The A23 Cycle & Pedestrian Scheme

The A23 Cycle & Pedestrian Scheme is out for consultation and is already being criticised as being somewhat premature. There is an Argus report here. Car traffic in the Centre has to be reduced both to bring air pollution down and to prevent the whole City grinding to a horrendous halt on some sunny weekend in the very near future. Although it has its critics, one suggestion is for a park & ride scheme serving the A23 traffic. This would require the A23 bus lane which at present ends at Withdean Park to be extended out to the Mill Road roundabout. (Who knows where the car park will be now that the City is hemmed in by a National Park!) The critics argue that this would need any cycle lanes in this stretch to be completely revamped.

Moving from the general to the particular, what surprises me is that at Patcham Place and the Black Lion they have made no provision to divert the cycle lanes behind the bus stops. What is the cyclist supposed to do if there is a bus stopped in the cycle lane? Wobble out into the traffic? Wait behind the bus? Or get off and push his bike around on the pavement? Maybe the planners haven't even thought of this or prefer to ignore it. Certainly the stops aren't marked on the plans.