Transport

Park & Ride at Patcham Successfully Opposed

We opposed Brighton & Hove City Council's proposal to create large car parks for park and ride facilities on the edge of the town at Patch and Braypool as it would:

1. create an unacceptable level of traffic intrusion into the area and impede directly onto protected Downland.

2. require a further level of development to provide the necessary management facilities for staff and parkers.

3. be very expensive to run since, to attract users, it must provide a frequent, consistent and reliable service over a large part of the day. Other cities (e.g. Chichester) have already found that they can only finance short-period schemes (e.g. Christmas) due to the high cost of wider provision.

There is no painless solution. We advocate that:

1. we must persuade people OUT of their cars for at least some of their journeys.

2. to support this, there must be in place adequate public transport provision. Brighton is well placed and sufficiently urbanised to sustain an effective scheme.

3. there must be an increase in city parking charges: it must be made cost-effective to travel by public transport.

4. we must accept the liklihood of eventual 'road-pricing'. London has found it effective and it is a policy which is already being promoted nationally.

Brighton's Park & Ride proposals could only have a short-term effect with an unacceptable level of intrusion on the local community. Furthermore, it will destroy valuable adjacent countryside for a merely short-term gain.

The above CPRE proposals will have to be enabled eventually. The danger is once the countryside is irrevocably destroyed it can never be restored.

For the very latest information on the PAIDD campaign go to www.timeistight.co.uk

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