Idiot loses their way at Vogue Gyratory and ends up in... the cycle lane

[vegster]

The Level is great and I can't comment on the gyratory yet as I've not seen it. The Lewes Road 'improvements' are anything but, the Seven Dials is already breaking up due to poor design and is less safe for some pedestrians due to protection barriers being removed and Queens Road was an utter waste of time and money - ohh, look, a slightly wider pavement and some planters - no benefits to anyone at all.

There are just a few loose stones, the majority is fine. and the barriers were removed to improve visibility. If pedestrians insist on cutting corners and not walking the five yards down the adjoining roads to the pedestrian crossings, they will be less safe. But hey, these people are earplugged in to their i-tunes and have to get to work before their cup off latte gets cold so there is bound to be injuries.

 

[chimneys]

Must admit it is a tad confusing when you first go round it, find that section near the Sainsbury entrance and the bus stop an accident waiting to happen...

So which is it? Your title says "idiot" but your last line states its confusing! Or are suggesting you are also an idiot?!

 

[Westdene Wonder]

I'll give you Seven Dials, that is so much better now than it used to be. I used to go through there holding my breath every time.

There are now long tailbacks in Dyke road since the so called improvements to the seven dials which twice this week has doubled the time it takes to reach the clock tower,if you are catching a train you need to take two buses earlier than the timetable suggests.
The size and shape of the roundabout makes it very difficult for large vans and buses to avoid running over the cobblestones,i expect the Bus company will be claiming compensation for the suspension damage which is making buses very uncomfortable to travel in.

 

[Screaming J]

Doesn't really explain this particular incident though - more the result of an utter moron, who shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of a car. "Ooh look at the pretty little RED road they've put in. That must be the special lane for little cars".

My sentiments entirely. What a shmuck!

 

[Super Steve Earle]

It's not the design of the roundabout that's the problem but inferior cobbles used. It's easier for pedestrians now with zebra crossings, rather than lights, which held everyone up.

If it's easier for pedestrians now, how come they cross diagonally across the roundabout then jump in the road and expect drivers to brake sharply - happened to me on Wednesday?

 

[Winker]

I walk round the 'vague' every day and can see it's only a matter of time before there's an accident. As has been said, there are no road markings for traffic coming down Hollingdean Road so motorists seem totally confused as to where they are supposed to go. They swerve around trying to aim up Bear Road or turn left and right on Lewes Road. The bit of cycle lane where the car ended up juts out into the traffic flow and obviously tempted someone who was probably looking out for non existent guidance from the road markings. The raised kerb on the cycle lane caught my eye when it was built, but apparently not the eyes of the cyclists concerned! It was coned off when I came home tonight.

All this was done to make the junction safer for all road users and pedestrians, yeah right.

 

[LadySeagull]

No, you can't defend that kind of BELLENDERY but you've got to wonder how that design got through without someone questioning it.

Indeed, why no pic of a cycle on the red lane, and why no blue arrow on the bollard (the circle on the bollard is blank!). This is a mess and some poor cyclist will end up getting killed along there.

 

[£1.99]

Minus this dodgy discreet piece of curb and the idiot driver who chose to use the cycle lane, the gyratory has been improved massively. The same can be said for the Seven Dials, The Level, Queens Road and so on.

Count yourself lucky that we have a council who is focussed on improving the city like it does, and long may it continue.

Agree with most of what you say except about how good the council are, they have done nothing for the people of West Hove and Portslade, where are the cycle paths?
I cycle to Brighton most days from Portslade and have to go down to the seafront by Hove lagoon before i reach a cycle lane!

 

[Bry Nylon]

Doesn't really explain this particular incident though - more the result of an utter moron, who shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of a car. "Ooh look at the pretty little RED road they've put in. That must be the special lane for little cars".

Agreed. It's a recipe for road-rage - that terrifying moment when an utter moron suddenly turns into a cyclepath.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I hit that kerb when I went round that corner just after it was put together, it wasn't blocked off and wasn't fully open yet. A bendy bus was trying to squeeze me around the outside so I moved over and hit the raised kerb. My reflexes are outrageous and all I did was smack the pedals against my legs several times. Had I been less on the ball I'd have stacked it completely and gone flying. I feel sorry for the people who have come off there, I did well to avoid it.

