Has the A259 bus lane worked?

There have been dozens of calls for it to be axed and the council leader is taking them seriously.

So has the A259 coast road bus lane actually worked? Reporters ANDY CHILES, RICHARD GURNER and TIM RIDGWAY went by bus, car and bicycle to put it to the test.

The A259 will always be a touchy subject – and for good reason.

Every morning and evening, thousands of people travel along the coast road from all points east – Eastbourne, Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Saltdean and Rottingdean – to get to work in Brighton and Hove and back again.

It can be a frustrating and souldestroying experience for drivers as they sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic for the last six miles from Peacehaven to Brighton.

Until this time last year, bus passengers shared their frustration as they sat with them in the congestion.

But last August the result of a £1.8 million joint project between Brighton and Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council was unveiled. It was a new “sustainable transport corridor” which created bus lanes allowing public transport vehicles to bypass the queue.

There was vociferous opposition from day one. Users of the route, still angry at the huge disruption during construction work, found their car journeys complicated by junctions which often made it slower, more difficult and sometimes dangerous to get around.

Drivers found the queues were no better for them and the road space available to them had been cut, making it all but impossible to overtake slow vehicles.

There have been complaints ever since, including those from significant groups such as Rottingdean Parish Council.

Amendments have been made at key problem areas such as the junctions with Rottingdean High Street and Longridge Avenue in Saltdean but further issues have been raised.

The parish council argued it has made little difference to bus times and urged Brighton and Hove City Council to scrap the scheme. Council leader Mary Mears said she would look at the route personally and was prepared to take it back to the drawing board.

So has the scheme worked?

Has it achieved its aim of getting more people in and out of Brighton and Hove more quickly and with less polluting fumes?

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus Company, firmly believes it has and to prove the point he invited The Argus to see what the journey was like now.

We joined him for a bus trip from Peacehaven to Brighton at 8am on Wednesday, a time chosen because it is peak rush hour.

To make it a fair test, we tackled the same journey at the same time by car and bike to see what the journey was like for drivers and cyclists.

We discovered the bus journey, aided by the new lanes, was faster than by car – but only by a few minutes, despite cars spending their time in a slow queue.

Cycling, at least for our nonregular cyclist, was a pleasant experience but a significantly slower option.

Bus-users, who no longer have to sit in queues, were overwhelmingly supportive of the new lane.

They agreed it had made a significant change to reliability.

Several said they had started catching the bus since the lane was created.

Mr French said: “The problem is people who are unhappy have been very vocal but those who are happy are not speaking up publicly.

“From our point of view it has been a huge success. We have been able to put more and faster services on the routes and they have been very popular.

“If you look at the buses going along there in the morning they are all nearly full.”

His statistics show passenger numbers have risen by 16% in the past year and 27 double-deckers run on the stretch in the morning rush hour, carrying an average of 60 passengers each.

Mr French said: “That’s about 1,600 passengers. If they were not on a bus and each drove individually it would mean an extra car almost every four seconds.

“When the bus lane wasn’t there, there was not much incentive for people not to drive.”

Minute by minute, how our men made their way to Brighton

08.00 Andy, Tim and Richard start at the junction of Roderick Avenue and the A259 South Coast Road in Peacehaven.

08.02 Tim sets the early pace, climbing into the saddle and pedalling off towards Brighton, while Richard runs to his car and pulls quickly into a slow-moving queue of traffic. Andy glances at the digital information screen at the Roderick Avenue bus stop, which tells him the 12X bus he’s due to catch in two minutes is running three minutes late.

08.07 Andy’s bus, an express service making limited stops from Eastbourne to Brighton, arrives.

Richard overtakes Tim.

