"No cycling"? Nah, "love cycling". Or, at least that's what the signs in Brighton are saying now after reports of vandalism on the city's seafront.
Now that's a change of pace when it comes to cycle-lane vandalism stories. The signs, on the upper promenade adjacent to Marine Parade in Brighton appearing around every 100 metres, are there to indicate that cyclists shouldn't be on the pavement. But
the majority of them, along from Old Steine to Brighton Marina, have been vandalised, with the "No" plastered into a heart symbol, reports The Argus (link is external).
Cycling is banned on the upper promenade pavement and bike riders are encouraged to use the road or walk with their cycle on the pavement, as other signs also suggest. They can also use the cycle lane which is parallel to the pavement down on Madeira
Drive.
Incidentally, Brighton and Hove's Labour-dominated council, which was described as being "actively against active travel" on our live blog in June, succeeded in securing a £1.2 million funding for a cycle lane on Marine Parade, next to the pavement,
from the Marina to the Palace Pier in May.
The scheme would provide a continuous two-way cycle facility on the southern side of the A259, as well as improvements to pedestrian crossings and new crossings along the route.
It would also include cycle parking, provision of a BTN Bikeshare hub and bus network improvements between the Palace Pier roundabout and Lower Rock Gardens.
The council said the cycle lane was needed in addition to the Madeira Drive lane because it can only be accessed at either end — from the Palace Pier roundabout at its west end or Dukes Mound and the Marina to the east.
Green councillor Steve Davis, who co-chairs the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, had said: "Marine Parade is one of the strategic routes prioritised in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan that councillors
approved earlier this year and so being able to deliver on this so quickly will be great for taking that long term vision forward."
There have been no updates on the cycle lane since then. road.cc has contacted the council for an update, but maybe some cheeky vandalism will finally spur action?
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-31-august-2023-303557#live-blog-item-49127
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