On the 15th March the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee will meet to discuss and make decisions on various topics including deciding whether to proceed with a Park & Ride trial using Mill Road from June to September.
Implementing a Park & Ride scheme in Brighton has been a long running aspiration, however due to lack of suitable sites for a P&R one has never really been established. The current somewhat official P&R involves parking at Withdean Stadium, and then catching a regular bus into the city, this issue is that Withdean has a relatively low capacity & is some distance within the city, using already congested roads.
When the AmEx stadium was built about 10 years, part of the traffic management scheme is to use Mill Road as a P&R, it has the capacity for about 450 cars over the length of the road, however it may be possible to increase this further. In general the event day P&R using Mill Road is successful, and is usually full two hours before the match starts.
Mill Road is the old A2038, and was used to link the A23 to the A27 (West) before the A27 Brighton Bypass was built in the 1990s. However now the A27 runs parallel to Mill Road Adjacent to it, as such Mill Road carries low levels of traffic, however this traffic is usually avoiding the A27 so travels along Mill Road at excess speeds, especially downhill.
Turning Mill Road into a P&R will see traffic moving through the side in a one-way direction going uphill. Buses & other vehicles will access the road from the A23 Mill Road Roundabout & exit the road from the Devil’s Dyke Junction. Most of the road was three lanes wide, however marked as two since its on a steep hill. This allows cars to be parked & still wide enough for cars & buses to get past.
Temporary works to the signage & markings will cost £75,000 to implement, and a further £34,000 to remove markings & reinstate old signage once the trial is over.
These changes will improve accessibility & clarity for the P&R, which will also benefit match days. The P&R trial will start in June and end in September. It will run every day except on match days where only football fans can use it.
Signage will be changed in the vicinity of the site on the A23 & A27 to direct motorists to the site, Brighton & Hove Buses will also be responsible for advising the site.
The scheme is being funded by the Bus Service Improvement Fund.
