The Tourism Alliance (TA) is not a political organisation but its agenda is very ‘Green’.

Its key priorities currently focus on improving cleanliness, reducing congestion and making the city more accessible.

We are not convinced that reducing speed limits to 20mph right across the city is the optimum solution to improving road safety and there are certainly better ways to reduce carbon emissions. Furthermore, studies have shown that if traffic is held in a slow moving queue for any length of time 30% of journeys will be abandoned.

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That means 30% fewer car loads of customers coming into the city centre at peak trading times.

There is a way to reduce emissions, improve road safety, reduce traffic, increase footfall and boost the economy.

Yet Brighton, dubbed the Green capital of the UK, is failing on every count. How can this be?

The answer is simple. Due to many years of political disagreement we have missed the opportunity to secure Braypool as a Park and Ride facility. This is now part of the National Park and cannot be considered.

Park and Ride would be a win-win all round for businesses, for residents and for our highly valued visitors.

However, there is just one fly in the ointment. The city of Norwich has carried out research into Park and Rides.

The study also revealed that they deprived the local authority of £5.9 million in parking fines per year. Could this be the barrier?

It would be a very sad indictment on our Green capital if we were to drive carbon emissions (and tempers) sky high because we had given up on one of the most fundamental Green policies in the book.

The TA is going to re-open the debate on Park and Ride at its members meeting in December.

We are not ready to give up yet and we hope to carry our Green council with us.