Brighton & Hove City Transport Plan 2035 – CPRE Sussex views

It’s right that the plan aims to encourage active travel and public transport, and to cut carbon emissions. But impact on the countryside needs to be addressed.

We’re concerned that the actions proposed are insufficient to deliver the bold ambitions of the plan. There is little vision about the potential for creating better places if we take cars out of more of the city centre, and worrying little attention paid to the impact on the urban fringe and our precious countryside.

If we’re to deliver on climate, air quality and congestion, and to create spaces for people, we need to see private car use falling in the city – while ensuring that protections are in place for people who need to use cars, and decarbonising the car use that remains.

Shifting journey use to active travel and public transport will likely need bolder policies around Low Emission Zones, a reduction in parking places in the urban centre and so on, and the reallocation of ‘road’ space to other uses (walking/wheeling, places for sitting, pocket parks and green infrastructure, etc). Charging measures are likely to be needed to generate the funding for transport alternatives.

We remain unconvinced that Park and Ride will deliver on critical transport aims. A recent evidence review on Park and Ride found that it increases car kilometres travelled and has a negative impact on modal split – i.e. Park and Ride means people use their cars more, rather than less. Https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CXC-Reducing-car-use-through-parking-policies-August-2023.pdf

Furthermore, we would strongly object to the creation of Park and Ride sites that have a negative impact on the National Park or its setting, or on the urban fringe or green spaces. We would support local neighbourhood hubs if they are combined with other transport policies that encourage modal shift towards active travel and public transport, and reduce overall car use.

Read: https://yourvoice.brighton-hove.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/our-city-transport-plan-2035-key-documents