Local Brighton & Hove stuff

Madhouse economics

2011-03-14T03:41:00.000-07:00

The Conservatives normally try to present themselves as the party of economic realism. It is strange, therefore, that Brighton's Conservative Council has decided to cut the price of residents' parking permits by 5%.

In most parts of Brighton, there is a waiting list of several months for a permit, which shows that demand exceeds supply. The application of basic principles of economics would suggest that this rationing by queuing could be prevented by putting up the price for the permits, which would also give the Council much-needed extra revenue.

In the centre of Brighton, charges for on-street parking are such that every parking bay reserved for residents is losing the Council several thousand pounds a year. Residents are in effect being given a subsidy to occupy a parking space.

This is the economics of the madhouse.

Independence for Brighton's sea bathers

2011-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Recent events and troubles with the management of Brighton Swimming Club are but the culmination of problems that, according to retired Argus journalist Adam Trimingham, go back to the 1970s and earlier.

Since the regular sea bathers constitute the majority of those who use the existing arch, it would be logical if the new arch were to be signed over directly to the new body.

The underlying problem is that Brighton Swimming Club and the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) are primarily interested in competitive pool swimming, an activity that has nothing to do with going in the sea and is pursued by different sorts of people with entirely different motivations and outlooks on life. Putting these people together with those who go in the sea summer and winter, regardless of the weather, is a recipe for conflict.

If such a new club were to be established, any affiliation would be to some other governing body to be agreed. Since, for all practical purposes the ASA has no interest in non-competitive open water swimming and also appears to be unable and unwilling to ensure that its own regulations and standards of conduct are followed by its affiliated clubs, it would not be appropriate to join, which would therefore avoid saving the membership levy. An independent club would no doubt attract many more people, who are presently put off by the idea that a competitive club is not for them.

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Brighton's transport policy plan

2010-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

The consultation period has closed now but this is what I wrote.

PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES
Traffic management in the city works against the pedestrian. The town is cut in half and cut off from the sea front by torrents of traffic. Waiting times to cross roads are too long. A pedestrian walking across the centre of the city can spend half the journey time in waiting to cross the road. Traffic lights take too long to change to the pedestrian phase, which often remain against the pedestrian even if there is no traffic in sight. The result is that most people do not wait for the green man and cross anyway. This is a major source of accidents.

Traffic calming is needed on the sea front and in the Steine south of St Peter’s Church. Even a limited restriction between the piers would be an improvement on the present situation eg 1200 to 1800 on Sundays in July and August.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Bus flows on the main bus corridors are above the level at which it is generally considered that operation would be more economic by trams. As oil costs rise, the balance will increasing tip in favour of electric traction over the period of the transport plan. The present volume of bus traffic is also environmentally problematic due to congestion, noise, and, despite the use of much improved technology, pollution.

The main cost is for relocation of underground services, and from this point of view it is unfortunate that these have recently been renewed. What needs to be done at this stage is to plan a network of routes, so that any further renewals of underground services will be correctly placed in the event that a decision is made to replace buses with trams.

Trams are also an important environmental management measure in their own right, since they control and prioritise the use of the road space. It is necessary only to travel to Croydon to see how successfully trams can be integrated into an otherwise pedestrian environment.

One issue that could usefully be resolved at an early stage would be to decide on the track gauge. It may be that a metre gauge system would suffice, as is widespread in continental towns of a similar size to Brighton, and larger.

VOLKS RAILWAY
Whilst this is primarily a working museum, it could make a minor but useful contribution to transport in the city. Obvious enhancements would be extensions into the Marina and to the Palace Pier, and realignment to remove the sharp curves. With additional vehicles, possibly using Parry flywheel technology, the service could be extended into the Steine with a new terminus near Marlborough House. With further on-street running, the line might be extended westwards, even as far as the King Alfred.

A possible enhancement might involve re-gauging to metre gauge, a standard European tram gauge and procuring additional vehicles, which might include historic trams. If a decision was made for a city-wide metre gauge system, this could then be fully integrated.

Saltdean Carvery - now excellent value

2010-05-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

I complained about it last year. But I visited the restaurant again this week and it is very much improved, to the point that it is now excellent value.

Brighton Conservatives publicity prompt me to vote Green

2010-05-03T02:57:00.001-07:00

At the start of the campaign, I was far from being decided on whom to vote for. As an outright owner of two properties, and living outside the UK 40% of the year, I have a vested interest in voting Conservative.

But when I read the anti-Green leaflet that came through my door yesterday from Charlotte Vere, the Conservative candidate for Brighton Pavilion, I resolved on the Green. The Conservatives have done what the Greens ought to have done for themselves! It's a funny old world.

I have not great admiration for the Greens. They are, these days, mostly recycled socialists of a priggish and self-righteous stripe. Many of their policies are plain batty. But it is evident from the Conservative leaflet that some of the policies are very sensible, and the criticism they make of them is silly and superficial.

The Greens propose an increase in taxes on alcohol. This is overdue; given the local problems we experience every weekend, dearer booze would be beneficial.

The Green proposal for a congestion charge for Brighton should not just be dismissed. Some action is needed to reduce the horrendous traffic in central Brighton, which is one reason why I flee the country from June to October every year. These two policies on alcohol and traffic are potentially attractive to residents in the centre of the city.

The proposal to charge VAT on new build would at least remove the distortion between new construction and refurbishment. I do not agree with VAT at all. It is iniquitous, regressive and bureaucratic. But it makes no sense to treat new-build and refurbishment differently. Contrary to what the Conservative leaflet claims, VAT on new construction will add nothing to the cost of a new home in Brighton - not that there is much new building going on in this area. The reason is that if a seller can charge an extra £44k for a property, then they already will. That is basic economics. The economic principle involved as brought to attention 200 years ago by David Ricardo, a Brighton man, incidentally, who made a lot of money. It is worrying that the Conservative candidate does not understand this.

The Conservative leaflet asks if I like local council taxes? No, but I like local council services. We all do. How are they meant to be paid for if not be a tax on property? And even non-doms cannot dodge property taxes.

Greens want to stop economic growth. Surely it is a good Conservative principle that one cannot use more than one has got? That applies to the natural environment. Economic growth cannot go on as it has. Arguably, gross national product is not a good target because there is a tenuous connection to people's sense of well-being. Further, it is not my impression that people generally are proportionately better off than they were a generation ago. My generation had little difficulty in buying a home. Our children and grandchildren are struggling to pay huge mortgages. Where is the Conservative policy that will address this problem?

The Greens propose a speed limit of 55 mph on the motorways. This sounds eminently sensible. Little time is saved by going faster, much fuel is saved by going slower, and accidents are less severe.

Do I care about the security of the UK? Yes. But it is at least arguable that a country's security is best service by keeping a strong, low-profile defensive posture that no-one else perceives as threatening.

In any case, since there is no possibility that the Greens can form a government, the contents of their manifesto are of little more than academic interest, though it is good that the Greens are raising important issues that no-one else is.

The Tory leaflet reveals both a failure of analysis and of a willingness to pander to the worst and most selfish instincts in people. Since there really is a possibility of a Conservative government, and on the basis of your critique, ignorant attitudes are abroad within the party, I resolved on looking at this literature (which incidentally was scrappy and untidy), to cast my vote for Caroline Lucas, the Green candidate, despite my reservations about her.

Vote for electoral change
By voting Green, I am of course voting for no overall control and a change in the electoral system.

Sweden has a very different, and much healthier, and less confrontational, politics. It is a much nicer country to live in, partly as a result of its different electoral system.

When I did the on-line survey to match party choice to policy, I ended up with a rainbow cocktail of parties, including Greens, UKIP, Conservatives, LibDems, Labour, BNP! This is perhaps because all the parties are aiming for the same few hundred thousand decisive votes in the key marginals. Under Britains FPTP system, the views of this tiny proportion of the population are decisive, and yet people criticise "hung" parliaments as ones in which the minority can hold the others to ransom.

Puffins and pelicans

2010-04-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Puffins are the new type of street crossing that are replacing Brighton's Pelican crossings - those are the ones with the green man on the far side of the road. According to research for the DfT done by the Transport Research Laboratory, there are less accidents on the new crossings.

I don't know anyone who actually likes the things, but it seems that people were not asked whether they liked them. From casual observation, people are still not waiting for the pedestrian phase before crossing the road, which is the real danger because vehicles can come from unexpected directions.

A variety of crossings are in use in continental Europe. It is a pity the DfT did not copy some of their better features, like the count-down lights which tell pedestrians how much longer they have got to wait.

Traffic hazard cured

2010-02-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Pedestrians will live more safely – thanks to researchers’ advice

For the last three or four years the traffic authorities have noticed an increase in the number of serious accidents between pedestrians and trams at tram crossing points.

“We brought in Chalmers Technical University and now we are applying their proposals at all tramway crossing”, says Peter Rydén, Head of Road Safety at the Traffic Department in Gothenberg.

“The negative trend, with more accidents, had to be stopped. That was both obvious and necessary in order to comply with rail safety regulations.

“It was necessary to understand how people think and react when they cross the tramway. We involved Chalmers because they have special competence in behavioural studies,” says Peter Rydén.

Seventeen tramway crossings were observed with consideration being given to different aspects of their design. Amongst the safety features examined were yellow line markings, signal arrangements and kerb-edge markings. Lighting, audible warnings, vehicle speed, cycle crossings and pedestrian refuge arrangements were also considered.

Habits depend on age
In addition, the researchers investigated how pedestrian behaviour is affected by age-related changes which are important in the traffic environment. Different age groups have different degrees of competence in dealing with traffic situations, both in their levels of attention and in their physical abilities. It was from the observations of older people’s behaviour that is was concluded that the design of tram crossings should follow five principles.

Avoid complexity: irrelevant and distracting features should be minimised. A solution is to divide up the crossings into stages and provide precisely the information that is necessary in each situation.

Maintain levels of attention and awareness: at each stage of the crossing process, pedestrians should receive clear and correct signals which sustain their attentiveness. These can take the form of lights or audible signals, preferably changing ones, which creates differences at each stage in the crossing process.

Consistency: use the same features to maintain attention levels at all crossings.

Clarity: the design features should relate to their purpose so that people will easily get to learn what they mean. For example, if a signal always has a particular meaning – such as stop or go – they effectively say what they mean and give a clear instruction. Use existing conventions: red means stop or forbidden, green means go or clear and yellow symbolises warning.

Eliminate mistakes: wrong actions can be divided broadly into three categories. Someone can intend to do the right thing but get it wrong subconsciously; they can misunderstand the situation but do the right thing in accordance with their interpretation; and they can deliberately break the rules. The first case is a result of distraction. The solution is to minimise occasions of distraction. The second case is, for example, when the pedestrian sees the green man for pedestrians crossing a car lane but does not notice that in front of the car lane is a tram track without signals, which has to be crossed first. The solution is to provide signals at each stage of the crossings. An example of the third case is when pedestrians know that the light is red and takes a chance and cross regardless. There is no solution to this kind of recklessless.

Clear markings
Chalmers’ main solution for all crossings was to provide yellow lines on the ground and one-metre high poles, black with yellow reflective strip near the top. These elements say to the pedestrian, “Now you are entering a new area.”

This is in accordance with Chalmers’ theory that it is advantageous to divide up crossings into different stages in order to increase attentiveness.

“The crossing at Liseberg is a good example of the new arrangements and how they should work. If a lot of people use the crossing we reinforce the measures with signs and signals. We have different levels depending on the number of pedestrians, the amount of car traffic, the speed of the trams, etc,” says Peter Rydén.

“Which signals are used is also important. There are yellow flashing signs in the town centre but they indicate not what they are warning of, which can confuse people. The traffic design office is therefore considering both how the light signals are used and where they are placed. One rule is that they should stand in line with the crossing so that so that people do not need to turn their heads to find the pole with the red light or the green man,” says Peter Rydén.

“Another important rule is that, regardless of what the crossing looks like, everyone, both drivers and pedestrians, give the tram priority.

“Following critical evaluation of the Chalmers proposals, the traffic office decided to alter all tram crossings. So far, 25 have been modified. We are continuing with the work until they have all been modified.”

What a pity the Brighton highway engineers take the subject less seriously. The studies were conducted by researches in the Human Factors – Engineering Product Development and Design Department of Chalmers technical college, Gothenberg, under the guidance of Anna-Lisa Osvalder, Docent, assisted by Maria Eriksson, Civil Engineer.

Article originally published in Göteborg Metro 10 February 2010.

Puffin crossing grief

2010-01-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

This is one of the new type of Puffin crossings which are making their appearance in Brighton. This new standard type of crossing, which appears to be unique to the United Kingdom, has come about because some genius, presumably at the Department of Transport, got the idea of getting rid of the green man on the opposite side of the road. Once pedestrians have stepped off the kerb they have no idea if they are in the clear and have to trust the system. When there is a mixture of the old and new types of crossing, the result is confusion and sometimes danger; here at the junction of East Street and North Street junctions. Here, due to the way the roads are angled, pedestrians are faced with a green light which applies not to them but to the traffic coming from Castle Square.

The main result of having poorly-designed pedestrian crossings is that people largely ignore them and do not bother to wait to cross at the right time, which leads to risk-taking and accidents.

Though public spokesmen assure us that they are the best possible crossing imaginable, better designs of crossings actually exist. There is a count-down type which tells pedestrians how many seconds they have to wait and how long they have to cross, there are crossings that give a clear audible signal for both the waiting and crossing phases, and there is the “rest on green” system for bus and tram lanes, where the lights are normally left set in favour of pedestrians except when a vehicle approaches. And it also helps if different rules apply, so that turning motorists must always give ways to pedestrians, which appears to be the standard outside the UK.

This latter, together with the centre-reservation pig-pen, another UK idiosyncrasy, encapsulate the underlying problem. In other European countries the priority in towns is pedestrians first, then cyclists, then motorists. In Britain it is the other way round.

Brighton & Hove Buses in the snow

2010-01-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

I am very impressed with the way the bus company has kept going in the snowy weather. Brighton is hilly, and some roads are too steep for double deck buses in the snow. So the routes have been reorganised, with single-deck coaches fitted with chains being used on the steep sections of some routes.

A lot of thought and preparation must have gone into working out these emergency arrangements.

Exploding underpants

2010-01-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

In view of the obvious gay interest one would have thought that Prowler in St James's Street would have stocked them but the best I could find were these from Aussiebum. It looks as if there is a gap in the market. I reckon they would go down well in the Bulldog. Imagine the attention one would get as the mighty todger bursts out of the confinement of the pants which split asunder with a resounding boom.

