Safety improvements in Trafalgar Street area

Work will begin this month to improve safety in a key shopping area of the city.

Changes to junctions of Trafalgar Street and Blackman Street, and Trafalgar Street and Whitecross Street are due to begin from Monday 22 January.

Following six recorded collisions resulting in injury over a three-year period, the Trafalgar Street/Blackman Street junction has been identified as a priority area for safety improvements.

This is because of the poor visibility for vehicles pulling out of Blackman Street. We believe there have been more collisions that have gone unreported.

The safety improvements will involve closing Blackman Street at the junction with Trafalgar Street to motor vehicles. However, vehicles will still be able to use Blackman Street in both directions between its junction with Cheapside, and the Trafalgar Street Car Park and will remain open for cyclists.

The closure will also allow a new tree to be planted at the junction and some new street furniture.

Picture: The junction of Trafalgar Street and Blackman Street

Approved by councillors last year, this work is being funded by our Local Transport Plan budget, which has money set aside for sites with a high collision history.

Pedestrian improvements

In addition, using developer funding, we’re also going to improve the pedestrian routes in the Trafalgar Street / Whitecross Street / Sydney Street area.

This will involve:

• Replacing the existing raised area of road at Sydney Street,
• Extending the raised area to cover the junctions with Whitecross Street and Tidy Street,
• Narrowing of the junction of Whitecross Street to reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians, and, 
• Extending the one-way restriction on Trafalgar Street from its junction with Sydney Street to its junction with Whitecross Street.

These changes will complement the existing day-time closure of Sydney Street and reduce the number of vehicles travelling the wrong way down Trafalgar Street.

Any vehicles wishing to access Sydney Street when it is open will need to travel via Pelham Street or York Place / St George’s Place

Two-way access for cycles will be maintained. The work is scheduled to take around 5 weeks to complete.

Picture: The junction of Trafalgar Street, Tidy Street and Whitecross Street

Safer space for everyone

Councillor Trevor Muten, Chair of the Transport and Sustainability committee said: “These improvements will improve safety in a busy shopping area of Brighton & Hove.  

“We know the junction with Blackman Street has been an issue we needed to address and closing the road at one end will mean a safer space for all road users.

“The improvements around Sydney Street and Whitecross Street will make it a much nicer place for people to shop and enhance the vibrancy of this part of the city.

“This is a part of the city where people shop, eat, drink and socialise so it’s important we make it as safe as possible. These changes will undoubtedly do that.”