Transport in Brighton and Hove: Difference between revisions
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|title=Brighton and Hove City Council - Major Scheme Business Case - Rapid Transport System |
|title=Brighton and Hove City Council - Major Scheme Business Case - Rapid Transport System |
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|accessdate=2007-04-25}}</ref> However, no progress has been made as of early 2012.<ref>{{{cite web url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4049485.Rapid_transport_rap/ |title=Rapid transport rap in Brighton and Hove (from The Argus)|accessdate=2012=03=14}}</ref> |
|accessdate=2007-04-25}}</ref> However, no progress has been made as of early 2012.<ref>{{{cite web |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4049485.Rapid_transport_rap/ |title=Rapid transport rap in Brighton and Hove (from The Argus)|accessdate=2012=03=14}}</ref> |
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Two lines are planned with stations at: |
Two lines are planned with stations at: |
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Revision as of 04:28, 15 March 2012
The public transport in Brighton and Hove (on the south coast of England) has a history dating back to 1840. Today it has a major railway station, an extensive bus service, a large number of taxis, coach services, a Bus Rapid Transit system under construction and in the past it has had trolley buses, ferries, trams, auto rickshaws and hydrofoil services.
Air
Shoreham Airport is located just outside of Brighton and Hove, providing general aviation and some commercial aviation. The city is also not far away from London Gatwick Airport.
Rail
Brighton railway station is the most important station in Sussex, where lines from the north, west and east terminate.
Other currently-operating railway Stations in Brighton and Hove are:
- North of Brighton: Preston Park.
- West of Brighton: Hove; Aldrington; Portslade; Fishersgate (on the border with West Sussex).
- East of Brighton: London Road; Moulsecoomb; Falmer.
Brighton station opened in 1840[1] by the London and Brighton Railway, which also established one of the first railway-owned locomotive works (now the New England Quarter). The station provides fast and frequent connections to Gatwick Airport, several London main-line stations, Luton Airport and Bedford and also to Ashford International.
Regular services also operate via Bristol to Wales.
The express London Victoria service takes 51 minutes today, compared with one hour in 1910, 80 minutes in 1859 and up to two hours when the service began in 1841. This line's initial permanent way will soon form a walkable Greenway from the original platform location (below the current station, off Trafalgar Street) through the New England Quarter development and over the 1841 bridge over New England Road.[2]
In addition to the main line to London, Brighton railway station has connections to Shoreham-by-Sea (1840) via the West Coastway Line, and Lewes (1846) by the East Coastway Line. The original Hove Station (1840–80 then 1905–32 called Holland Road) was located at the junction of Davigdor, Holland and Cromwell Roads. The current Hove station site opened as Cliftonville in 1865 and was joined to the London main line in 1879 by the Cliftonville tunnel.
Other stations within Brighton, with opening dates, are London Road station (1877), which is located between Ditching Rise and Springfield Road at some distance from London Road itself; Moulsecoomb railway station (1980);[3] and Falmer railway station (1846; moved to its present site nearer Brighton in 1890),[4] all on the East Coastway Line. On the Brighton Main Line, non express London trains stop at Preston Park railway station (opened as Preston in 1869).
Former lines
From 1869 until 1932 (and for freight until 1971) there was a line (view map) to the Kemptown area of Brighton: Lewes Road railway station (actually on Mayo Road 1873–1932), Hartington Road Halt (1906–11) and the terminus, Kemp Town railway station and goods yard. The entire line is closed and only the tunnel under Elm Grove remains (can be seen from the Freshfield Industrial Estate and below the Elm Grove Primary School), and the commemorative locomotive sculpture on the Bingo Hall on Eastern Road (corner of Park Street). The Hughes Road Industrial Estate, Freshfield Industrial Estate, Enterprise Point and Bonchurch Road Park now occupy the track alignment, and the bricks from (and alignment of) the Lewes Road viaduct were reused for the Sainsbury's store at the Vogue Gyratory, which has retained a viaduct theme.
There was formerly a branch line[5] from Aldrington station[6](then Dyke Junction), to Devil's Dyke (view map). This ran between 1887 and 1939[7] and the old track is now used as a footpath and cycle track north of the Hangleton estate as far as the clubhouse of the Devil's Dyke golf-course. Briefly at the beginning of the 20th century a steep grade funicular railway took visitors to the bottom of the dyke itself and a cable car spanned the space above it.[8] Remnants of the concrete piers used to support the cableway can still be seen on opposite sides of the dyke. There was also a station, Rowan Halt near Rowan Avenue from 1932–38[9] and a stop on the city border at the Golf Club Halt.
Volk's
Volk's Electric Railway, created in 1883, runs along the inland edge of the beach from the Palace Pier to Black Rock. It is the world's oldest operating electric railway.
