme should be suspended and all those proposed should be stopped until their impact has been adequately assessed and the council knows with some certainly what is likely to happen.

"It is unacceptable to waste taxpayer money in this way.

“It is also galling for the city’s blue badge holders and less abled folk and the traders on Madeira Drive that the council and the Green administration won’t use these powers to swiftly change the negative impacts on them.

"Blue badge holders still have to contend with the lethal bays on the A259, still have to ask to use the Changing Places toilets and are still curfewed from using some disabled parking bays so that others can enjoy certain streets.

“Traders are still struggling.

“All we get are verbal platitudes from the Greens with no action to resolve and Labour councillors trying to U-turn on the misery they have caused.”

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IDFIMH

they'll find somewhere else to put one now to placate the cycle lobby !

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Our labour council think it was a wondrous idea to make a 2 mile section of our coast road one way,will do anything to make a taxi proprietor/drivers life a misery.

About three miles out to sea would be a good spot.

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Former taxi driver

How about along the pier with a take off ramp at the end.

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector