Appendix 4 – Seaside/St Anthonys Avenue bus priority: Petitions received by ESCC
East Sussex County Council received two e-Petitions during the consultation period on the revised bus priority proposals for Seaside & St Anthony’s Avenue. These were presented at Full Council on 8 October 2024. The wording of each petition alongside the responses is outlined below.
Petitions
1. Support Seaside, Eastbourne Bus Lane – 494 signatures (presented by Councillor Wright)
“We the undersigned petition the council to support Seaside, Eastbourne Bus Lane.
Join us in
safeguarding Eastbourne's forward-thinking initiative to implement
a bus lane on Seaside Road. This proposal embodies our commitment
to sustainable transport, easing traffic congestion, reducing
carbon emissions, and enhancing public transport accessibility for
all residents. By signing this petition, you're advocating for a
greener, more efficient future for our community. Let's ensure that
Eastbourne remains a leader in progressive urban planning and
environmental stewardship.
Together, we can
protect this vital project and pave the way for a brighter, more
connected tomorrow.”
This e-Petition ran from 01/06/2024 to 27/08/2024 and has now finished. 50 people signed this e-Petition and a further 444 signing a paper version.
2. Stop The Seaside Bus Lane in Eastbourne - 2,531 signatures (presented by Councillor Tutt)
“We the undersigned petition the council to stop with the unwanted designs and work for the Bus Lanes in Seaside in which the public have already spoken and the record show the outstanding percentage of people who strongly oppose the plans because they are not wanted or needed. We want the plans to be scrapped and for the safety of Seaside and its future to be confirmed as there are already plans for Seaside roundabout that funding will be sought for from 2025.
The public have
spoken and the results show over 80% of people did not want or see
the need for a bus lane on Seaside, this being said the funding
means there is still money to be spent and support for the buses is
needed to help secure their future. This is why there are revised
plans that are open to consultation. We are opposing these plans
because they do not work, the congestion it will create to all road
users will be detrimental to the governments BSIP scheme and I
quote the consultation FAQ's:
We want to make
it easier and more pleasant for people to use the bus in East
Sussex. We
are working to
provide better quality bus services that
offer:
• a frequent
choice
• reduce
congestion
• make a
positive contribution to better air quality and
decarbonisation.
This plan is going to deliver the opposite to what it designed for and the money should be spent on better ways of supporting the bus service like surveying the bus routes that was not been done in over 10 years due to costs.
The calculations also advertised are unbelievable and requires explanation, the working out need publishing as 76 hours saved from the introduction of bus lanes divided by the 14000 passengers it would benefit works out 20 seconds a week per person, 3 seconds a day. Multiply that but the 80 people who can travel on a double decker bus makes 4 minuets meaning, but this sum is for the total week not a single bus; considering there are on average 30 buses an hour that travel down Seaside you can see that either the maths is flawed.
We as residents and workers of Eastbourne need to speak up and have our say, sign the petition if like us you believe that we do not want or need a bus lane on Seaside that it will not improve the bus service as most parts of the day traffic is free flowing and ironically it is the current bus priority layouts that cause the congestion issues. Parking being cut by also 50% because of the bus lanes will also affect schools, businesses and residents as we will all be fighting to secure a space to park, this could put businesses under strain, lower house prices and cause an unsafe environment for school drop offs and pick ups.
Please sign this petition if you support us in stopping the Seaside bus lane”
This e-Petition ran from 19/07/2024 to 27/08/2024 and has now finished. 51 people signed this e-Petition with a further 2480 people signing a paper version.