Brighton and Hove is one of the original six Cycling Demonstration Towns - designated as such by Cycling England in 2005 and benefitting from significant investment to improve cycling infrastructure.
Cycling Demonstration Towns aim to create an environment that encourages cycling growth and in Brighton and Hove the initiative has resulted in considerable increases in cycling - up 27% between 2006 and 2009 (Source: Brighton and Hove Council)
Cycle route provision
Brighton is well served by cycle routes. National Cycle Route (NCN) 2, a long distance route connecting Southampton with Canterbury, runs along the Brighton seafront. NCN 20 runs north out of Brighton across the South Downs to Crawley, with Regional Cycle Route 90 linking the city with Lewes and the South Downs Way (Route 89).
Regional Route 82 starts at the seafront and runs up The Drive, through Hove and West Blatching, leaving the urban area and joining the South Downs Way. Supplementing these regional and national routes is a network of cycle lanes forming a spider’s web of town centre routes.
Advance stop lines have been installed in around 60 locations throughout the city with over 20 automatic and manual cycle counters installed to monitor cycling levels. Widespread toucan crossings complete a comprehensive package of infrastructure improvements in the town.
Cycle parking
Cycle parking provision in Brighton is widespread both in the city centre and the suburbs. Much of this is innovative on-street parking, where sections of former car parking have been repurposed as cycle parking, with parking space for ten cycles replacing just one car parking space. The major parking locations are:
Bartholomews
Brunswick Place
Brunswick Square
Caledonian Road
Cambridge Road
College Road
Connaught Road
Edinburgh Road
Preston Park Station
Shaftesbury Road
Spring Gardens
Winchester Street
As well as public cycle parking spaces, 16 schools in the Brighton and Hove area have dedicated cycle parking, part of a range of measures designed to increase the number of pupils cycling to school.
Bike Shops
There are four cycle shops in central Brighton. Amsterdammers near Brighton station, Baker Street Bikes near the Grand Parade and Sydney Street Bikes near City College represent the independent stores, with the national chains represented by Evans on Queens Road and Halfords on Sackville Road, Hove. Seafront cyclists are served by G-Whizz Cycles on King’s Road in Brunswick.
Don’t leave home without...
Brighton and Hove council website has a comprehensive cycling section, packed with resources and information on cycling provision in the city – most useful of which is a downloadable City Wide Cycle Map – available here in PDF format.
Essential links
Brighton and Hove Council Cycling Page
Brighton and Hove District Cycling Group
MORE SUPPORT FOR YOUR COMMUTE: Ride Membership offers bike commuters legal protection, insurance and discounts on essential commuting kit. Click here for more details
