The Lewes Road bus lane/traffic congestion

[Guy Fawkes]

Its ridiculous and sums up the backwards approach to transport links in Sussex. We have one of the longest counties in England, with some of the worst roads linking the 2 borders (especially east to west)

There is such an anti car political stance in this county and it is hurting businesses, etc, here. I know of people who choose to drive to Crawley to go shopping because it is quicker than driving into central Brighton and they live on the outskirts of Brighton!!

The problem with this scheme is that you have 3 lanes worth of traffic now being forced into 1 lane as you enter Brighton and lights at the viaduct that prevent traffic flowing fast enough to avoid massive tailbacks onto the A27 at or near rush hour.

You can't imagine this sort of approach being used elsewhere like the NHS ie, there is a shortage of beds so we will close more to discourage people getting ill. Or a lack of Police officers on the beat so we will cut the number of officers and people will just have to use the alternative of not becoming victims of crime instead.

One of the worst thing I have found about htis scheme is that the traffic lights timings haven't been altered since the roads were slowed down so that were youused to leave one set as it turned green, but doing the speed limit you get to the next shortly after they had turned green but now you seem to get every set of lights turning red just before you get there. If the scheme was about cutting polution, this would have been altered along time ago because it causes far more to have cars accelerate and brake than travel at a constant speed (and this also now encourages speeding as people rush to beat the lights changing before they get there) - this also affects buses so not too green a solution there either.

But the whole scheme was never about improving things for car drivers or the environment

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I should add that since the new cycle lanes have been added, I have seen more cyclist hit by cars, normally when cars are stuck in traffic and decide to turn off onto side roads and accross the path of a cyclist in the cycle lane. this never happened before when traffic moved fast enough to stop people suddenly seeking alternative routes.

 

[The Large One]

Sorry, you're swerving the case in point, which was your claim that people who complain about traffic when they are part of the traffic are w@nkers. Given that most motorists are 'part of the traffic' then your accusation was clear. It was also ludicrously over the top.

It was the equal tone and opposite POV in response to the point regarding the people who ride bikes - that was the nature of my point.

 

[The Large One]

Yes, the roads are for everyone, but do cyclists pay road fund licence or fuel tax? Motorists pay more than their fair share for the roads and are entitled to get priority. Just accept that most car users have no alternative means of transport for their work. We don't all work 9 til 5 for the local authority or other such public bodies where bus taking is easy.

I'm quite surprised that it took until post 98 for someone to mention this often-trotted out irrelevance.

Motorists pay nothing for the road, except via the same taxes everyone else pays.

And not all bus users work for a local authority or public body.

 

[soistes]

"Road tax doesn't exist. It's car tax, a tax on cars and other vehicles, not a tax on roads or a fee to use them. Motorists do not pay directly for the roads. Roads are paid for via general and local taxation. In 1926, Winston Churchill started the process to abolish road tax. It was finally culled in 1937. The ironically-named iPayRoadTax.com helps spread this message on cycle jerseys. Car tax is based on amount of CO2 emitted so, if a fee had to be paid, cyclists - who are sometimes branded as 'tax dodgers' - would pay the same as 'tax-dodgers' such as disabled drivers, police cars, the Royal family, and band A motorists, ie £0. Most cyclists are also car-owners, too, so pay VED. Many of those who believe road tax exists, want cyclists off the roads or, at least registered, but bicycle licensing is an expensive folly."

Just for your information

Shame on you. Why spoil a binfest with accurate facts??

 

[marshy68]

My point was to the unnecessary barbed accusation - ongoing - that people who ride bikes are w@nkers.

As I've said, if your journeys are necessary, what's the issue?

bus w@nkers and bike w@nkers - watch the inbetweeners... that was my reference point - I have nothing against bus users or decent cyclists what I do object to is the continual persecution of car drivers as if we are some sort of social pariahs. I do also object to they type of bike riding I see in the city everyday which is without any care or consideration for other road users. If I drove my car like the majority of the bike riders in this city I would be in prison.

