Cabinet
Subject: A259 - Seafront Cycle Lane
Date of meeting: 27 June 2024
Report of: Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking and Public Realm
Contact Officer: Corporate Director for City Services
Report Author Tracy Beverley Tel: 01273 293813
Email: Tracy.beverley@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: Brunswick & Adelaide; Central Hove; Westbourne & Poets’ Corner; Wish;
Key Decision: Yes
Reason(s) Key: Expenditure which is, or the making of savings which are, significant having regard to the expenditure of the City Council’s budget, namely above £1,000,000 & It is significant in terms of its effect on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more wards
1.1 In June 2023 Council Members committed to a redesign of the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Active Travel scheme in line with their strategic vision to deliver a high-quality seafront cycle facility. This report provides an overview of the A259 strategic cycle route, outlines a preferred concept design for the Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road section and makes recommendations on how to proceed.
1.2 The recommendations within this report directly contribute to the delivery of the City Plan specifically contributing to the delivery of outcome 1 ‘A City to be proud of’ by developing an accessible, clean and sustainable City, making it easier for people to move around the City.
1.3 This report predominantly focuses on the cycle lane element of the proposed design. However, all Active Travel Schemes aim to improve the highway for multiple travel modes including walking, wheeling and the interaction between these modes and other vehicles including bus and taxis.
2.1 Cabinet agree for the preferred concept design option for the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Scheme (as outlined in section 3.11) and the Active Travel Fund Tranche 4 Wharf Road to Western BHCC Boundary scheme should be developed to detailed design.
2.2 Cabinet agree the reallocation of £1.2million Active Travel Fund 3 from Marine Parade to the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Scheme, subject to Active Travel England approval. Additional match funding required to meet estimated costs will be directed from the Local Transport Plan to support the delivery of the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road as highlighted in sections 3.12 -3.14.
3.1 The Council’s first Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) was approved by the Environment, Transport and Sustainability (ETS) Committee in March 2022. This sets out strategic plans for routes and areas in the City to receive active travel improvements. The A259 is a priority strategic route in the LCWIP. West of the City, the A259 also features as a priority route in the Adur & Worthing LCWIP, and West Sussex County Council (WSCC). WSCC have recently consulted on plans for active travel improvements from the Brighton & Hove border to Shoreham-by-Sea, which include pedestrian improvements and a two-way cycle lane on the south side of the A259. The A259 is a priority strategic LCWIP route and also forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN route 2), which currently follows the A259 from West Street to Fourth Avenue, then King’s Esplanade and the promenade, then back onto the A259, then down Wharf Road / Basin Road South. This route is currently disjointed and confusing and below current design standards. The proposals include the potential to re-route the NCN2 route on the direct A259 route, between Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea, in line with central government design principles set out in ‘Gear Change’ (2020).
3.2 The City Council was awarded funding from Active Travel England to improve sections of the A259 Seafront Cycle Route. Funding has already been utilised to improve the section between West Street and Fourth Avenue and Maderia Drive through previous funding allocations. There are three further funding tranches awarded to deliver improvements to specific sections of the A259 Seafront Cycle Route;
· £0.500 Million Active Travel Fund (ATF)2, A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road,
· £1.208 Million - ATF3, Marine Parade
· £3.00 Million - ATF4, Wharf Road to BHCC Western Boundary Scheme.
3.3 At September 2022 ETS Committee approval was granted to commence the construction of the A259 Active Travel Scheme Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Scheme. At a subsequent Special Committee on 21 June 2023 the works contract was terminated, and the Committee approved the redesign of the A259 Active Travel Scheme.
3.4 To deliver a higher quality A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Scheme, funding will be reprofiled from the Marine Parade scheme. Marine Parade, however, remains a high priority route as identified in the LCWIP and will be delivered as part of the Council’s strategic vision to provide a high-quality route between the Marina and the western City boundary.
3.5 The Special Committee approved a redesign which would deliver a higher quality, more direct and safer scheme limiting the impact on vehicle running lanes. This redesign would be better aligned with the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Local Transport Note 1/20 (LTN1/20) standards for cycling design which Local Authorities receiving the Active Travel Fund must abide by.