08.08 The bus joins the bus lane and starts to pass slowmoving traffic.

08.09 Tim passes Richard, who is now stuck in a bumper-tobumper queue.

08.12 Tim tires cycling up the hill into Saltdean and climbs off his bike to walk.

08.14 Richard in his car and Andy on the bus both overtake Tim.

08.15 The bus cruises past Richard as the traffic tightens up again.

08.27 Andy arrives on the bus at the stop in Old Steine, Brighton, and starts the short walk to the Palace Pier.

08.29 Andy arrives at the Palace Pier and spots Richard’s car approaching along Marine Parade.

Richard drives by in search of a parking space.

08.36 Richard finds a parking spot in the Old Steine.

08.39 Richard arrives at the pier to be met by a smug Andy.

08.53 Tim trundles along Madeira Drive to the finishing line, looking red-faced and completely exhausted.

Andy Chiles on the bus

I have to start with a confession. I am not a fan of buses. To my mind they leave you too much at the mercy of too many elements – traffic jams and hyperactive schoolchildren to name but two.

I would usually rather be on a bike or in a car, so you can at least be master of your own fortune.

So this journey was something of a revelation for me. This bus lane may have upset a lot of people but for a bus passenger it really works.

Gone are the days of being at the mercy of congestion on this key commuter route.

It’s not hard to see how frustrating it must be for car drivers to see buses whizzing past them as they sit in the six-mile queue edging its way to Brighton – but you can’t help but feel a bit smug as you go by. My bus was a few minutes late but made up time quickly.

My fellow passengers on the packed double-decker were unanimously full of praise.

Diane Skinner, who uses the bus to commute each day from Seaford to work in Brighton, said the bus lane had cut her journey down to just over half an hour. Before the new lane it could take up to an hour and a half.

She said: “It has been a godsend. I can’t believe they are talking about scrapping it.”

I have to admit I’m won over by the argument Roger French puts up.

He said: “If you get rid of the bus lane you won’t get rid of the congestion because the capacity of the road would not be increased by it.

“All you would do is leave a string of buses sitting in the queue with everyone else and that won’t help anyone.”

There are still problems with the bus lane, not least at the main junctions at Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Saltdean, but the packed buses are testament to the fact it has unquestionably worked.

It’s not bad admiring the view from the top of a double-decker either.

Tim Ridgway on a bicycle

I apologise to all cyclists out there – I let you all down.

In the frantic first couple of miles I really did think I was in with a chance.

The car was way back in traffic while the bus had plenty of stops.

It was only when I reached Saltdean and I heard a hoot from a passing Ford Fiesta that I realised the chase was up.

At this point I started to take in what a beautiful ride it was – the gentle wind, the rolling cliffs and the swaying grass all added to a perfect morning cycle.

The only interruptions came with a couple of the inclines where I hopped off and pushed the bike up to the top of the hill.

But all this was forgotten when I reached the Palace Pier in Brighton.

Despite heckling from the others, I knew that by cycling the six-mile route I had a thorough work-out to accompany my daily commute.

With a little more practice – and perhaps a better bike – I reckon I could get the time down to about 30 minutes.

Regardless of the timing, it’s definitely a case of two wheels good, four wheels bad.

Richard Gurner in the car

I set off from Peacehaven just as the bus pulled up and Andy climbed on. As I drove past I beeped my horn to let them know I was on my way and ahead of them.

One down and just Tim to go. Not long after I started I passed the cyclist as well but my lead in this race was cut short as the bus lane loomed and traffic became heavy.

Traffic slowed and I could see Tim in my mirrors, huffing and puffing. He passed me at the garage just before the bus lane.

Then Andy’s bus passed too and any faint hopes I had of winning disappeared into the distance.

It was then a half-hour journey into Brighton and three other buses passed me as they took full advantage of the open bus lane in front of them.

I finally managed to catch up with Tim just before Saltdean Lido as he was pushing his bike up the hill. Second place was good enough for me.

I arrived in Brighton but then something I hadn’t planned on threw my respectable time out of the window – parking.

I had assumed I would park somewhere near the Palace Pier in Madeira Drive, only to find the majority of the spaces were disabled bays.

It took me ten minutes to find a spot near the Royal Albion Hotel.

The delay had cost me. If only I had caught the bus.