 

[shaolinpunk]

What we need is an underground system or a monorail to handle public transport, and maybe a raised cycle path as well while we're at it

 

[The Large One]

bus w@nkers and bike w@nkers - watch the inbetweeners... that was my reference point - I have nothing against bus users or decent cyclists what I do object to is the continual persecution of car drivers as if we are some sort of social pariahs. I do also object to they type of bike riding I see in the city everyday which is without any care or consideration for other road users. If I drove my car like the majority of the bike riders in this city I would be in prison.

The 'majority'? Is it really the majority?

Or just 'quite a few'?

 

[MediGull]

Shame on you. Why spoil a binfest with accurate facts??

Sorry......

 

[marshy68]

The 'majority'? Is it really the majority?

Or just 'quite a few'?

its absolutely the majority and 100% never stop at red lights.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Incidentally ... today's delays on Lewes Road are being brought to you by one of NSC's finest (whose anonymity I shall preserve). Grass cutting on the central reservation, between Coldean Lane and Natal Road. The work is scheduled to be finished by 3.30pm.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

LOOK NO FURTHER THAN DOPEY STUDENTS FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT JUMPING will be interesting to see if the traffic calms down a bit when it's half term , don't hold your breath on it
regards
DR

 

[Stuart Munday]

The whole thing is a complete disaster, im not sure if the buses are any quicker than before as the road ran quite smoothly, the road is gridlocked at peak times, people are speeding through the estates looking for rat runs and the road seems alot more dangerous for all users than before. Most people getting off at the new bus stops ignore the cycle lane making it dangerous for them and after all the money spent they havn't even resufaced the road. I have already seen several near misses once it starts getting darker im sure we will have a serious accident.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Puts half an hour on my journey easy - COMPLETE JOKE! fair enough the cycle lane behind the bus stop is an ok idea but keep both lanes open for vehicles for Christs sake! Today the only lane open is the bus lane so its even worse with people getting stuck behind buses when they pull up.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

The 'majority'? Is it really the majority?

Or just 'quite a few'?

I drive into Brighton most mornings for work - for a week I thought I'd keep a note of all the cyclists I saw break traffic laws versus ones I saw that didn't. Not very scientific I know but 72% of the cyclists I saw / passed carried out some sort of illegal act. So yes, in my experiment, a majority.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

the whole thing is a complete disaster, im not sure if the buses are any quicker than before as the road ran quite smoothly, the road is gridlocked at peak times, people are speeding through the estates looking for rat runs and the road seems alot more dangerous for all users than before. Most people getting off at the new bus stops ignore the cycle lane making it dangerous for them and after all the money spent they havn't even resufaced the road. I have already seen several near misses once it starts getting darker im sure we will have a serious accident.

coombe road junction
regards
DR

 

[Albumen]

I should add that since the new cycle lanes have been added, I have seen more cyclist hit by cars, normally when cars are stuck in traffic and decide to turn off onto side roads and accross the path of a cyclist in the cycle lane. this never happened before when traffic moved fast enough to stop people suddenly seeking alternative routes.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll look out for that.

 

[Badger]

I drive into Brighton most mornings for work - for a week I thought I'd keep a note of all the cyclists I saw break traffic laws versus ones I saw that didn't. Not very scientific I know but 72% of the cyclists I saw / passed carried out some sort of illegal act. So yes, in my experiment, a majority.

That doesn't surprise me at all. We're also heading into the time of the year where riding in rush hour requires cyclists to have lights, a large number of them don't seem to have received the memo about this essential need.

I'm all for encouraging cycling and I enjoy it myself but we need to somehow find a way of putting across the message that breaking the rules will not be accepted, otherwise these people will continue to give cycling a bad press.

 

[Albumen]

Centre Hove to the Amex in 25 mins on a bike now. Im usually a bit sweaty but a couple of pints is an award. Home usually in 35, waiting for all the dawdlers walking towards the car park. They should put in a cycle lane, maybe I'll suggest it.

 

[Albumen]

I drive into Brighton most mornings for work - for a week I thought I'd keep a note of all the cyclists I saw break traffic laws versus ones I saw that didn't. Not very scientific I know but 72% of the cyclists I saw / passed carried out some sort of illegal act. So yes, in my experiment, a majority.

I call rollox on that. Show the spreadsheet.