Red Route will make Western Road safer and keep traffic moving

Western Road will be a safer place to shop with the introduction of a new Red Route this summer.

Following a public consultation, the Red Route will be installed between Holland Road and Montpelier Road.

It means we’ll be better able to tackle the long-standing issue of anti-social parking, improve safety and access for businesses, make bus journeys better and more reliable, and keep traffic in the city moving.

A Red Route will change the current parking restrictions from double yellow lines to double red lines, which can then be enforced using CCTV cameras. Find out more about Red Routes in Brighton & Hove.

You said, we did

A public consultation held last year received more than a thousand responses from local residents, businesses and visitors. This feedback showed more people thought the Red Route would improve safety for everyone who moves through and around this area.

• 50% of respondents felt it would make the area safer
• 53% felt it would speed up bus journey times
• 56% felt it would keep traffic moving

We’ve looked carefully at the feedback and will be doing the following:

Improve safety and reduce congestion - Introducing a Red Route will give us extra powers to enforce the existing parking restrictions using CCTV, allowing for more effective enforcement of the area, reducing the number of illegally parked vehicles, clearing space for pedestrians and shoppers

Supporting local businesses - Businesses asked for more loading bays. In response, we’ll be installing 10 loading bays along the Red Route area, a total of 140 metres of loading space for shops and traders.

Improving accessibility - People with disabilities and Blue Badge holders were concerned about access. We’ll be introducing more disabled bays on both Western Road and its side streets.

The Red Route will be installed under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) meaning we’ll also be able to make adjustments in the first 12 months if there’s a need.

Image: Western Road has long had issues of anti-social parking

Listening to residents and businesses

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “Western Road has a long history of anti-social parking which is both dangerous and causes congestion.

“The Red Route will give us better powers to keep the road clear, safe and flowing in one of the busiest shopping areas of Brighton & Hove and make it a more pleasant area for residents and the local community.

“Residents have provided feedback saying the Red Route will improve safety for all moving around and through Western Road.

“We’ve listened very carefully to local businesses, which is why we’ll be installing 10 loading bays along the route to ensure they can receive deliveries easily without blocking the road for others.

“We’ll also monitor the road carefully during the first year and make improvements and adjustments if there’s the need.

“We’ve seen from the success of the Red Route schemes in London Road and Lewes Road that they make our streets safer, cleaner without any negative impacts on footfall.”

Red Routes success in Lewes Road, London Road and Preston Road

Red Routes were introduced in Lewes Road, London Road and Preston Road in April 2024.

Earlier this month we published data which showed that the roads are now safer without any negative impacts on footfall.

• The figures show there was a 39% fall in slight and serious injuries across the three areas in first year after Red Routes were introduced, compared with the year before.
• So far in year 2, there’s been a 45% reduction comparing it to the same period.
• Brighton & Hove Buses, the city’s largest bus operator reported a 85.7% reduction in passenger injury incidents in those areas.
• Monitoring sensors also recorded an improvement in air quality
• There were more than 100,000 extra movements of people on London Road in the 12 months after the Red Route was installed, 4.78 million from May 2023 to April 2024 compared to 4.89 million from May 2024 to April 2025.