Businesses have given mixed reactions to new double red lines on two of the main arteries into the city.
Drivers will be fined if they stop on the lines which are supposed to help traffic flow by stopping “antisocial parking” in London Road and Lewes Road, Brighton.
The crackdown, due to start being enforced from next month, will see drivers fined up to £70 for stopping on the city council’s red routes.
“It will impact our customers, people will always have in the back of their head that it doesn’t matter if they stop for a second, there will be a camera taking a picture,” said Ishaq Karimi, 33, owner of Pamir Grocery in Preston Road.
“The camera won’t understand why someone has stopped there, maybe it is an emergency. People will be scared of coming down here. I think it will have a massive negative impact on all of us businesses here and down in London Road.
“Most of our customers walk in but our biggest customers are people driving by car. I specialise in halal meat, people come all the way from Horsham, Chichester and Worthing by car.
“I am going to write to the council about getting a loading bay outside our shop. I get deliveries five days a week, I can’t have the van park on the other side because it would be dangerous for my staff. There is potential of maybe getting hit by a car.”
The red lines are now being painted on the roads. The red route starts in London Road from Cheapside and continues up Preston Road where it ends at Preston Park.
The red route for Lewes Road starts from just beyond Elm Grove and continues up to Melbourne Street.
Bus stops, loading bays and entrances to properties or adjoining streets will not be affected by the change.
The council said the red routes will help improve safety of pedestrians, cyclists and reduce air pollution by keeping traffic moving.
But Hughie Hervel, owner of Hughie’s Barber Shop in London Road, said: “I have elderly people who can’t walk very far with blue badges who park just outside the salon. Now they are going to have to park over the road in a disabled bay and cross the road with their Zimmer frame. Before they could just stop and come in.”
Paul Mackey, installation manager at home audio shop Audio T, also in London Road, said: “Most of our business is done by appointment or on foot.
"People tend to use the car parking out back and deliveries drivers mostly use the back. It’s double yellow lines there.”
One man, who asked not to be named, said: “Some people park near the bus stop so the bus couldn’t actually get in to the stop. The red routes will stop people from doing that.
“I was here yesterday and a car was stopped for ten minutes half on the pavement. Buses were having to pull out to get past it.”
Blue badge holders will be allowed to stop on the red route for a short time to pick up and drop off disabled passengers but only in the designated parking bays or disabled parking bays.
Licensed Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles are allowed to stop for a short time to drop off and pick up customers.
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