I wrote to the council to complain about the signage, and they replied admitting it was poorly marked at that time and they put barriers there the next day, so you knew not to try and move over straight away, that there was a kerb there you couldn't mount. But if people are STILL going off and the whole thing is open, I'm not sure how much blame you can put on the council. Whisper it quietly, but cyclists make mistakes in the same way motorists do. I spend a lot of time on my bike, and I've seen a lot of bizarre errors - but have made a couple myself, and I'm the first to admit them and learn from them.

 

[brighton bluenose]

The Level is great and I can't comment on the gyratory yet as I've not seen it. The Lewes Road 'improvements' are anything but, the Seven Dials is already breaking up due to poor design and is less safe for some pedestrians due to protection barriers being removed and Queens Road was an utter waste of time and money - ohh, look, a slightly wider pavement and some planters - no benefits to anyone at all.

So wider pavements and an improved environment with planters aren't beneficial - you really talk some utter pish!!

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Agree with most of what you say except about how good the council are, they have done nothing for the people of West Hove and Portslade, where are the cycle paths?
I cycle to Brighton most days from Portslade and have to go down to the seafront by Hove lagoon before i reach a cycle lane!

Portslade & Hove Lagoon are not in Brighton Pavillion constituency...

 

[brighton bluenose]

There are now long tailbacks in Dyke road since the so called improvements to the seven dials which twice this week has doubled the time it takes to reach the clock tower,if you are catching a train you need to take two buses earlier than the timetable suggests.
The size and shape of the roundabout makes it very difficult for large vans and buses to avoid running over the cobblestones,i expect the Bus company will be claiming compensation for the suspension damage which is making buses very uncomfortable to travel in.

Embarrassing nonsense!! Buses and large lorries are MEANT to go over the cobbles ffs and the local bus company has commended the design!!

 

[Max Paper]

To all the seven dials fanboys, if you had to drive round it before it was changed holding your breath or with your eyes shut then you shouldn't have a driving licence. Yes it's better but **** me its a roundabout.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

So wider pavements and an improved environment with planters aren't beneficial - you really talk some utter pish!!

Have you actually seen it ? It's utter toilet. It hasn't enhanced the area at all. When the locals rejected the original plans the scheme should have been dumped rather than the half arsed waste of money they went on to do. The planters even have dead plants in.

 

[brighton bluenose]

Have you actually seen it ? It's utter toilet. It hasn't enhanced the area at all. When the locals rejected the original plans the scheme should have been dumped rather than the half arsed waste of money they went on to do. The planters even have dead plants in.

Of course I've seen it otherwise I wouldn't comment! The wider pavements are an obvious benefit and improvement on what was there previously and whilst the planters may not yet be at their best it is clearl that some foliage and greenery would improve this area - surely even you can't disagree with that?!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

There are now long tailbacks in Dyke road since the so called improvements to the seven dials which twice this week has doubled the time it takes to reach the clock tower,if you are catching a train you need to take two buses earlier than the timetable suggests.
The size and shape of the roundabout makes it very difficult for large vans and buses to avoid running over the cobblestones,i expect the Bus company will be claiming compensation for the suspension damage which is making buses very uncomfortable to travel in.

Lorries & buses are meant to run over the cobblestones. It's designed that way, and it isn't uncomfortable at all. The suspension on a bus isn't going to be be affected by small cobblestones. They may have been set badly or be breaking away in some places but that's the fault of the builders not the design.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

If it's easier for pedestrians now, how come they cross diagonally across the roundabout then jump in the road and expect drivers to brake sharply - happened to me on Wednesday?

You'll always get idiot pedestrians. The vast majority use the crossings.

 

[Brovion]

Interesting. We walk that way a lot as we drink in The Bugle, and the first time we went down there my wife tripped over a kerb for the sunken cycle lane outside Sainsbury's. I can't comment on what it's like for motorists, cyclists or bus users but it has made absolutely zero improvement for pedestrians.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Agree with most of what you say except about how good the council are, they have done nothing for the people of West Hove and Portslade, where are the cycle paths?
I cycle to Brighton most days from Portslade and have to go down to the seafront by Hove lagoon before i reach a cycle lane!

They've done nothing for Portslade, Whitehawk or Hollingbury because no one there votes for them. Improvements all over in the vicinity of the Dials, Muesli Mountain, elm Grove and centre with all its student flats. Progressive social justice my arse.