Cabinet Member Decision
Subject: Permission to proceed with Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for Western Road Red Route
Date of Decision: 12 June 2026
Report of: Cllr Trevor Muten - Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure
Contact Officer: Name: Paul Nicholls
Email: paul.nicholls@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All Wards
Key Decision: No
1.1 On 20 March 2025 the Red Route Cabinet report approved the design and implementation of a red route in Western Road from Holland Road to Montpelier Road. Following consultation on the scheme design, this report requests formal approval to proceed with the implementation of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to introduce a red route in this area shown in appendix 1.
The Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure:
2.1 Notes the outcome of the consultation and design of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order.
2.2 Agrees to the implementation of an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order to introduce a red route in Western Road, following the March 2025 Cabinet decision to approve the design and implementation of a Red Route in Western Road from Holland Road to Montpelier Road shown in appendix 1 of this report.
3.1 In April 2024 red routes were introduced in London Road, Preston Road and Lewes Road primarily to improve bus services and tackle anti-social parking along key routes into and out of the city and funded by the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)
3.2 In the two years following their introduction the red route area has seen a significant reduction in road traffic accidents each year. Air quality has improved and there has been a significant decrease in bus passenger injuries of 85%. Bus reliability along the red route has also improved according to figures from Brighton & Hove Buses.
3.3 Independent data for London Road indicates that footfall in the area has increased in the two years since the red route was implemented.
3.4 On 20 March 2025 Cabinet approved the report on the design and implementation of a red route in Western Road from Holland Road to Montpelier Road. The design of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order has been completed and can now be found in appendix 1.
3.5 Western Road is a major bus route in the city with a high frequency of services running through the corridor. Bus journey times through this corridor can be affected by parking on double yellow lines on both sides of the road.
3.6 Civil Enforcement Officers carry out high frequency patrols of Western Road but are obliged to observe vehicles for 5 minutes on double yellow lines before issuing a Penalty Charge Notice to establish whether loading or unloading is taking place. Western Road has high levels of vehicles driven away during this observation period indicating that on foot enforcement is ineffective and not acting as a deterrent.
3.7 The introduction of a red route with dedicated loading bays and disabled bays would allow for parking in areas that are suitable for these activities. Camera enforcement of the double red lines where stopping is prohibited other than for the purposes of dropping off passengers, would deter longer term parking where it impedes the flow of traffic.
3.8 The location and size of loading and disabled bays have been informed by pre-engagement with businesses and the Your Voice consultation. The use of an Experimental traffic Regulation Order means that following further engagement, with businesses, residents and disabled groups the location and size of bays can be quickly adjusted if considered necessary after such further assessment and monitoring The Experimental Order can serve as a pre-cursor to a permanent Traffic Regulation Order if it is considered a success, following such monitoring and feedback.
3.9 The initial Experimental Order will be for a period of 6 months during which time the use of loading bays by different sizes of delivery vehicles will be monitored by camera, as well as the use of disabled bays. Traffic flow will also be monitored to ensure that the scheme meets its objectives. If adjustments are required a further 6-month period will start during which the impact of these adjustments will be monitored. The Experimental Order cannot extend beyond 18 months and the window for making changes will be limited to the first year.
3.10 Subject to Cabinet Member approval the Experimental Order would be introduced in August. A letter has been sent out to 4,700 addresses around the Western Road area and further engagement is planned with businesses, LATs, ward councilors and the Disabled Car User Advisory Group
3.11 During the initial two weeks of the scheme, warning notices will be issued rather than a Penalty Charge Notice while people adjust to the new restrictions.
4.1 The option of not proceeding with the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order in Western Road was considered However, based on the areas where red routes have been introduced there are significant potential benefits to relieving congestion in the Western Rd area, such as improved road safety and bus journey times.
4.2 The option of implementing a permanent Traffic Regulation Order from the outset was considered. The learning from the introduction of red routes in Lewes Road and London Road using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders has shown that engagement with businesses and disabled groups is necessary after the red route has been implemented and this can require rapid adjustments to the initial design of the scheme, which are much more easily facilitated through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order process.
5.1 Consultation on the design of the scheme was held at LAT meetings and the Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure. Meetings were also held on the scheme design with the Disabled Car User Advisory Group.
5.2 Over 4,700 leaflets were sent to residents in the area inviting them to comment on the proposed red route between 24 November 2025 – 4 January 2026. 1,032 responses were received and a summary of their feedback can be found in appendix 2
5.3 Fifty per cent of respondents said they believed the red route would improve safety, 53 per cent said it would speed up bus journeys and 56 per cent felt it would help keep traffic moving. People with disabilities and Blue Badge holders were concerned about access. More disabled bays will be introduced on both Western Road and its side streets. We will be monitoring the use of these bays continuing to engage with disabled groups. Businesses asked for more loading bays and some raised concerns that business could be negatively affected by the red route with a decline in footfall.
