Cycle Lanes - The Drive and Old Shoreham Road

1) I would be very grateful if you could confirm the exact total cost of both of these cycle lanes (I understand that the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane cost GBP 690,000 and the one on the Drive cost about GBP 1,000,000)
A1)According to our financial accountant the LTP spend as of Year End 2013 for the Old Shoreham Road Scheme was £406,000 with additional £330,000 from other sources. Therefore the year end costs equate to £736,000 for Old Shoreham Road. I am not able to find the figures for the exact costs for the Drive within the time allocated to this request however it is in the region of £1,000,000.

2) Why is so little room given to cars / lorries (relative to pedestrians and cyclists) on both of these major roads in Hove? I understand from the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane planning letter to residents (dated 25 August 2011) that the combined pavement and cycle lane was planned to be 4.3m wide (at a minimum) yet cars / lorries are allocated only 3m. Why does traffic that is wider and more prone to congestion and, thus more in need to overtake, given so little width?
A2) In order to answer your question I have highlighted the principles of the OSR scheme.

The objectives of the LTS cycle facilities along OSR are to achieve long term and measurable increases in cycling to benefit the community and pupils travelling to schools in the area. This is to be achieved by creating a safe and legible cycle route which encourages people to cycle, thereby increasing the potential for physical activity, reducing obesity in children, reducing congestion and improving local air quality and reducing carbon emissions.

The Coalition government set out its policy direction in the new Transport White Paper ‘Creating growth, cutting carbon’ (January 2011), emphasising the importance of delivering local transport solutions. The government highlights the importance of transport investment for:
• Supporting economic growth
• Reducing carbon emissions
• Promoting equality of opportunity
• Contributing to better safety, security and health
• Improving quality of life

In accordance with national policy objectives Brighton & Hove’s Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) has considered a significant number of local strategies and plans resulting in a number of key themes and principles, which
include the need to:
• Manage – increasing transport choices for everybody and making the
transport network more efficient through information and innovation and technology;
• Improve –providing additional infrastructure to assist travel and improve environments e.g better air quality levels and residents’ health;
• Maintain – repairing roads, pavements and street lights.
BHCC Transport Planning officers have reviewed and prioritised potential key strategic cycle facilities for the city over the duration of the current LTP delivery plan (2011-14). This prioritisation exercise revealed that resources and available funding are best concentrated on key strategic links to fill gaps in the cycle network which will benefit the city as whole, supporting the ‘school run’ and other necessary trips.

The Administration’s manifesto commitment to cycling is to ‘create a core network of safe cycling routes across the city’. The Old Shoreham Road route between BHASVIC at the junction with Dyke Road up to and including the junction of Shirley Drive/The Drive/OSR has been prioritised as the next key strategic link to implement cycle and pedestrian facilities for 2011/12.

The scheme will make walking & cycling a genuine choice for the 5000 pupils attending schools adjacent to the proposed facilities. It will also provide a safer journey for parents and children who are currently or perhaps considering cycling to school or work. Furthermore, by providing safer facilities it is anticipated that more people who currently do not cycle because of their concerns regarding safety will be encouraged to do so. The scheme will also provide better links to a number of recreation and leisure facilities such as Hove Park.

3) Please can you advise how many cyclists actually use both lanes per day on average
A3) The following link will take you to our traffic and cycle count data and surveys where you will see the latest information on cycle counts at both Old Shoreham Road and the Drive.
http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/...

4) Please can you advise what the alternative proposals were when both the cycle lane on the Drive and Old Shoreham Road were being considered and what their estimated costs were.
A4) For Old Shoreham Road Options below were considered costs were not estimated until a preferred option was determined. A consultation for cycle and pedestrian facilities along the full length of OSR was held in 2009. The results were presented to Environment Cabinet on 25th March 2010 with 66% of those responding as in favour of dedicated cycle facility provision along the full length of OSR. Following the consultation the proposed scheme was developed to incorporate segregated on road cycle lanes in each direction between 1.5 and 2.0 metres wide. Segregation takes the form of a low kerb edge from the footway to cycleway and from the cycleway to carriageway.

5) Please can you advise how many accidents for both cyclists and vehicles have occurred before and after the inception of both of these cycle lanes.

A5) Collision Data for the city can be found using the following link.
http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/...
We are not able to advise on specific collision information as this is information owned and held by the Police.

6) Finally, please can you provide all the results of the review of the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane mentioned in the article below, ie "We will of course monitor the situation over the next six months so that we can make an accurate assessment of the impact of the changes"
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9775833._...
A6) Post improvement report is attached which includes all the results of the Old Shoreham Road Review please be aware this is in draft format and may be altered.