A radical traffic scheme which has removed pavements and road markings from a busy rat-run is to be extended across Brighton and Hove.

The £1 million redesign of New Road in Brighton has cut traffic levels and turned the area into one of the most popular spaces in the city according to figures just released.

It has now emerged that Black Lion Street in The Lanes will be the next on Brighton and Hove City Council's list of roads to undergo the same treatment.

The street will be levelled out, new paving laid and a "shared space" created for both pedestrians and cars to use.

Other thoroughfares could now follow, including routes through The Lanes and North Laine.

The New Road scheme attracted controversy when it reopened to traffic last summer after more than a year's work.

Many, including Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper and Guide Dogs for the Blind, feared it would put those on foot at risk as pedestrians wandered into the paths of oncoming cars.

But statistics released by Brighton and Hove City Council reveal: A 93 per cent reduction in traffic, Car speeds have fallen to under 13mph, A 22 per cent increase in cycling, and A 162 per cent increase in pedestrians.

Council officials claim New Road has become the fourth most popular place to spend time in the city.

A swathe of Black Lion Street will now also to be transformed with the removal of the pavement and road markings.

Developer Karis is renovating two buildings along the stretch into a Jamie Oliver restaurant, cafes, bars and offices and will be paying £100,000 for the road revamp.

Spokeswoman Heather James said: "It will make a huge difference for this area of Brighton.

"We are going to use new high quality material across the street and put new lighting in.

"It will make it a much more attractive link between the seafront and the lanes."

Gehl, the Danish architects behind New Road, have earmarked Ship Street, East Street and Gloucester Road as another three Brighton roads for the shared space treatment.

Geoffrey Theobald, the chairman of the council's environment committee, said he agreed with the firm's recommendation but added that the council faced financial constraints.

He said: "New Road is a benchmark for other schemes and there are possibilities there.

"We have got New Road, which has been great, and we will have Black Lion Street and if this is a success no doubt, if funding is available, we will improve the appearance of other roads, particularly in the old town area."

Councillor Gill Mitchell, the leader of the Labour group on the council which initiated the New Road project when it was in power, said the scheme had been a tremendous success and called on other parts of the city to be included.

She said: "I would like to see other areas of the city with shared spaces now, although we would have to look at the displacement of traffic.

"I am very aware of what the taxi drivers are saying and we have to bear that in mind."

Former Brighton and Hove taxi driver of the year Damian Norman said he hadn't used New Road since it reopened as a shared space but was more concerned with proposals to close off the junction between Ship Street and North Street.

He said: "I do not think New Road has made much difference to taxis although we used to used it quite a lot.

"The plans for Ship Street would be bad, shared space would be a better idea for the taxi trade."

Some of the loudest complaints about New Road have emanated from Guide Dogs For The Blind which uncovered that New Road was more dangerous and more difficult to navigate for visually impaired people because of the changes.

Carol Thomas, the access and inclusion manager at Guide Dogs, said: "The local authority has said it will consult us on further schemes.

"It can still be a shared space and a safe space but footways with curbs should be retained.

"We still have concerns about New Road and if they have so few cars using it, why can it not be pedestrianised?

"Some blind and partially sighted people in the area can no longer use it."

But a council-conducted safety audit found that the road did not place visually impaired people in particular danger.

Another report will be presented to councillors with specific improvements for the blind and costs.

The council also wants to reduce the speed limit along New Road from 20mph to 5mph, but has been told by the Department for Transport that it cannot.

Councillor Theobald is to write to the department again asking why a lower speed cannot be trialled in New Road.