Cycle lane could connect Brighton and Hove to Shoreham

West Sussex County Council and Adur District Council are working on a raft of measures to make cycling and walking “more attractive” across the county, including a cycle lane that would cover the majority of the A259 between the two.

The proposed scheme consists of a mostly two-way cycle lane, separated from the road and footway, on the southern side of the A259, between the junction of East Street and the Adur Ferry Bridge in the west to the Brighton and Hove boundary in the east.

West Sussex County Council said there are “pinch points” along the route that prevent it from being able to provide the cycle lane along the entire corridor.

It has instead proposed a shared use footway and cycleway to maintain the connection for cyclists off the road.

Other proposals include the creation of “floating” bus stops with space for cyclists to pass behind to prevent them having to join the road or share the footway with pedestrians, shared cyclist and pedestrian crossings along some side road junctions, increasing the width of footways at some junctions to reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and cyclists and streetscape improvements.

Three routes across Lancing and Sompting will also be considered.

These include West Street in Sompting to Crabtree Lane in Lancing, the A2025 Grinstead Lane corridor in Lancing and the Western Road corridor which runs from Lancing to Sompting.

An artist's impression of the Lancing to Sompting plans (Image: West Sussex County Council)

The scheme is expected to be funded using developer contributions and central government grants intended for active travel schemes.

West Sussex County Council has now launched a consultation on the A259 proposals.

“The improvements along the A259 between Shoreham and Brighton and Hove would provide a safer, more desirable and direct route for the National Cycle Network route two,” the council said.

“The Shoreham Harbour area is part of a regeneration project that includes mixed use redevelopment on the Western Harbour Arm.

“It is therefore important to develop proposals for high quality cycle infrastructure that could serve these developments as well as the existing communities.

“These proposals form part of a package of sustainable transport and road junction measures being developed around Adur district to mitigate the impacts of development and improve the transport network for local communities, including addressing congestion.”

In Adur, the council said the route would help to improve the links to local destinations, including Shoreham town centre, Shoreham, Southwick and Fishersgate railway stations, shops and other businesses, Kingston Beach, Shoreham Port and schools and colleges.

The scheme could also connect to the Waterfront leisure path that has been proposed as part of Shoreham Western Harbour Arm development.

This would provide a “shared use” cyclist and pedestrian facility along the River Adur, acting as an alternative to the route along the A259.

The council said by making cycling between Shoreham and Brighton and Hove more direct, as well as providing a “safe space” for cycling off the road, it is expected that more people would be encouraged to cycle, particularly those less confident.

“This could reduce vehicle numbers, as people swap using their cars for active modes of travel,” the council said.

“This would help to reduce congestion and improve air and noise pollution in the local area.”

These improvements would be in addition to the potential schemes on the Middle Road and Upper Shoreham Road corridors, the council said, which have been developed further following public consultation in summer 2021.

The updated plans consultation pages and online surveys can be found at:

•            Shoreham to Brighton and Hove: yourvoice.westsussex.gov.uk/a259-shoreham-to-brighton

•            Lancing and Sompting: yourvoice.westsussex.gov.uk/lancing-and-sompting

Consultation feedback will be analysed and used to help develop the designs and determine the next steps for the schemes. 

Both consultations are open until 11.59pm on Monday, February 27.

Drop-in events have been arranged to give people the chance to view the proposals in person and speak to members of the project team.

Events relating to the A259 Shoreham to Brighton and Hove boundary proposal will be held on:

• Wednesday, February 1, in the Main Hall, Swiss Gardens Primary School, Shoreham between 4.30pm and 8pm

• Monday, February 6, in the Porter Room at Southwick Community Centre, Southwick between 4pm and 8pm

Events relating to the Lancing and Sompting proposal will be held on:

• Wednesday, February 15, in the main Atrium at the Sir Robert Woodard Academy, between 4pm to 8pm.

• Online event, Wednesday, February 22, 7pm to 8pm (to register, email STIPactivetravel@westsussex.gov.uk.)

Councillor Steve Neocleous, Adur District Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and strategic planning, said: “Whether you’re passionate about cycling or someone who relies on active travel to get around town, I’d really encourage you to take a look at the updated plans and share your thoughts.

“We are aware that the support for active travel needs in the district needs to be improved and have been pushing to try and bring these positive changes to fruition.

“It’s important that cyclists feel safe sharing the roads with motorists, and we want those on foot to have an appropriate number of crossings and footways available to them.

“This scheme must be the starting point for a wide range of transport improvements across the district, as we look to enhance the connectivity between existing and planned pedestrianised routes and address the congestion issues we face.”