Between 1894 and 1901 there was another electric railway, also created by Magnus Volk: the daddy long legs[10] used tracks laid out under the sea, avoiding the need to build a viaduct. The carriage had tall iron legs and carried the passengers above the waves. This ran from specially constructed piers at the Banjo Groyne to Rottingdean. It was never able to withstand stormy weather, and after several collapses and reconstructions, and final insurmountable problem of changes to the sea defences, it was abandoned. Remnants of its concrete foundations can sometimes be seen along the route at low tide between the Marina and Rottingdean.
Buses
Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group, operates a local bus service with approximately 300[11] buses. In 1997, Brighton & Hove absorbed the former municipal operator, "Brighton Blue Buses" whose history dated back to the 1880s. The council and bus company run a.[12] There is a regular half-hour all-night bus service on routes N7 and N25, and late night journeys aimed at clubbers on N29, N69, N98 and N99. Most buses bear names of famous local people.
The Brighton & Hove Bus company run the following popular "metro routes":
- 1: Whitehawk to Mile Oak
- 5: Hangleton to Patcham and Hollingbury
- 7: Hove to Brighton Marina
- 25: Hove to Universities at Falmer
- 49: East Moulsecoomb/Lower Bevendean to Portslade Station
The other routes include the 2 Shoreham to Rottingdean; 6 Brighton railway station to Portslade Asda; 12/13 to Eastbourne; 14 to Peacehaven and Newhaven; 16/66 shopping route serving Hangleton and Portslade; 20 to Steyning; 21 Marina to Brighton Station; 22 to Woodingdean; 23 Marina to Universities; 24 to Hollingbury via Coldean; 26 to Hollingbury via Ditchling Road; 27 Westdene/Hangleton to Saltdean; 28 to Ringmer; 29 to Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells; 37/38 Meadowview to Bristol Estate; 46 Hollingbury to Southwick; 50 to Hollingdean; 77 to Devil's Dyke and 81 Goldstone Valley to Queen's Park and Open Market.[13]
The Big Lemon (yellow vehicles) bus service started in 2006. It operates one route (42) between the city centre and the Falmer Universities campuses using 100% recycled bio-fuel during term time.
The Stagecoach Group (through its Stagecoach South division) operates a frequent service (route 700) westwards along the south coast under the "Coastliner" brand name as well as an hourly service 17 from Brighton to Horsham.
Countryliner Coaches operate two complementary hourly services, the 40 from Churchill Square to the West Sussex village of Cuckfield; and the 40X between Royal Sussex County Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath. Together these give a half-hourly frequency on the core section of the route from Brighton Old Steine to Hassocks, Burgess Hill town centre and the Worlds End district of Burgess Hill, and Haywards Heath.
Metrobus, another Go-Ahead company runs daily services from Churchill Square to Crawley.
The Council is also involved in a "door-to-door" bus link scheme covering the whole city. A company called Community Transport (Brighton, Hove and Area) Ltd, incorporated in 1991, operates the service on behalf of the Council. Specially adapted buses with passenger lifts or ramps for wheelchairs are used at all times, and journeys can be booked by telephone.
Bus Rapid Transport System
In 2007 the council approved a Bus Rapid Transport System. The £12 million transport project is intended to cut journey times across Brighton and Hove by up to a third.[14][15] However, no progress has been made as of early 2012.[16]
Two lines are planned with stations at:
- Park and Ride, A23
- Preston Park
- Brighton Rail Station
- Clock Tower
One line will then visit:
- Royal Pavilion
- American Express, Edward Street
- Hospital, Eastern Road
- Brighton International Arena, Brighton Marina
The other will visit:
- Conference Centre/Pier
- i360, Hove Seafront
- King Alfred
(a £40 million extension to Shoreham and Newhaven has been pencilled in for 2015[14]).
From Brighton Railway Station, the Rapid Transport system will use:
| Section | Inbound No Priority¹ |
Inbound Bus Lane² |
Inbound Segregation³ |
Inbound km |
Outbound No Priority¹ |
Outbound Bus Lane² |
Outbound Segregation³ |
Outbound km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Alfred's | 48.6% | 44.2% | 7.2% | 3.738 km | 43.6% | 49.8% | 6.7% | 4.043 km |
| Eastern Road | 84.8% | 10.3% | 4.7% | 8.920 km | 72.4% | 16.9% | 10.7% | 4.912 km |
| Park and Ride | 72.3% | 27.7% | 0% | 5.894 km | 91.2% | 8.8% | 0% | 5.584 km
|
¹ on existing roads
² in bus lanes (with camera enforcement)
³ newly constructed roadway
Taxis
The city is served by a large number of taxis, operated by a variety of companies and individual drivers. Those that passengers may hail on the street are painted in a standard white and aquamarine livery. Private hire cars are not required to follow this colour scheme. The unified scheme for Brighton and Hove taxis pre-dates the conjoining of the two towns into one city.
Brighton and Hove City Cabs (01273 205205), was established in 1962 and operates a fleet of approximately 180 vehicles and 250 licensed drivers.