3.6 The vision was to consider the seafront corridor as a key strategic cycle route creating a delineated two-way cycle lane distinct from the pavement and road. This was to be developed along the southside of the A259 corridor whilst maintaining two lanes of traffic in each direction, wherever possible, and minimising parking loss and impacts on pedestrians.
3.7 The strategic vision focused on the A259 between the Marina and the Wharf Road. The section between Wharf Road and the western City boundary already has concept designs in line with the strategic vision, meeting these design requirements as part of ATF4. The high-level strategic seafront cycle route can be seen in Appendix1.
3.8 The section of the A259 between West Street and Fourth Avenue was developed using initial contributions from Active Travel England and Department for Transport, under the Emergency Active Travel Fund and delivered in 2020.
3.9 Valley Gardens Phase 3 will contribute to the delivery of this strategic vision along the A259. Introducing high quality east-west routes and linking the seafront cycle route with the wider City network.
3.10 Using this strategic vision, officers focused on the section between Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road where Active Travel Fund, Tranche 2 had been allocated. This section was specifically re-designed to address three key concerns. Firstly, where possible the cycle lanes in both the east and west direction are adjacent to each other and not separated by footways, effectively providing two-way cycle lanes in line with national standards (LTN 1/20). Secondly, that the scheme is redesigned to reduce loss of vehicle running lanes wherever possible. Thirdly the scheme should be designed to be as direct as possible and avoid detours, for example around the King Alfred Leisure Centre on the current NCN 2 route.
3.12 It is estimated that the cost to deliver the entire Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road scheme (preferred option) is £4.0 million, which exceeds the existing budget allocated for the scheme. Subject to agreement from Active Travel England, officers are proposing to transfer the £1.20 million Active Travel Fund Tranche 3 (originally intended for Marine Parade) to support the delivery of the Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road scheme.
3.13 Council officers have met Active Travel England representatives who have indicated the transfer of Active Travel Funding from the Marine Parade Scheme to A259 Fourth Avenue- Wharf Road Scheme is feasible.
3.14 A further allocation from the LTP will be required to provide the remaining funding, currently estimated to be £2.8 million. At the Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Meeting on the 4th of March the LTP forward programme was approved. Within this programme £1.2 million in 2025/2026 and £1.4million in 2026/2027 was indicatively allocated towards the delivery of Active Travel schemes. This funding could therefore be used to develop the scheme, subject to annual budget approvals.
3.15 Officers will also progress the Active Travel Fund Tranche 4 scheme, on the A259 from Wharf Road to BHCC Western Boundary. £3 million was awarded by Active Travel England to progress this scheme, which will be developed in line with the strategic vision set out above. In developing this scheme there will eventually be a new and direct, high quality cycle facility from Fourth Avenue all the way to the BHCC boundary which will link with the proposed cycle scheme within West Sussex County Council to Shoreham-by-Sea.
3.16 The designs for Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road and the Wharf Road to BHCC Western Boundary will be subject to further detailed design work, transport modelling and full public consultation. The detailed design work will consider the use of available space to improve accessible travel and specifically focus on bus stops, crossing points and along footways. It is expected the development of the detailed design will take approximately 9 months with a further 2 months consultation.
4.1 During the A259 scheme redesign between Fourth Avenue and Wharf Road, several different concept design options were considered and can be seen in the options appraisal Appendix 4. The options appraisal considered how the vision for the cycle lane would impact on traffic lanes, parking capacity, scheme costs and vehicle capacity.
4.2 The options for the first section, between Fourth Avenue to Hove Street, considered either removing the central reservation to achieve the direct two-way cycle lane or reducing vehicle running lanes from 2 to 1 to gain space for the cycle lane. Both options maintain parking and loading, and footway space required to service shops and services. The first option (of removing the central reservation) is significantly more expensive and difficult to demonstrate value for money therefore the second and preferred option provides better value for money and, subject to traffic modelling, can be accommodated without adversely impacting vehicle capacity.
