Congestion charge in Brighton & Hove

[The Large One]

This seems to be back on the agenda as one of many considerations for traffic management as part of the discussions over the Masterplan for the city.

1. What do you think of a congestion charge in Brighton - good or bad?
2. If it had to come in, where should the boundaries of the charge zone be?
3. How would it affect you if it did come in?

Just curious, like.

 

[sten_super]

This seems to be back on the agenda as one of many considerations for traffic management as part of the discussions over the Masterplan for the city.

1. What do you think of a congestion charge in Brighton - good or bad?
2. If it had to come in, where should the boundaries of the charge zone be?
3. How would it affect you if it did come in?

Just curious, like.

Economically, they are pucka. However, getting people to vote for it is like getting turkeys to vote for christmas. If they can't get one in Manchester (where the positives were completely overwhelming) I don't think they'll get one anyhwere.

 

[Acker79]

Is it like the london one where residents are exempt?

 

[Mendoza]

The council are doing all they can to keep tourists away with no free street parking, stupidly high parking rates for car parks (80p for 15 minutes) and stupidly high bus prices, so why not chuck in another charge to keep even more people away....

 

[The Oldman]

Cannot have Congestion charge without proper P & R . Brighton needs 3 East/West/North. Even with that sorted I think a congestion charge would be very damaging to Brighton's economy.

 

[gullshark]

Knowing my luck the boundary will fall just outside my flat or something and i'll have to pay.

IMO a charge simply is not needed.

 

[Uter]

The council are doing all they can to keep tourists away with no free street parking, stupidly high parking rates for car parks (80p for 15 minutes) and stupidly high bus prices, so why not chuck in another charge to keep even more people away....

I don't think the council have any control over the bus prices.

 

[Superphil]

It's all bollocks, if the Council really wanted to tackle congestion they would either prevent cars from entering the city at all, and make huge out of town car parks, or make the charge a hefty £50 a day to drive in town, or make tha car parks £50 a day. Any other "solution" will simply raise revenue.

I bet if they go for any, it will be the revenue one.

 

[Gwylan]

The council are doing all they can to keep tourists away with no free street parking, stupidly high parking rates for car parks (80p for 15 minutes) and stupidly high bus prices, so why not chuck in another charge to keep even more people away....

Keeping tourists away? Have you seen the traffic on Brighton's roads on any weekend in the summer?

My feeling is that sooner or later most cities will adopt some sort of congestion charge - Durham and London are just pace setters here but there will be more to follow. But it can't be done in isolation, it needs park and ride and something like a tram system to offer rapid transit across town.

 

[cunning fergus]

Is it like the london one where residents are exempt?

Not just the residents, I note that in London there are now scores of Bentleys, Aston Martins and Ferraris all defined as mini cabs; no doubt our local politicans and their 'friends' will be allowed to bang out some more tunes on the jewish piano so that only the proletariat will have to pay the charges.................another 'great leap forward' no doubt.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

As someone else has mentioned, there needs to be park and ride facilities in place to allow the visitor, shopper, etc to drive to the outskirts of Brighton and the park and then hop on a bus within minutes.

I live just outside York, where its prctically impossible to drive, park within the city. They have 4/5 massive park and ride facilities and the buses are every 10 mins or so. Added to that fares are reasonably priced and it works a treat.

Would Brighton be able to set up something similar.

 

[Mendoza]

Keeping tourists away? Have you seen the traffic on Brighton's roads on any weekend in the summer?

I agree the traffic is bad ,but thats normally because one lane each way of the seafront road is closed due to roadworks / Labour Party Conference.

 

[Bones]

it needs park and ride and something like a tram system to offer rapid transit across town.

That is currently being investigated apparently.

 

[Marc]

1. What do you think of a congestion charge in Brighton - good or bad?
good if it stops alot of traffic and forces people onto public transport, bad cos the cabbies will charge more probably!


2. If it had to come in, where should the boundaries of the charge zone be?
1 mile radius from somewhere in the middle!


3. How would it affect you if it did come in?
quite a bit if the boundary extended to my workplace, but overall hardly anything really.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

1. I can't see a congestion charge system being a good idea all the while we do not have a decent integrated public transport system in the city. We need a tram/rapid transport system, park and ride sites on the outskirts of the city and a subsidised bus service before congestion charging should be considered.

2. If it had to come in the boundaries could be Grand Ave, The Drive, Cromwell Rd, Davigdor Rd, Goldsmid Rd, New England Rd, Viaduct Rd, Upper Lewes Rd, Bear Rd, Tenantry Down Rd and Freshfield Rd.

3. Depends where the boundaries are and if you are exempt if you live within the boundary. I work out of Brighton, but if I lived within the boundary would I get charged when I came home from work?

 

[Chicken Run]

1. What do you think of a congestion charge in Brighton - good or bad?
2. If it had to come in, where should the boundaries of the charge zone be?
3. How would it affect you if it did come in?

Answers
1.Bad!
2.Montpelier Road, Seven Dials and Stanford Avenue
3. I live in the City centre so if I dont have to pay It wont!

 

[The Large One]

It's kicking off like it's autogeddon on the Argus website. Better balanced arguments on here.

FWIW, I agree about the transport policy issues as mentioned on here. I'm all for keeping unnecessary car journeys out of the city centre. We have a good bus service in the city but it's too expensive.

The Park & Ride service now no longer exists. This I find incredible. While it was pathetic before, its abolition leaves me wondering what the planners have in mind for the future of the city. Their planning policy of not building north of the bypass is, I believe, their own and could surely be overturned. To that end, a Park & Ride site at Patchdean (plus one at Ovingdean and one at Benfield Valley) would more than adequately cater for incoming visitors.

One thing I'm not sure of which has been raised on here - how would a new tram system be better than a (reliable) bus service?

 

[Gwylan]

One thing I'm not sure of which has been raised on here - how would a new tram system be better than a (reliable) bus service?

By not being stuck behind traffic.

But you're right, a decent bus service with less traffic in town should suffice

 

[ali jenkins]

I think its would be good aslong as they dont:

A) make it too expensive, £5 MAX I think

B) make it free for people who live/work within the boundary

C) have big and cheep enough park and ride systems in place from all directions. (The problem with this is placement, Withdean would be ok for the north but where do you have them east and west?)

D) have suitable routes around the charge. If I want to go from work to, say Football training at stanley Deason, the quickest route is to go accross Brighton via the seafront. If there was a congestion charge then Id have to work my way up to either the old Shoreham Road or the bypass and cut down Lewes rd/Falmer. This would add traffic to those routes and nearly double the time, both things that would dis-courage people from going to long way and just paying the charge, which would ultimetly be what the charge was there for in the first place!

 

[Notters]

Would Brighton be able to set up something similar.

No - South Downs National Park.