URBAN REALM DESIGN |
Ditchling Road Pedestrian + Cycling Improvements | BHCC
The Ditchling Road links Brighton City Centre to the South Downs National Park. Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) wanted to improve the walking and cycling link between the city edge and the new National Park as there was not a footway or cycle facility along this part of the corridor.
BHCC commissioned Urban Movement to explore ways in which to enable and encourage walking and cycling alongside the road, making it more attractive to reach the park by sustainable transport. We proposed that a 3 to 4m wide bi-directional shared (pedestrians and cyclists) path be located on the wide grass verge on the western side of the road. This was surfaced with a locally quarried permeable self-binding gravel so as not to detract from the rural character of the open countryside setting. The path was opened in October 2014, meaning that the northern most 1.5km of Ditchling Road now has a safe, off-carriageway, walking and cycling route.
A number complementary measures were also proposed to make the carriageway a less hostile environment: reducing the speed limit from 60mph to 40mph; changing the character of the corridor by introducing open field grazing with cattle grids at either end; removing the road centre line; removing the road edge lines and introducing advisory cycle lanes on both sides of the carriageway. These measures maybe introduced in the future.
BHCC commissioned Urban Movement to explore ways in which to enable and encourage walking and cycling alongside the road, making it more attractive to reach the park by sustainable transport. We proposed that a 3 to 4m wide bi-directional shared (pedestrians and cyclists) path be located on the wide grass verge on the western side of the road. This was surfaced with a locally quarried permeable self-binding gravel so as not to detract from the rural character of the open countryside setting. The path was opened in October 2014, meaning that the northern most 1.5km of Ditchling Road now has a safe, off-carriageway, walking and cycling route.
A number complementary measures were also proposed to make the carriageway a less hostile environment: reducing the speed limit from 60mph to 40mph; changing the character of the corridor by introducing open field grazing with cattle grids at either end; removing the road centre line; removing the road edge lines and introducing advisory cycle lanes on both sides of the carriageway. These measures maybe introduced in the future.