Brighton Monorail nonsense

2009-06-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to see that the Council continues to show interest in the proposal for a sea front monorail. It seems as if some people have got carried away with the idea. It needs a prompt thumbs-down.

Unlike a conventional railway or tramway, a monorail will have to be carried on overhead posts which will be visually obtrusive. In the end, that will probably rule out the scheme on planning grounds. In the meantime a substantial amount of time and money will have been wasted on design and consultation. And even if it came to pass, it could not be extended into the town or otherwise integrated into the existing public transport system. It would do nothing that a conventional tramway, using well-established technology, would not do more reliably and at a fraction of the cost. Conventional tramways can run at ground level or in tunnels or on viaducts and if desired, grass can be laid in the space between the tracks to further reduce the visual impact.

One option worth considering would be to build a tramway to the narrower metre gauge. These are popular in continental cities with narrow, winding streets, such as Helsinki, which has just added some stylish and comfortable vehicles to its fleet (photographs). If the Volks Railway were converted to this gauge, it may even be possible to adapt the existing original cars to run on it alongside the new vehicles. As an added attraction, there would also be the possibility of running historic vehicles on loan from continental tramway museums.

Please can we get this this proposal back down to earth?

Sadly this will come to nothing

2009-06-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Walking Woods (Places from Spaces) - was a temporary transformation of Valley Gardens with 700 trees.

The sponsor, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has been running a design experiment in public spaces in three cities in the Region. Students from the University of Brighton's School of Architecture took part in SEEDA's competition to generate ideas to temporarily transform the Valley Gardens area in Brighton, as a way of engaging with local people about how the space might be used more and improved. The winning scheme, called Walking Woods, happened between 5th and 11th June. There was also an exhibition of ideas from the students about how the Valley Gardens area might be permanently improved.

Full marks. But nothing will happen for decades. There is no money nor is there the political will to deal with the traffic. There can be few countries in Europe where a public space with such potential is so little valued. It is little more than a traffic island, a triumph of traffic engineering.

Spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar

2009-06-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

Brighton and Hove Council have been doing some much-needed improvements in North Street (top picture). Edburton Construction are the contractors and look as if they are employing their best craftsmen on the job. But the "setts" are just rough concrete blocks which will stain easily. Proper granite setts like those in the Swedish scheme at Saltholmen (below) are much more expensive, but not in relation to the total cost of the project. When labour is expensive, it makes no sense to skimp on materials. The Swedes know this, the Brits do not.

What a way to build a wall

2009-06-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

What a way to build a wall!
Originally uploaded by seadipper

Brighton Council are refurbishing the sea front. This wall is built out of rough blocks faced with concrete tiles. How long will it be before they fall off? Surely an properly built brick wall would have been easier and lasted longer?

Clutter in the street

2009-05-27T16:10:00.001-07:00

When you come out of Brighton station and walk towards the seafront you have to squeeze past empty containers, advertisements, beggars and bicycles all filling up the narrow pavement. This scene of chaos is the first impression visitors get when they come by train. Does the council care?

I can't see Aldi lasting long

2009-05-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

The German supermarket chain has just opened a shop in London Road, where the old Sainsbury's used to be. There are good bargains to be had and a range of delicatessen which is usually hard to come by. It ought to be a great success. But if it continues as it is, the shop is not going to last long. There are hardly any customers. Why?

There aren't any baskets! There are only big trolleys and you have to find a £1 deposit when you come into the shop. So most people don't and just buy as much as they can hold in their hands. And since this is a fag and most people can't be bothered, they don't come back.

I asked the manager where the baskets were and was told that there weren't any and wouldn't be as it was not company policy. I pointed to the short queue of people, hardly any of whom were using the trolleys. The manager did not want to see them.

The point about this shop is that there is nowhere to park a car and so most of the customers are on foot. They would not want to buy a whole trolley-full of anything.

I suppose the reason is that Aldi is a German company. They are rule bound. I had trouble with Deutsche Bahn over a mistake they made with some train tickets. Perhaps little changes. The Reichsbahn would not allow anyone to travel to a concentration camp unless they had a valid ticket! These had to be purchased by the SS, but they got a special group travel rate as the passengers were travelling in freight vehicles. Actually, this was not always the case. Some passengers went to Treblinka in Pullman cars, presumably to lull them into a false sense of security.

Trip hazard

2009-05-13T14:15:00.001-07:00

Warning!
Originally uploaded by brightonsinger

Could be anywhere in Brighton. The pavements are hardly ever mended, and even if they were, people would just drive on them and break the paving slabs again.

Who cares?

Cumming through

2009-05-07T05:19:00.000-07:00

New Brighton Swimming Club rules made by the committee.

1. No naked showering in first inside shower
2. Ladies passing through men's area in either direction must be adequately covered and must first loudly call "coming through" to alert men to cover their genitalia.

Committee, Brighton SC
May 2009

No progress then, on providing men and women with separate changing and showering areas.

Brighton Bin City

2009-03-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

These bins have been put all over Brighton as a foreground to its Regency and Victorian architecture - the city has the amongst the highest concentrations of early-nineteenth century buildings of any town in Britain, all in designated Conservation Areas. This is a sign of the respect with which they are treated.

Road repairs

2009-03-14T04:36:00.001-07:00

Road repairs
Originally uploaded by seadipper
There used to be three cast iron bollards on the corner at the end of my street but they kept being knocked down by big vehicles. So the council decided to carve off a chunk from the footpath and just have two bollards. I had a meeting with one of the engineers and told him that I thought it would not solve the problem and that what was needed was a cast iron "bell", but they went ahead anyway of course.

It worked for a while but when I came back I found that the bollards had been knocked down again and an inspection cover on the corner had been broken.

Now it has been mended but how long will it be before it is hit again?

Under the Pier

2009-01-20T15:38:00.001-08:00

under the Pier
Originally uploaded by mr squiddle @ comedyshots

What a horrible space this is. Surely it could be used for something?

Rotten choice for Brighton Pavilion voters

2008-12-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

I came face to face with the Labour Party candidate for Pavilion constituency yesterday. She is unimpressive. I would have voted Green if they had kept Keith Taylor but they parachuted in Caroline Lucas who sounds horrendous and is advocating the old failed Old Labour policies, so I won't vote for her either. The Conservatives have put up a gay medic who is very pretty and seems amiable. He is the sort of person I would like to go out for a meal with but that is not sufficient to get my vote. The LibDems have almost withdrawn. The old Liberals were quite strong in these parts in the 1980s but the party lost its way when it become part of the Social Democrats, which they would not have done if the had known what Liberalism was really about. Now they are peddling nonsense like Local Income Tax and are much too uncritical of the EU.

When mainstream politics are in the state they are, we need to beware. With a tidal wave of inflation a few years down the line, there could be a place for extremists in the UK, running policies based on xenophobia.

Castle Square crossing not sorted out after all

2008-12-13T02:29:00.000-08:00

The Castle Square crossing has not been sorted out after all. The council has put in a new type of crossing, with no green man on the opposite side of the road, so you have to stand well back to see the sign on the pavement and once you have started to cross you don't know if it is still clear for you.

After you press the button it seems to take much too long for the green man to appear, so most people are ignoring it and crossing when they shouldn't. In many continental countries there is a count-down timer on the opposite side of the road so people can see how long they have to wait and whether they have time to cross. Usual story - things are done differently in Britain, and usually wrong.

At last they are sorting this out

2008-10-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

Castle Square
Originally uploaded by seadipper

After many years and several fatalities at this spot (Castle Square) and nearby, Brighton and Hove Council have finally got round to redesigning the layout. The bus lane at the right of the picture has been got rid of and there is now a pedestrian crossing at a convenient pace, avoiding a long detour.

Pity it took so long but at least now it is done.

Broken glass on beach

2008-06-16T16:59:00.001-07:00

Broken glass on beach
Originally uploaded by seadipper

There is a lot of this in the mornings. The beach cleaners do a great job in clearing it up later on but we early morning bathers need to be very careful.

But why do people do it? How stupid are they? But the authorities could do a lot to stop the problem. If bottles had a decent sized deposit on them then people would collect them up and take them back to the shop. It isn't rocket science.

The silly season is on us #4

2008-06-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

The police have been criticising Brighton's bus drivers for allegedly driving at pedestrians. The streets of Brighton are like a war zone at times, but I suggest that neither pedestrians nor bus drivers should be blamed. Pedestrians do behave irresponsibly and ignore the lights. But the alternative is to wait for ages till the "green man" lights up and they can cross the road by right. All over the city centre, the traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are arranged with little concern for the needs of pedestrians. Try walking across the Steine from St James's Street to North Street, for instance. There are very difficult crossings at many other locations, for example, at the junction of The Steine with North Road, adjacent to St Peter's and outside Boots by the Clock Tower. Some of the trouble is that there is a "red man" displayed when there isn't a vehicle in sight, then a bus comes from an unexpected direction and splat.

It is Brighton and Hove's traffic engineers who are primarily to blame for this state of affairs. There is, apparently, a recognised solution called "rest on green", when the green man turns to red when a bus approaches, the buses being fitted with transponders to do this. But the accident toll continues. To be fair, the problem in Castle Square is at last being addressed after several fatalities, but the traffic scheme should never have been done like it was in the first place.

The silly season is on us #3

2008-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Another story that has been running is the outbreak of jumping from piers. As this is almost impossible to stop, surely there is some way of providing a proper supervised facility with proper diving boards in some of the popular jumping locations such as next to Brighton Pier?

When the water is deep enough, around the time of high tide, diving is safe. But when it is not, it is lethal. One thing that would help would be to put in a depth gauge, with the lower part painted red. On the top of the gauge would be a sign saying (the first part would be a backside-covering exercise)

"NO DIVING - and if you can see the red line don't even think about it"

The silly season is on us #2

2008-06-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

The local paper has been running a story about council snoopers looking to see what is in people's dustbins. It was described as an intrusion on privacy. Since the councils have to pay to get rid of the rubbish, a cost which falls in the end on council taxpayers, it seems reasonable to find out what is being thrown away. Confidential material should be shredded before it is thrown away.

On the other hand, the government's idea for charging for bin collection is just going to promote illegal dumping. People should have an incentive not to purchase rubbish in the first place and to recycle it afterwards. The old-fashioned system of bottle deposits was a good example of how to encourage people to do the right thing. Nowadays, some people break their bottles and leave them on the beach, which they wouldn't do if they could get money back on them.

The silly season is on us #1

2008-06-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

At Brighton station today, passengers are being warned that they cannot take their bikes on the trains because of the London to Brighton bike ride. In the bad old days of British Rail, there used to be a train called the Bicycle Belle which took riders and their bikes back to London.

The new Electrostar trains do not have space for bikes, but surely it is not beyond the wit of the event organisers and the train companies to come up with a way of carrying the bikes back to London.

As it is, the event now generates a lot of extra traffic, including fleets of trucks, to take the bikes back. Which destroys the whole concept of the ride as a green event.

The shingle plants of Kemp Town

2008-06-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

All along the Volk's Railway going towards Kemp Town there are shingle plants in flower just now. These are just a few. Other plants growing include Horned Poppy, Verbascum, Viper's Bugloss and many unusual smaller plants.

A well done scheme

2008-06-09T13:59:00.001-07:00

Trafalgar Street
Originally uploaded by seadipper

The pavement in Trafalgar Street has been widened and a contra-flow cycle lane has been put in, all using good quality red brick pavers.

Very nice.

Ladyboy aftermath

2008-06-09T13:57:00.001-07:00

Ladyboy aftermath
Originally uploaded by seadipper

The Ladyboys have had their show in a tent in Victoria gardens for the whole of May, as usual, and now the grass is all in a mess and unless someone pays for the re-turfing it will look that way for most of the summer.

Why don't they pick a more suitable site - perhaps at Black Rock, or the station car park, which have tarmac surfaces.

Brighton Swimming Club and its incompetent management

2008-06-02T08:59:00.001-07:00

The men's changing area looks a bit better now than in this picture as Adrian went to the trouble of doing some research and getting new plastic matting, but all the other problems remain eg lack of space, homeless alcoholics camping outside the door, etc.

Gents urinal with women's shower to the left behind the curtain

Our changing room looks much tidier now that there has been a clearout. But the clearers-out went mad. One club member who comes down irregularly was upset to discover that a cherished item of clothing had been chucked, and she had not been informed of the impending clearout. I fortunately managed to catch someone in the act of throwing away my prescription sunglasses which cost over £100 but not before I had ordered a new pair from the optician. They were in their case and could easily have been put aside.

So this years' subscription will have worked out at over £200 for less than 7 months' use of the arch.

I had been looking for the glasses for weeks. They had fallen through the slats in the bench - probably someone else had knocked them through by putting their stuff on top of them. The slats have been left uncovered since the orange cushions in the picture were thrown away in the previous clearout and not replaced by something eg plywood sheet, to prevent things from falling through, so it is constantly happening. Then your things that have fallen through get mixed up with all the junk that accumulates on the floor and it isn't always possible to see what is there even though I am in the habit of checking to look before I leave the arch.

Club members should have individual lockers to put their things in then they would not get lost, mixed up with other people's things or left lying about and making the place untidy. And nobody would then need to depend on the application of commonsense at tidy-up time, when commonsense seems to have gone out with the spring tides.

The showers are broken yet again. They usually last little more than a year. To avoid further waste of money in keeping having to replace the showers the committee ought to make sure that a heavy duty fitting is obtained this time as the showers get about 10 times the amount of use that they would get in the domestic situation for which they are designed. But this is unlikely to happen as the committee does not bother to talk to those outside their clique and make decisions on that about which they know next to nothing.

But really the place needs to be demolished and rebuilt using the space outside, which would give us double the size and provide proper separation between the men's and women's areas, which there is not at the moment, as women are obliged to go through the men's area to get to the shower. There have been attempts to get something done for the past ten years but the Committee have neither the ability or aptitude to progress things and they will not let anyone else have a go. And meanwhile the charge goes up and up - now it is £95 a year, and complaints are met with the suggestion to go somewhere else.

The strange thing about this is that Brighton and Hove Council and the Amateur Swimming Association have all sorts of policies on things like equal opportunities, sports development and child protection, that could be invoked in a bid for the funds needed to bring the place up to a decent standard.

If the BSC committee were up to the task, they would set up a meeting between themselves and representatives from the the ASA and Brighton and Hove Council, with a view to exploring means of securing funding and a long-term tenancy. Has such a meeting ever been held? As the committee does not talk to its members we shall never know, but it is unlikely.

On the other other hand, it is nice to know that the club gets money from the sale of violent video games which it promotes to its members by email message.

Before you comment, ask yourself if you would let your children use this place. Better still, take a look for yourself. Would you like to use it every day?

Brighton Council Planning Gross Incompetence

2008-05-12T10:45:00.001-07:00

Brighton Council Planning Madness
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

Last year I applied to replace the windows in my flat, which is at the back of the block and can barely be seen from the street. As a result of mis-handling by the case officer, my application was refused. I had to go to appeal which I won, but it has cost me about £400 in professional fees and this would have been about double that amount if I was not myself a retired planning officer and actually did most of the work of dealing with the appeal myself.

The site was said to be in the Avenues Conservation Area whereas in fact it was in the Willett, which was material to the original refusal, clearly stated council policies were not followed and the Building Inspector gave incorrect advice regarding the CDM 2007 regulations.

There were also delays in dealing with the case and I was given incorrect advice regarding documents which had to be submitted - a design and access statement was not originally requested. It is difficult to imagine how the business could have been worse handled.

At least things ended well. In his report, the Planning Inspector said the scheme was a good one and as it was hardly visible from the street, the proposals were unimportant anyway.

Land Value Tax scare story by Conservative councillor

2008-05-07T02:42:00.001-07:00

In a letter to the Brighton and Hove Argus on 5 May, Councillor Oxley claimed that "research in Scotland, where Greens are pushing to get land value taxation introduced, shows that areas where land values are high, eg Brighton and Hove, would be particularly hard hit by such a levy, with some residents paying up to three times the amount currently paid under the council tax system.".

Not being a member or supporter of any political party, I don't know precisely what, if anything, the Greens have in mind, but properly implemented, a land value tax is a tax on the annual rental value of sites, based on current market assessments. And the tax is intended as a replacement for punitive taxes such as income tax, VAT, and the existing property taxes. It should not be an additional tax.

Since the assessments would be on rental values, the present bubble prices, caused by over-free lending and borrowing, would not come into the equation. Except in those parts of Brighton and Hove within easy reach of the train service to London, land values in this area are not particularly higher than anywhere else in South-East England. So who and where are these residents who would end up paying three times more then they do now? It cannot be those who live in terraced houses in high density developments in the North Laine (photo), Hanover or Poet's Corner. Nor can it be people in blocks of flats or sub-divided Victorian houses, or those on the council estates on the edge of town. Nor can it be homeowners who have made improvements such as loft conversions and other extensions, as these would be ignored, by definition, in land value tax assessments.

Land value is a value created by a combination of nature and the presence and activities of the community. Thus, land value is a public value and therefore ideally suited as the basis of public revenue. If, under a land value tax system, anyone really would have to pay three times more than they do at the moment, this suggests that just now they are getting a lot a lot of value, all paid for by everyone else.

I was under the impression that it was a fundamental Conservative principle that people should get what they pay for, and pay for what they get, and that enterprise should not be penalised. So why would a Conservative be opposed to land value taxation, when it so precisely aligns with the party's philosophy?

I awaited his response with interest but as there was none published I wrote to him directly and got a nice letter back, so perhaps something useful could yet come of it. In the past there have been quite a few supporters of land value taxation, including Winston Churchill. It is a perfectly respectable policy for a Conservative. In fact it is a perfectly respectable policy for a member of any of the main UK political parties and is something they could actually agree about. Which may be the trouble because it makes much party political posturing seem irrelevant.

Big projects not going to happen

2008-04-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

Brighton has, over the past few years, attracted many proposals for large projects. At the Hove end, there are the Gehry towers. There is a viewing tower proposed for the West Pier, the Brighton Centre is due for a rebuild, there is the Ice Rink proposed for Black Rock (above) and 11,000 seater stadium planned for Black Rock, there are more tower blocks proposed for the Marina, there is the stadium for the Albion at Falmer and a proposal for a seafront monorail. How much of this is not now going to happen because of the so-called credit crunch?

It would probably be better if some of these do not happen. But there are many small schemes that would be of real benefit, which hardly get a mention, such as the extension of the Volk's Railway into the Marina at one and to the Palace Pier or into the Steine at the other, the refurbishment of the derelict arches by the West Pier, and modest housekeeping activities such as repairing the town's broken and dangerous pavements. There is also a need to find short-term uses for the city's many derelict sites, such as Black Rock and the vacant land in the centre at Church Street, which has been an eyesore for the past two decades.

Brighton seafront road works

2008-04-13T14:02:00.001-07:00

Brighton seafront road works
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

The seafront road has been partially blocked for the past few months so that the water mains can be renewed. This has slowed and reduced the volume of traffic, making it easier to cross the road.

It is a pity the road cannot be permanently reduced, with the cycle lane being moved off the footway where it is at the moment. Instead, we could have a cycle lane in each direction, in the area at present used by cars.

Of course it is impossible as "the motorist" must not be frustrated.

Volk's Railway Crossing

2008-04-13T13:59:00.001-07:00

Volk's Railway Crossing
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

The crossings on the Volk's Railway now have proper signs, flashing lights and warbler warnings.

The bus lanes in the Steine have nothing like this, yet they are busier, the buses go faster and there have been more accidents.

Why does road transport operate under laxer rules than railways?

Cycle lane gone mad

2008-04-08T03:07:00.001-07:00

cycle lane gone mad
Originally uploaded by lomokev.

Brighton's cycle lanes look good on paper. The Council can claim they have built miles of them. But they are none where they are most needed eg at roundabouts.

The sea front cycle lane should be on a strip taken out of the roadway, not from the space for people to walk. With the seafront road partly blocked due to the work on the water mains, there are less cars and they are slower, which has given us traffic calming. It proves that there is space on the carriageway for a proper cycle lane in each direction.

A lost opportunity

2008-03-29T17:05:00.001-07:00

Brighton Seafront
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

These arches have been empty for decades yet there is a ten year queue for beach huts in central Brighton

How Brighton Council cares about conservation

2008-03-25T16:46:00.001-07:00

This house has been like this for months. It is in a much sought-after street in a Conservation Area in the middle of the city, and the building is listed. From the way it has been boarded up, it looks as if Brighton and Hove Council own it. But just try putting plastic windows in a house round here and the council will be on to you in double-quick time.

Lost opportunity

2007-10-17T11:44:00.001-07:00

Renewing the water mains in my street
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

They are renewing the water mains in my street at last. The whole of Brighton is being done. In my street the pipes were so corroded that water was sometimes coming up through the tarmac.

Sadly, there was no co-ordination with the other utility services. It would have been a perfect opportunity to complete the unfinished task of putting in a high speed fibre optic system and to replace ugly overhead copper telephone wires.

Is this lack of joined-up thinking a peculiarly British failing?

Why no trams in Brighton?

2007-10-08T02:02:00.001-07:00

Helsinki - street scene with tram
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

The reasons given are (1) the streets are too narrow and (2) it would cost too much.

The picture proves that the first reason is complete nonsense. As for the second reason, of the biggest costs is of shifting the underground services such as gas and water. However, these are so old that they have had to be renewed anyway.

So did anyone suggest that when this happens they should be put where they would not get in the way of a tramway if there is a decision to have one in the future? Of course not. And when the point was put to the council, the two reasons given were trotted out.

Better under the Conservatives?

2007-10-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Brighton Council had a change in political control at the May elections and the Conservatives are now the ruling party. Is there anything to show for it? Nothing that I can see.

Brighton Trail of Squalor

2007-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Seen on the way to the sea front this morning.

Someone had dumped a mattress in Queen's Gardens the street where I live.

Again in Queen's Gardens, someone has blocked the narrow pavement with a huge wheelybin outside their house.

And still in Queen's Gardens, a lot of the houses no longer bring in their refuse boxes which are more unsightly clutter on the pavement.

Outside the pub on the corner of North Road and Upper Gardener Street, there was a load of butt ends and other muck

And here was a bundle of free magazines dumped on the pavement.

Bottles and cans left on top of a telephone junction box - this was in Church Street

Someone has driven into a lamp post on the expensively renewed New Road

This was broken like this when I came back ten days ago

Homeless people live in this shop doorway in East Street

And this one, also in East Street

And people think I am funny wanting to move away from this.

High Density Living

2007-07-28T04:25:00.001-07:00

View from my back room
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

Prompted by the recent floods, an article by critic Jonathan Glancey was arguing that we should be building at higher densities on the most advantageous sites rather than spreading out, especially when so much of the available land is on flood plains.

I agree, but...

Brighton city centre ought to be the perfect example of what he is advocating, and for many years it was. Unfortunately, things have changed in the last few years.

It has become increasingly unpleasant for a variety of reasons including

(1) Inept traffic management resulting in problems with congestion, parking, air pollution, deliveries, etc, aggravated by inconsiderate conduct of drivers (including bus drivers) and cyclists.

(2) Increasingly high turnover of neighbours for a variety of reasons including buy-to-let and the poor quality of local schools which drives people to move on when their children are coming up to school age. One effect is that the community has become de-stabilised.

(3) Noise nuisance and disturbance from neighbours who are not aware of or do not care about local customs such as not doing things which will cause annoyance.

(4) More noise and disturbance in general and in particular due to late night drinking.

(5) Substance abusers, low-level crime and vandalism.

(6) Inept management of the public environment due to street litter, rubbish dumping, inefficient collection services etc.

(7) Other environmental degradation eg graffiti, poor maintenance of footways by local council.

(8) Increasing acceptance of all of the above on the grounds that people should be tolerant.

All this is happening in Brighton but it would be surprising if the problem is not widespread. My own inclination is just to sell up and move away, but where to? And that does nothing to solve the problems.

Brighton Council Planning Madness

2007-06-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

I applied for planning permission to put new plastic windows in a flat in this block, replacing the worn out galvanised steel ones dating from 1961. The flat is at the rear of the block and not visible from the street. In fact the only people who can see it are the neighbours at the back, in the next street. The proposal was for tilt and turn windows, so they could be cleaned, which meant that they had to have fixed glass panes underneath as the cills are very low.

From the outset, and throughout, the process was mucked up. I was given the wrong advice by the Council's counter staff who are supposed to know about these things.

This application was made on 20 March. After sitting on it for nearly three weeks, the planners asked for further information in the form of something called a "Design and Access Statement", which had not originally been requested. This demanded information on things like landscaping - for heaven's sake, we are only talking about windows. In fact, the information had been provided originally, if not exactly in the requested format.

The planners said a decision would be made on the week commencing 28 May. No decision had been made by then so I spoke to the case officer, who said that the application would be refused as the windows were not to the precise glazing pattern of the original.

I explained that this was not in a Victorian villa with original features, but at the rear of a 1961 spec-built block of flats, and not visible from the street frontage, which has long since been ruined.

I pointed out that most of the original steel windows have already been replaced by double glazing to save energy and because the original windows have decayed. Mine was one of the few remaining. There had been little uniformity to the replacement windows apart from fitting the original openings. No precedent was now set by granting consent.

The windows were originally intended to be cleaned from the outside using a cradle system. As this was no longer, operational, I had therefore requested alterations, minimally, to permit cleaning from the inside. Due to the low cill, for safety reasons it was necessary to alter some of the glazing patterns, also because of the heavier sections of the Upvc frames, to follow the original layout would have been clumsy and unsightly and I wished to avoid this.

I explained also that if this application was refused I would go to appeal and the Council's decision was almost certain to be overturned. In the meantime, however, I was unable to get the flat onto the market and it further added to the unoccupied total in the city.

I aked if someone would kindly apply their experience and commonsense to the matter, and this would be appreciated, also that my main reasons were relating to Health and Safety.

Eventually, at the latest possible date, the decision letter came back - refusal. It had not been referred to committee but dealt with by officers who are either hopelessly incompetent or inexperienced, or both.

The refusal letter stated that it was in The Avenues Conservation Area. It is not, it is in the Willett Estate Conservation Area. But never mind, that is just a detail. It gets worse. It pointed out that refusal was in line with the council's policies HE6 and QD14. QD14 requires materials sympathetic to the parent building - even though most of the windows are already plastic. HE6 requires replacement windows to have transoms and mullions - the bits of wood or metal that go down or across, to be in the same position as the originals. The only thing is that the policy goes on to say that it applies to those buildings which contribute to the character of the Conservation Area - in this case the Victorian houses with ornamental brick and timber details and sash windows. The Council's Character Statement for the Willett Estate Conservation Area specifically mentions blocks of flats like mine as being disruptive of the character. Obviously the policy was never intended to apply to these 1960s buildings. Arguably, it should have done, but that is the way the Council made its policy.

There was also the little matter of safety. The planner dealing with the case says he had asked the Building Regulations people about that and they said there was no problem with replacing the original glazing with the same thing done in plastic.

This was plain wrong. First, the Regulations state that windows should be cleanable from the inside. At the moment this does not apply to residential buildings but it will not be long before it does. Second, the there are The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

These require anyone specifying windows to ensure they can be cleaned safely. So if I went ahead and renewed with a copy of the old windows I could be prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive in the event of an accident.

That is not the end of the story either. Opening windows on upper floors must not have a cill height of less than 800 mm. This means where the window opening has a lower cill - 690 mm in this case, it is necessary to have a fixed panel below the opening section. In fact, the only window configuration that would comply with the present regulations is the one I had applied to fit.

So now I will be appealing. Brighton Council's decision will almost certainly be overturned. But this incompetence will cost both me and the Council Taxpayers time and money.

Brighton Road Safety proposals

2007-05-23T13:09:00.001-07:00

Do not cross here
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

The Council is trying to do something about the high accident rate along the bus routes in the city centre.

Of course I do not know the particular circumstances of each accident, but I live in the city centre and encounter the difficulties as a
pedestrian all the time. In my experience, the root causes of the
problem are

(1) Light-controlled crossings are often not where I would want to cross the road, and using them involves a detour;

(2) Waiting times for the pedestrian phase are excessive; and

(3) The lights show red to pedestrians when it is obviously or
apparently safe to cross as there is no vehicle in sight;

(4) Vehicles, especially buses, can come from unexpected directions; and

(5) Some buses are driven aggressively.

All in all, this adds up to the City centre being a shockingly pedestrian-unfriendly environment, and this is a major factor in my
seeking to go and live elsewhere.

The most useful measures would be

(A) an analysis of desire lines to reveal where people actually want
to go, with relocation of crossing places accordingly;

(B) controlled lights should be reset to "rest on green" ie in the
pedestrian phase. They should only turn red on the approach of an
authorised vehicle fitted with a transponder;

(C) the St Peter's bus lane should operate under tramway rules, again, with lights resting on the pedestrian phase, and supplemented by wig-wag flashing lights and an audible signal when a vehicle approaches;

(D) the southbound contra-flow bus lane adjacent to the Royal Pavilion should be removed, with all buses using the southbound bus lane on the east side of the Steine and running round the loop already used eg by route 1, to stop outside Marlborough House. This would be advantageous to bus users as they would not have to decide whether to wait by the War Memorial or outside Marlborough House. It will then be possible to provide the much-needed pedestrian crossing on the north side of Castle Square to avoid having to cross three roads to cross one when going from St James's Street to North Street. (see picture)

(E) Bus drivers should sound their horn when moving off from a bus
stop - again this is standard tramway practice.

I would be surprised if the Council's consultants will come up with
anything more for the £100k or so they will doubtless charge for their
services.

Brighton's ever rising house prices

2007-05-13T12:29:00.001-07:00

Newspaper Placard
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

More nonsense from the local newspaper.

The price of building materials is not going up.

Builders' wages are not going up - on the contrary, the influx of people from Poland has meant there is a plentiful supply of labour to to the work.

And the value of the bricks and mortar (bungroosh - a mixture of flints and lime - in the case of many Brighton houses) is going down as time and the weather take their toll.

What has gone up is the price of land. They don't make it any more. Nobody made it. So why should people have to pay for it and more than they have to pay for air?

Pavilion Gardens

2007-05-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

I was walking through Pavilion Gardens in Brighton today and admiring the selection of plants - if you live round here, you can see almost everything you might want for your garden. Everything is well-matched to its particular conditions of light or shade, moist, dry, exposed or sheltered.

So if you are wondering what to plant, this is a good place to get your ideas from.

Brighton and Hove Council hung

2007-05-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

No political party now has overall control of Brighton and Hove City Council following the 2007 elections. The Conservatives are the largest party with 26 seats out of a possible 54.

The result was:

Conservatives - 26 seats
Labour - 13 seats
Greens - 12 seats
Liberal Democrats - two seats
Independent - one seat

Why did Labour do badly? Was it a verdict on Labour's performance in Parliament? Is it punishment for replacing school catchment areas with a lottery system? And who will form the ruling group in the Council? Either there will be a Labour+Green+LibDem coalition or the Conservatives will rule as a minority. Or the Conservatives could have an agreement with the two LibDems, or the Greens. This is possible - LibDems and Conservatives have formed coalitions in the past.

We shall see.

Brighton parking voucher black market

2007-04-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Argus reports that Brighton parking vouchers are being traded on the black market.

We should not be throwing up our hands in horror at this discovery. Black markets are inevitable when there is a multi-tier pricing system, with cut-price offers being made available to selected categories of people. In the city centre, you pay about £3 an hour for a parking space if you are a visitor. This amount will buy a fortnight's parking if you are a resident with a permit.

When the present scheme was at the consultation stage, I suggested that the Council should aim to charge the going rate for parking spaces in each area. Residents should perhaps have a concession, but the price of residents' permits has been the same for at least the past ten years, giving them a 99.8% discount!

Charging the going rate would have avoided the black market, got rid of waiting lists and provided the Council with additional funds to pay for much-needed improvements to make life in Brighton more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists.

Automania Brighton

2007-04-10T15:18:00.001-07:00

Automania
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

This is the route of the proposed "Rapid Transit System" - in reality, an express bus service from the centre of Brighton and running along the sea front.

Since the most popular destinations are along the main Western Road/North Street shopping centre, it seems to me that it will be of limited value, but if it is going to work at all, then all this traffic is going to have to be got out of the way.

Tramway missed opportunity

2007-04-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

I wrote to Councillor Mitchell suggesting that when the renewal of the underground services moves on to Western Road, they should be located so that they would not need to be moved should it be decided to construct a tramway in the future, as relocation of services was a major part of the cost of building tramways.

I received a nice friendly reply, but this is what she said.

"Thank you for your comments. The council has no plans for constructing a tramway. We do not have the wide roadways that the larger cities enjoy and the government is not looking at bids for trams or light rail rapid transport schemes very favourably. We feel that a bus based option is best for our road infrastructure, will attract the necessary government funding, will not add to 'street clutter' and is a flexible scheme that allows extra vehicles to be run at peak times.

"The Southern Water pipe replacement programme is taking into account the proposed RTS route."

How depressing.

I know that the council has no plans for constructing a tramway and that the present government is anti-tram. And I appreciate that a bus-based option is the best way of dealing with the immediate problems of transport in the city - for all the reasons that she states. But the rapid transit system does not address the problems and hazards caused by buses in the main Western Road/North Street/London Road traffic corridor.

Moreover, the world will be a very different place in 20 years' time. And part of the reason why the government is opposed to on-street tramways is the cost of moving underground services. But when they are being renewed anyway, there can be no possible reason for not putting them where they would not need to be relocated should it be decided to construct a tramway in the future, even if there is no intention of doing so very soon.

As for the streets being too narrow for trams, on what basis is she getting this advice? Tramways are regularly operating in streets narrower than ours in many places including Croydon, and also there is always the option of metre gauge tramways.

Don't those in authority look more than a move ahead?

Opportunity missed

2007-03-21T10:56:00.001-07:00

The pipes are joined up but the thinking is not. Brighton needs a tramway and this is one of the streets it would have gone along.

But one of the biggest costs of constructing a tramway is moving the underground services, and with Victorian gas and water mains being replaced, here was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get them in the right place at minimum extra cost.

Do not cross here

2007-03-14T02:22:00.001-07:00

Do not cross here
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

But this is exactly where people want to cross. But Brighton's traffic engineers send people on a detour so you have to cross three roads to cross one.

There has been a sucession of fatalities and serious accidents here but still the Council does nothing. Part of the trouble is the contra-flow bus lane, which means buses come from an unexpected direction. Actually, this bus lane is more trouble than it is worth and a nuisance for passengers also, as the bus stop is in an awkward place, so that some buses going towards Churchill Square leave from Marlborough House and others from opposite the Royal Pavilion by the War Memorial.

But will anything be done? Of course not.

Marginal location

2007-03-13T16:37:00.001-07:00

Red Shop
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

I pass this shop every day on the way to the sea front. A sucession of people have tried, and failed, to run a business here. One sold pet food. Another sold wrought iron things. There have been a couple of clothes shops. This one sold children's shoes. None of them last more than a year or two. It is sad when people try to make a go of things but misjudge the location.

The trouble is that lots of people walk past but mostly in the summer when they are on their way to the sea front and would not want to stop and buy anything much apart perhaps from an ice cream or drink to take away. And when they are coming back from the beach the shop doesn't seem to catch anyone's attention.

Anyway, the landlord never loses as the rental agreement is always weighted in his favour and effective competition between landlords is limited, which is why they can impose onerous conditions on their tenants, such as upwards-only rent revision clauses.

It's a war zone out there

2007-02-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

I stubbed my toe on this when going down to the sea first thing this morning and went flying. Councils haven't got any money to mend the pavements. Although Brighton Council is a big money waster, there is a genuine problem as the government has not provided sufficient grant to local councils and it has not reformed the system of finance to enable councils to raise enough revenue of their own. The Council Tax was a quick fix introduced by the Conservatives in 1992 and is not a robust source of revenue, bu New Labour does not have the guts to reform it.

Just a sore hand but it could just as easily have been a broken wrist and I was lucky I did not have to spend the day at A&E. There are a lot of serious injuries from falls due to uneven pavings in Brighton. It's a war zone in the streets of Brighton.

My main aim in life is to stay in one piece till I can get the hell out of here in June.

Renewing the paving, New Road

2007-02-14T15:05:00.001-08:00

Renewing the paving, New Road
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

The paving is being renewed in New Road to make a single mixed-use area, Danish style, apparently, and costing a fortune of EU money. But we are not Danes and it will be interesting to see if it works. I have my doubts. Scandinavians are better disciplined than the British.

But why these massive foundations? They are enough for a motorway carrying hundreds of HGVs an hour. And what happens when someone needs to get to the underground services?

Overpriced and overcrowded trains

2007-01-09T14:15:00.001-08:00

377302
Originally uploaded by Rienk Mebius.

It is ironic that Brighton commuters' groups should be complaining about higher fares and overcrowding. They should have realised this would happen when the slam door trains were replaced. Instead of joining in the hysteria which led to the old trains being scrapped, the commuters' groups should have countered the hysteria with rational argument.

The safety problem with the doors could have been dealt with at little
cost. Given a throrough overhaul, the slam door trains would have been good for another twenty years and the majority of passengers would not have even have known they were not new trains.

The capital cost of the slam-door trains had long been amortised, and with simple and robust mechanical and electrical systems, they were reliable and inexpensive to keep going. Additional subsidy now has had to be paid towards the cost of the replacement trains, which use more electricity and have fewer seats. Thus higher fares and overcrowding were the inevitable result of getting rid of all the slam door stock.

Should the commuter groups really be complaining about a state of
affairs which they did quite to a lot to help bring about?

A missed opportunity

2007-01-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

North Street and Western Road are being dug up so that the water mains can be renewed. Buses are being diverted. The work will take a couple of years.

This could have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put in a tramway, as all the other work could have been done at the same time.

Much of the cost of building tramways in towns is for moving underground services and all the associated disruption which can mean lost business for shopkeepers along the route. But with the work already happening, there would have been much less additional than if it was only to construct the tramway.

What a pity the opportunity has been missed.

Bus Pass photo nonsense - update from 22 December

2007-01-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

I contacted the complaints department and eventually received an email to say that I could send my picture by email but the member of staff I had spoken to did not know.

Anyway, it should have said on the form that the photocard picture could be emailed. At least, it was a result.

Brighton Bin City - where nobody cares enough

2007-01-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

The top two pictures are the welcome the City of Brighton gives its visitors - they are the first thing you see as you come out of the station, and then you make your way along the narrow footway between Budgen's rubbish and the beggars leaning against the railings.

The bottom picture is the Inside-Out cafe at the end of my road.

With a bit of carrot-and-stick on the part of Brighton and Hove Council, both sets of problems could be solved fairly easily without causing undue inconvenience to the business concerned, though you might think the firms themselves would be concerned about the pile-up of rubbish in front of their shops. But sadly nobody cares enough, for this is Britain 2007.

The sign of a good breakfast

2007-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

We tried this restaurant in Sidney Street on Saturday as our usual one was not open. Very good, food was excellent quality and the poached and scrambled eggs delicately cooked, tea and coffee were well made and there was nice classical music, not too loud, in the background.

Weird cycle lanes of Brighton

2006-12-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Council has had a lot of money from the government to spend on making the city a "beacon" example of a place where cycling is encouraged. Unfortunately it has not been spent on actually improving the facilities.
WEIRD CYCLE LANES OF BRIGHTON

How New Labour! Lots of spin, not much substance. My bike is staying in the loft.

Brighton house prices soar

2006-12-27T07:29:00.001-08:00

So said the Argus news placard on Christmas eve, and that is fine as long as nobody thinks it is the price of bricks and mortar that has gone up. I have just checked - the most expensive bricks are still less than 75p each, and cement is under a fiver for a 25kg bag. There are plenty of building workers, especially with the influx from eastern Europe, so houses and flats are perfectly affordable.

What is not affordable is the land the houses are standing on. It is useful to keep this in mind, as otherwise, we shall always have a "housing" problem as nobody can give a correct diagnosis of what is wrong, let alone solve it.

Effects of the buy-to-let craze

2006-12-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

There has been an investment fashion in buying to let. The trouble is that this has priced a lot of people out of the market and there is more of a turnover. With tenants replacing owner occupiers, places are less well cared for. This is now the view from my back bedroom window. The builder who renovated the house knocked down the old outside toilet which had been used as a store, leaving nowhere for the people who live there to keep things like rubbish bags and garden furniture. Also the wall that has been left standing is only half a brick thick and exposed to the weather, so will fall down after a while. But that will not affect me and nobody else cares.

THE ALLURE OF BUY TO LET

What happens when the price bubble bursts?

Brighton Ice Rink and Stadium.

2006-12-22T15:23:00.001-08:00

Brighton Marina
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

There is a proposal to build an ice rink and 11,000 seater stadium at Black Rock, immediately to the west of the Marina. We now hear that the ice rink proposals are faltering, partly as a result of all the other development that is "planned" to be crammed into the Marina and the need to co-ordinate the projects.

Ice skating is an activity having no association with the sea and an ice rink is a waste of a valuable sea front location. Nor is Black Rock a suitable place for an ice rink. How are people going to arrive and leave without causing traffic gridlock? The capacity of the stadium, 11,000, would fill over 130 buses - that is half of Brighton & Hove's fleet!

One must question the competence of the scheme's promoters. Why did they not speak up when ideal locations for an ice rink and conference centre - such as the Brighton Station site - were up for review?

Bournemouth's experience with a similar landmark building on the seafront - the Imax - is that developments which do not belong by the sea will destroy that quality of the place which is part of its attraction, and there is now a clamour to get rid of it.

If this scheme goes ahead, it will take its place with the Brighton Centre and Kingwest, as buildings that everyone loves to hate.

Bus Pass photo nonsense

2006-12-22T05:01:00.000-08:00

I have just received a letter from Brighton and Hove Council asking for a fresh photograph for my bus pass as they are introducing a new digital system with the photographs printed on instead of stuck on like the one above. The letter says that alternatively, I can go to the office to have a digital photograph taken. There was an email address on the letter so I assumed I could send them the picture by email. Can I? No I can't. The system does not accept input from emails. It can't even take it from a memory stick.

Not much joined up thinking here. How could anyone have specified such a system that did not allow electronic mail imput? Now I have got to dig out a print from my paper filing system and make a trip to their office in the city centre.

Effect of a big blow

2006-12-19T15:33:00.001-08:00

Groynesplash
Originally uploaded by seadipper.

After a few days of gales in early December the sea got really big. We do not get the full force of the Atlantic rollers but they still have plenty of power when they hit the Sussex coast.