Safer, better streets – priority list presented to councillors

A list of the top 12 city streets prioritised for improvement will be presented to councillors next week.

Members of the Transport and Sustainability committee look set to approve the list under the council’s Safer, Better Streets programme for 2024/25 when they meet at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday 5 December.

It’s the first time the list has been produced using a new scoring system to assess the dozens of requests we get for improvements.

The Safer, Better Streets – Highway Improvement Prioritisation Framework assessments, which was approved earlier this year, uses 16 different categories for assessing sites where concerns have been raised by residents.

They include casualty data, but also social factors like access to key services, walking and cycling, traffic counts, accessibility, and the perception of danger.

Among the sites identified for improvement are:

• Goldstone Villas / Clarendon Villas / Eaton Villas junction
• The junction of Holmes Avenue and Neville Avenue
• Surrenden Road at the junction with Preston Drove

Image: Junction of Goldstone Villas, Clarendon Villas and Eaton Villas

Read the full list and the methodology in the committee report. 

The 12 sites will be taken forward over the coming years, subject to funding availability, consultation and any Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) needed.

Delivered in the last 12 months

Work has been progressing on those sites identified from the previous Pedestrian Crossing Priority Programme.

Of those on last year’s list included:

• Surrenden Road at the junction with Harrington Road and Bates Road – work completed in November 2023
• Junction of Whitehawk Road / Roedean Road / Bristol Gardens / Arundel Road – a six week consultation in the summer design received overwhelming support. Work is expected to start early next year.
• Hove Park Road junction with Shirley Drive – junction work to reduce speeds in and out of the junctions has been completed. A new illuminated Give Way sign has also been installed.

Safer, better streets

Councillor Trevor Muten, Chair of the Transport and Sustainability committee said: “It’s important that we do all we can to improve the safety of the city’s streets and use the available money we have to prioritise those areas where we can do the most good.

“The new scoring system means that, not only are we looking at casualty data, we’re also taking into account a host of other factors that effect how people travel, use and perceive these streets and junctions. It is important that we listen to residents’ concerns and make our communities safer and better.

“I’m very pleased to see the progress we’ve already made and look forward to seeing more work being done to improve the streets of Brighton & Hove.”