Brighton and Hove Radio Cabs Ltd (01273 204060) are another large privately-owned firm, established in 1964 and based in the Seven Dials area of Brighton. Their present fleet comprises approximately 180 vehicles.
414141 Carcabs Ltd, trading as Carcabs (01273 414141), are based in Portslade and operate throughout the Brighton and Hove city area and further west.
The oldest taxi company in the city is Streamline Taxis (01273 747474 & 202020), formed in 1936 as a co-operative association. Its members were individual vehicle proprietors, who operated independently but for whom an association of this type would be mutually beneficial. Each member paid a fee to join the association and a regular subscription fee to cover running and administrative costs. The association was governed by a committee of elected members. This structure is still in place today, and the association now comprises approximately 170 vehicles and 350 licensed drivers.
The city's has major taxi ranks in East Street in the Lanes, at the Level in central Brighton, at Brunswick Place in Hove, and at both main railway stations, as well as a number of other ranks.
Coaches
National Express operates coach services from Pool Valley coach station, near the Palace Pier. Coaches operate to London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, Eastbourne, Helston, Southampton, Exeter, Plymouth, Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport.
Auto rickshaws
During summer months in recent years, a network of auto rickshaws operated (by Tuctuc Ltd) in Brighton and Hove. They operated like a bus service, following set routes and only intended to pick up at dedicated stops, and there was also a "dial-a-ride" taxi-like option. The routes ran from Brighton Marina to Hove Town Hall via Brighton railway station.[17]
The auto rickshaws, came in two sizes, were each painted in distinct styles, and powered by compressed natural gas.
Tuctuc Ltd have now ceased operating.
Trams
The first tramway in the Brighton area was the Brighton and Shoreham Tramway, which at its fullest extent ran from a terminus in Southdown Road, Shoreham to Westbourne Villas in Hove, on the former boundary between Hove and Portslade.[18] The tramway never penetrated Hove, although a connecting horse-bus (route 112, operated by the Brighton and Preston United Omnibus Company) was available from the Westbourne Villas terminus. Construction took place in 1883 and 1884; the route was opened throughout on 3 July 1884, initially with steam-driven trams. After this proved unsuccessful, other methods of propulsion were tried (including, in 1887, an early battery-powered locomotive) until horse power took over in 1893. The British Electric Traction company took over the operations in 1898, but was unable to agree with any of the local authorities on a strategy for electrification. The tramway was therefore horse-drawn until the end, on 6 June 1913.
Brighton Corporation Tramways[19] operated an extensive network of routes in the first four decades of the 20th century. The first route to operate, from 25 November 1901, ran from the main terminus at the Aquarium (outside Brighton Pier) to Lewes Road, a major route to the north-east; other routes were quickly established, so that by 1904 its full extent had been established.
Cycle routes
Brighton and Hove has a disjointed and incomplete cycle lane network. [20]
References
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- ^ Sue Farrant. The Growth of Brighton and Hove 1840-1939.
- ^ "Briefing note - new England Quarter April 2005" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-04-25.
- ^ Collett, Graham (ed.) (1988). Surrey and Sussex by Rail, p.29. Jarrold and Sons Ltd, Norwich. ISBN 0-7117-0331-0
- ^ Mitchell, Vic and Smith, Keith (1985). South Coast Railways - Brighton to Eastbourne, plate 42. Middleton Press, Midhurst. ISBN 0-906520-16-9
- ^ J T Howard Turner (1977). The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Volume 1 Origins and Foundation. ISBN 071340275X.
- ^ Harding, Peter A. The Dyke Branch Line. ISBN 0952345854.
- ^ H P White (1976). Forgotten Railways: South East England. ISBN 0715372866.
- ^ Clark, Paul (1976). The Railways of Devil's Dyke. Crown Press Keighley Ltd. ISBN 0902844350.
- ^ "Sussex Branch Lines - Two Branches and a Siding". Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ^ "Volk's Electric Railway, Daddy Long Legs, The Brighton to Rottingdean Seashore Electric railway, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK". Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "Brighton and Hove Buses - Current Fleet". Retrieved 2010-05-31.
- ^ "Traffic and travel information for Brighton & Hove". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- ^ "Brighton and Hove : Buses Essential Travel for our City". Archived from the original on 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
- ^ a b "Transport Project Will Cut Journey Times (from The Argus)". Retrieved 2007-04-25.
- ^ "Brighton and Hove City Council - Major Scheme Business Case - Rapid Transport System" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-04-25.
- ^ {"Rapid transport rap in Brighton and Hove (from The Argus)". Retrieved 2012=03=14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "tuctuc". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- ^ Harley, Robert J. Brighton's Tramways, Middleton Press, 1992. ISBN 1-873793-02-2.
- ^ "Trams outside the headquarters". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- ^ "The weird cycle lanes of Brighton". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
External links
- "Brighton and Hove City Council - travel & transport". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- "YouTube - British Rail Crew training video". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- "Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company Limited". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
