1. Purpose of the report and policy context

1.1 Under the Council’s Petition Scheme if a petition contains more than 1,250 signatures and is not petition requesting officer evidence, it will be debated by the full Council.

1.2 The e-petition has resulted in triggering a debate at the council meeting, having exceeded the threshold with a total of 1,619 signatures confirmed at the time of printing the report.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That the petition is noted and referred to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee meeting for consideration.

3. Context and background information

3.1 The Petition:

We the undersigned petition Brighton & Hove Council to install well-planned and high-quality permanent cycle lanes on the Old Shoreham Road so that we and thousands of other residents have the option of getting around by bike. We’re a group of parents and children who used the Old Shoreham Road to get to school, work and leisure activities. We want our children to be able to cycle to school as it’s good for their physical and mental health, it gives them independence, saves time and money and keeps down emissions. We’d also like delivery riders and commuters to get around without risking their lives. This can only happen if the roads are safe. New government policy says ‘cyclists must be physically separated from high volume motor traffic,’ which means protected lanes on roads like the Old Shoreham Road. We want a fast and direct route, as the policy describes.

Lead petitioner – Pascale Palazzo-Coetzer

Additional information

Temporary cycle lanes allowed us and our children to travel safely for a while, but now they’ve been removed, we have to drive, take the bus or brave terrifying traffic by bike. Our children have less freedom, and we have fewer transport options.

Forty percent of households in the city don’t have a car, and that number is even lower for young people. We all need safe, cheap, efficient transport.

We’d like our local politicians to take everyone’s well-being seriously, no matter how they get around. We need them to make cycling possible by making it safe.

4. Procedure

4.1 The petition will be debated at the Council meeting in accordance with the agreed protocol:

(i) The Lead petitioner will be invited by the mayor to present the petition and will have up to 3 minutes in which to outline the prayer of the petition and confirm the number of signatures;

(ii) The mayor will then open the matter up for debate by councillors for period of 15 minutes and will first call on the relevant Committee Chair to respond to the petition and move a proposed response. The mayor will then call on those councillors who have indicated a desire to speak in the matter, before calling on the relevant Committee Chair to respond to the debate;

(iii) An amendment to the recommendation in paragraph 2.1 of the report or to add additional recommendations should be submitted by 10.00am on the day of the meeting; otherwise, it will be subject to the mayor’s discretion as to being appropriate. Any such amendment will need to be formally moved and seconded at the meeting;

(iv) After the 15 minutes set aside for the debate, the mayor will then formally put:

(a) Any amendments in the order in which they are moved, and

(b) The substantive recommendation(s) as amended (if amended).