Croydon Council is set to make the Brighton Road experimental cycle lane scheme permanent and to remove the light segregation to make it safer for all road users.
The scheme was introduced in April 2023 to make it easier and safer for cyclists to travel down Brighton Road, encouraging sustainable travel. Measures included creating wider cycle lanes with light segregation – traffic wands and defenders – to deter vehicles from entering.
A report approved at Cabinet on Wednesday (15 May) highlights how 458 objections were received to the scheme in its current form and the emergency services raised concerns about the segregation, because they cannot pass traffic kerbside in an emergency.
The council has listened to the views of residents, businesses and partners during the experimental process, and carried out a technical review of how the scheme is performing. The wands will be removed after listening to residents and the defenders and segregation will be removed to make it safer for all road users.
While the council’s technical review found that there have been benefits to the scheme, including the widened cycle lanes, there have also been a number challenges which are being addressed. The review found road safety problems for both cyclists and motorists, emergency services experiencing difficulties and delays in responding, cycle lanes couldn’t be mechanically swept, resulting in debris and blocked gullies that causes hazards for cyclists. Brighton Road residents were also unable to receive deliveries at all times.
As part of the report there will be a review of a number of junctions on Brighton Road and the council will be considering proposals to support local businesses by having additional parking bays in side roads – which will be free for the first hour. The proposals also include having loading times outside residents’ homes from 10am to 4pm, making it more convenient for deliveries.
“Thank you to everyone who has shared their views in the public consultation on the Brighton Road cycle lane. We’ve listened and are now proposing changes that will address the concerns raised by residents, local business, partners, and our own technical review. Whilst we are removing the wands and defenders, we are confident that these changes will benefit cyclists using the widened lanes, as well as supporting local businesses and helping to reduce congestion.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