4.3 For the second section, between Hove Street and Wharf Road, the cycle lane is currently on the footway and does not comply with current national cycle design standards. The recommended concept for this section shows a dedicated two-way cycle lane on the carriageway using space available from the existing footway cycle lane. This concept supports the vision and maintains vehicle running lanes, parking, and footway space. While the footway will appear narrower in sections, it is considered lighter footfall, the wider promenade, and the development of the Hove Beach Park adjacent to this section will mitigate any footway loss. In all cases footway width will remain within best practice guidance. Alternative options include removing the central reservation to make space for the cycle lane which is considerably more expensive over a longer distance or to remove the vehicle running lanes which is not in line with the ambition to reduce the loss of vehicle running lanes.
4.4 A ‘do nothing’ approach in this case would affect the Council’s ability to bid for future funding for Highway schemes and may require the Council to return funding that has been allocated towards these projects, which could be as much as £4.2 million.
5.1 The concept designs for the A259 Cycle Lane Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road, and Wharf Road to the BHCC Western Boundary, will be developed and subject to full public consultation using the Community Engagement Framework and the Council’s new YourVoice consultation platform. Those who wish to follow the development of the scheme will be able to monitor progress and will be notified of the key stages in the project via the YourVoice website.
5.2 Key stakeholders will be approached during the design stage to input into the developing design, including members of the Transport and Travel Partnership.
6.1 Should Active Travel England approve the change for use of £1.2m funds of Active Travel Fund 3 from Marine Parade to the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Cycle Scheme this would support the costs of delivering the final design following consultation. Match funding from the LTP will still be required to fund the remaining budget gap for which an indicative sum of £1.2m is allocated for Active Travel in 2025/26 which could be allocated towards this scheme. Should Active Travel England not approve the change in the use of funds, then there will be a further budget gap that will need to be addressed, potentially through other reallocations of the LTP Capital Budget or other funding sources if available.
6.2 It is anticipated the A259 Cycle Scheme from Wharf Road - Western B&HCC Boundary will be contained within the Active Travel 4 tranche funding of £3m. Any significant variation to the budget will be reported as part of the Council’s monthly budget monitoring process.
Name of finance officer consulted: John Lack Date consulted: 23/05/2024
7.1 There are no direct legal implications arising from this report.
Name of lawyer consulted: Siobhan Fry Date consulted 31/05/24
8.1 An Equalities impact assessment has been carried out for our Active Travel Programme of work and a specific project based EqIA will be developed for the individual schemes during the design stages. This will ensure that the design will foster ways of improving the relationship between those who share protective characteristics and those who do not.
8.2 The EqIA will ensure that the project team, during the design, consider ways of mitigating or avoiding adverse impacts on those with protected characteristics. Specifically, those with a physical disability.
8.3 The Department for Transport ‘s (DfT) Local Transport Note 1/20 (LTN1/20) sets the standards for cycling design, and which Local Authorities receiving the Active Travel Fund funding must abide by, states: (4.5.11): Local authorities are bound by the Equality Act 2010 in discharging their functions, which includes managing their road networks. Designers should provide infrastructure that is accessible to all, and the dimensions and other features set out in this guidance should help ensure that their designs comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
9.1 These recommendations directly contribute to the Council’s wider commitment to achieving Carbon net zero by 2030. By developing the transport network to support forms of active travel and giving people a choice on how they travel, this can contribute towards reducing the need to travel by car.
10. Health and Wellbeing Implications:
10.1 These proposals will directly contribute to an increase in physical activity and directly contribute towards the Council's own Physical Activity and Sports Strategy 2024-2034, specifically the aims to ‘develop the City so that it is a place where people can safely walk, cycle and travel actively as part of their daily life.
11.1 The A259 Seafront Cycle Route is a priority strategic route for improvement in the City’s approved Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), which is below current design standards. The Council was awarded funding from the Active Travel Fund to develop and improve sections of the A259 Cycle Route in line with national design standards (LTN1/20). A design option has been proposed for the section between Fourth Avenue and Wharf Road which aligns with the administration’s vision. A second section between Wharf Road to the BHCC Western Boundary will also be progressed in line with this vision.
Appendix 1 -High Level Strategic Seafront Cycle Route
Appendix 2 - Concept Design A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road
Appendix 3 - Concept Design cross section drawings
Appendix 4 - Concept Design Options Appraisal
1. 21 June 2023 Special Meeting, Transport & Sustainablity Comiittee
2. 14th March 2023 Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee