 More pedal power in the Triangle
It’s good news for two-wheelers; since achieving Cycling Town status in 2005, our city has more cyclists than ever, and Brighton and Hove City Council is planning to increase the
number of official Pedal Cycle Parking Places (PCPPs). These should reduce “fly parking” (bikes being locked to lampposts and railings not intended for such use), caused largely by high numbers of shared dwellings and a lack of off-street cycle parking.
Secure cycle parking will help reduce bicycle theft, street clutter and obstructions, and improve footway visibility for residents, particularly those using mobility scooters or
wheelchairs.
Ward Councillor Ian Davey, Walking & Cycling Officer Tracy Davison, and Triangle Committee member Helen Murray recently met and identified a number of potential PCPPs in our locality, including the paved area at the bottom of Roundhill Crescent.
No definite decisions can be made until a full feasibility study is carried out and funding is secured, but Tracy Davison insists that these locations will be considered within a rolling programme of cycle parking improvements.
By treating parking provision for cycles the same as parking for other vehicles, the council intends to offer residents increased choice in how we travel in Brighton, with an emphasis on greener forms of transport. |
Get your fingers green
 Join us for another planting session on Lewes Road, and help spruce up our street tubs for spring. We’ll give them a general tidy-up, and plant some new herbs and flowers, whilst being careful not to disturb the lovely blooms of daffs and crocuses already gracing the soil. Bring along any gardening tools and know-how you have − or even some cakes and hot drinks to share!
Meet Sunday 28 March, 11.30am, bottom of Edinburgh Road (Lewes Road end)
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Garden Lives On
 The Lewes Road Community Garden has found a new lease of life as supporters pledge to resist construction of a proposed dense development, which is expected to include a Tesco Express right next door to the Co-op.
The Garden, which was enormously popular as a venue and meeting space last year, hosted a Valentine’s Day ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ event on 14 Feb. Around 200 people enjoyed live music and hot drinks, heralding the start of a new season of free community-based activities for 2010.
Gardening days will continue on the first Sunday of each month (as well as Sun 11th April), from 12 –4pm. All are welcome to join in with gardening, maintaining and decorating the space. A ‘Say No to Tesco’ campaign was launched last November, giving voice to widespread opposition to a new store.
Fans of the Garden can join the Facebook groups: Lewes Road Community Garden Project and Say No to Tesco on Lewes Road
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Twenty is Plenty
 Between 2008 and 2009, 141 people were killed or seriously injured on roads in Brighton. Thirteen of these were children. A “Twenty is Plenty” petition to the council has now been launched, with the aim of reducing traffic speed in residential areas to 20mph.
Reducing traffic speed is the most effective way of lowering road deaths, and many towns and cities across the country have already set speed limits of 20mph across large urban areas. It makes sense when you consider that someone struck by a car at 35mph has a 50% chance of survival, whereas at 20mph this increases to 97%.
Additional benefits of decreasing vehicle speeds include reduced emissions and improved traffic flow (as proven by research in Germany where 30kmph i.e. 19mph speed limits have long been commonplace), and improved sociability (recent research in Bristol found that relationships between residents improved on streets with lower traffic speeds). Inevitably it also makes walking and cycling much safer.
Sign the petition at www.gopetition.co.uk/online/31175.html
Find out more at www.livingstreets.org.uk and www.20splentyforus.org.uk
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Expand your circle − be Triangular!
The Triangle Community has been running since 2006, and has already done lots to improve the area’s appearance, empower residents to discuss and take action on local issues, and increase overall community spirit in our neighbourhood.
But we urgently need YOU to get involved! Joining our committee is a rewarding way to actively influence the future of this area, and a great way to meet new friends and expand your social circle.
Don’t feel you have to commit hours of your time, or attend every single meeting and event. Whatever help you can offer − from sending out emails to watering plants, from dreaming up fundraisers to delivering leaflets − your input is invaluable.
If you’d like to get more involved with the Triangle Community, or make a monetary donation to help us stay afloat, contact us.
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Open your Art!
Calling all artists: fancy opening your home as part of the Artists’ Open Houses in next May’s Brighton Festival?
 Hundreds of houses/venues in and around Brighton take part, and are divided geographically into different “trails”, which arrange distribution of the brochure in their area and hold occasional meetings to help support new members.
The Triangle comes into the Beyond the Level trail. Contact Jackie Jones, the trail rep, at
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if you wish to join in.
Registration starts on 14 Dec and ends on 12 Feb (though early registration is advised). Any queries? Check out the online manual for new houses on the AOH website: www.aoh.org.uk.
Alternatively, if you are an artist looking for a venue to show your work, the website now has an “exhibit your work” facility.
For £10 you can upload your details with a description, image, and link to your website. Any venues looking for more artists can then see your work and contact you.
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You must be choking…
Many Triangle residents have noticed the increasing volume of traffic rumbling along Lewes Road, and the Argus recently reported that our area is one of the worst ‘pollution hotspots’ in Brighton, with planning applications for new homes here being opposed because traffic-related air pollution is so high that it would be dangerous for occupants to open their windows.
High air pollution concentrations are bad for everyone's health. Brighton and Hove City Council acknowledges this, and monitors air quality on a daily basis. But many of us, while realising that this is a challenging problem to tackle, believe more action is needed. Something can and must be done.
Several local residents have formed the Lewes Road for Clean Air group to measure the number of vehicles using Lewes Road as a route in and out of the city, and to identify ways of cutting traffic volume, e.g. by proposing sites for park and ride schemes, encouraging greater use of public transport, and developing better facilities for cyclists. Next survey dates are 8 Sept, 11 Sept, 16 Oct & 20 Oct − come and help car-count for an hour. Email the group at
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, or check out the Facebook group
September 20 is Brighton & Hove’s Car Free Day, when the Clean Air group will host its very own Streets For People Party − a day of markets and music, as well as air quality awareness-raising, across the Community Garden and Edinburgh Road.
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