We’re answering some of the questions from residents about our recent funding award for an active travel scheme on Marine Parade.
Hopefully the answers below give you more information about the scheme and also serve to correct some of the misinformation around active travel schemes.
What is it?
We put in a funding bid last year to the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve infrastructure for active travel on Marine Parade (A259). We found out last week that this bid has been successful.
Give me some more detail
The scheme would provide a continuous two-way cycle facility on the southern side of the A259, as well as improvements to pedestrian crossings and new crossings along the route.
The scheme would cover the 1.3 miles along Marine Parade from just east of the junction with Old Steine, to Brighton Marina.
The scheme will also include cycle parking, provision of a BTN Bikeshare hub and bus network improvements between the Palace Pier roundabout and Lower Rock Gardens
How is it being funded?
We were awarded £1.208m from Tranche 3 of the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund to pay for this scheme.
We had previously been awarded funding from Tranches 1 and 2 of this fund. Find out more information about these previous funding awards.
This money can only be used for the Marine Parade scheme.
Why Marine Parade?
There is currently no dedicated provision for cycling along Marine Parade. We are also aware of reports of cycling on the pavement in this location.
The scheme will include improvements to pedestrian crossings and tie in with the new junction planned as part of the Valley Gardens phase 3 project (Old Steine/Palace Pier roundabout).
The proposals will benefit residents in the Kemptown and Whitehawk areas where there is known demand for commuting journeys, including to the hospital.
The A259 Marine Parade/Marine Drive is one of the priority routes identified in our Local Cycling Walking and Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), which was approved by members of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee in March.
But there’s already a cycle lane on Maderia Drive
The cycle lane on Madeira Drive can only be accessed from the Palace Pier roundabout at its west end or Dukes Mound and the Marina to the east.
This means that many people living in the Kemp Town and Whitehawk parts of the city can’t easily access it to travel east and west along the seafront, particularly for everyday journeys.
We have also previously identified that some people travelling by cycle prefer this route to Madeira Drive as the latter is a more leisurely tourist location.
Why provide protected cycle lanes?
Many people tell us that the reason they don’t cycle is because they don’t feel safe. New national design standards are now in place, meaning that active travel must be safely and adequately provided for including protected cycle lanes where appropriate.
Local authority schemes will now be inspected by a new national body, Active Travel England, and funding can be withdrawn for schemes that do not meet these new national standards.
What about parking and Blue Badge holders?
The new scheme may mean the loss of some parking spaces along Marine Parade, however we will aim to keep this to a minimum.
As with other active travel schemes, we will work to ensure there are as many, if not more, spaces for Blue Badge holders than currently provided.
Will residents be consulted?
Yes. Once the scheme has been designed it will be subject to a full city-wide consultation where residents, businesses and stakeholders can share their views.
When is it likely to be in place?
We have only just been told of the successful funding bid but work will begin in the coming weeks to develop a preliminary design.
Any construction date would be dependent on a number of factors, including the public consultation and detailed design of the scheme.