6.1 The cost of delivering Red Routes is funded from the Bus Service Improvement Plan grant, forming part of the £3.220m Bus Service Improvement Scheme capital budget as set out in the Capital Programme for 2025/26, this money is still available for the spend which will be commencing in 2026/27. Costs of delivering the scheme will form part of the Councils standard financial monitoring process with variations to capital schemes being reported to Cabinet via the TBM reports.
6.2 As with any introduction of new enforcement schemes across the city there is likely to be a short-term spike in the Penalty Charge Notice income, however this would be a short term impact only and cannot be quantified. Any additional income received will reported to Cabinet through the revenue TBM reports.
Name of finance officer consulted: David Wilder Date consulted 13/05/2026:
7.1 The Council has powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to make traffic regulation orders including experimental orders, to regulate or restrict the use of roads. The proposed experimental order enables the Council to introduce temporary traffic restrictions on a temporary basis. The Council must consider all duly made objections within the statutory timeframe before deciding whether to make the temporary measures permanent.
7.2 The Council must ensure that the experimental orders complies with its statutory duties under section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, including the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic (including pedestrians) and having regard to local amenities, air quality and access to premises.
7.3 The Council is also required to have due regard to its public sector equality duty when implementing the experimental order, which includes considering the impact of the order on protected characteristics and ensuring that mitigation measures are incorporated and monitored.
7.4 Consultation and engagement have been undertaken prior to implementation and further consultation and monitoring is proposed within the experimental period.
Name of lawyer consulted: Katie Kam Date consulted (20/05/26):
8.1 There is a risk that businesses along the route area could be less able to receive their deliveries. Although the area is already suffering from significant congestion. Ten loading bays have been included in the scheme design, with a total of 140 meters of loading space to meet these needs based on the required size of delivery vehicle. The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order process together with engagement with businesses allows for rapid changes to the size and location of loading bays.
8.2 There is a risk that parking activity can be displaced to side streets. To mitigate this Civil Enforcement Officers will be deployed to patrol side streets along the red route area.
9.1 Officers held three meetings with the Disabled Car User Advisory Group specifically on the red route proposals. The group highlighted that the introduction of a red route could impact disabled people’s access to Western Road, including attending healthcare and other appointments, undertaking everyday shopping/leisure, receiving deliveries.
9.2 These meetings have informed the location of disabled bays along the red route and their location close to health facilities as well as an even distribution along the area (see appendix 3). Input from the group also helped inform the decision to implement a 3-hour maximum stay in disabled bays to prevent long term parking and improve access to these bays. As with Lewes and London Road red routes drivers and taxis will be able to drop off disabled passengers along the red route.
9.3 A draft EIA has been prepared which takes into account the feedback from the Disabled Car User Advisory Group meetings and the feedback from the Your Voice consultation. The aim of the red route is to relieve congestion and improve bus journey times including for disabled bus passengers.
9.4 The main positives identified in the EIA are:
· Ease of traffic flow and designated bays allows for safer roads with clearer line of sight of traffic
· 7,000 disabled people in the city have free bus passes and rely on buses to travel safely and easily around the city, and bus reliability is expected to improve.
· Red routes, loading and disabled bays provide for enough time for carers to pick up and drop off disabled clients
· Improved traffic flow benefits emergency vehicle access
· Clearer road layout improves safety for people with visual impairment
9.5 The main negatives identified in the EIA are:
· People with sight impairments can be affected by difficulties navigating and seeing changes to signage, barriers, and judging distances from other people.
· New restrictions being introduced can be anxiety-inducing for some people with mental health issues or neurodivergence due to uncertainty around the changes and rules.
· Changes to restrictions could limit access by Blue Badge holders with sever mobility issues to some locations within the scheme area.
· May impact those requiring door-to-door transport services
· Could affect those who need frequent rest stops due to mobility issues
9.6 Mitigations to address these negative impacts are being put in place as set out at paragraph 9.2.
10.1 Experience from the Lewes and London Road red routes shows that they can reduce congestion along the route and make the area more attractive for cyclists and other forms of active travel. Improvements to bus reliability have also been observed, which encourages more sustainable forms of travel with the aim of improving air quality in the area.
11. Health and Wellbeing Implications:
11.1 The purpose of the red route is to relieve congestion and make the area safer for drivers, bus passengers and cyclists, which can also encourage active travel. Air quality improvements have been observed in areas where other red routes have been introduced.
12.1 Following the March 2025 Cabinet decision to approve the design and implementation of a red route in Western Road officers have now competed the design of the scheme based on feedback from pre-engagement and the Your Voice survey. As part of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order process amendments to the design show in appendix 1 can be made promptly as part of further public engagement.
12.2 Experience following the introduction of red routes in other areas of the city has shown there can be benefits in terms of road safety and bus reliability without negatively affecting footfall in the area.
Supporting Documentation
1. Experimental Traffic Regulation Order Design for Western Road red route
2. Summary of consultation responses
3. Location of disabled bays and 50m radius