In times past, Eastbournians had a tram, our visitors could travel the seafront by goat chaise and there was an airstrip, now under the Sovereign Centre. The Eastbourne we know today really began to find form with the coming of the railway.
Transport links have always been defining for our town.
That’s why I have campaigned for an A27 bypass, the regional boost of a second runway at Gatwick and rail links to connect us to Kent and the Continent and to the North.
It’s why I fought for our rail ticket offices to stay open and for our taxi drivers too.
It is also why I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Sustainable Transport & Active Travel Summit last week - an event that brought together stakeholders seeking a healthier, safer, and greener way to get about.
I walked to the event. Admittedly my office is five minutes away and the sorry truth is that I’ve just had to drive my car 18-year-old car to the scrapyard.
I’m going to see to what extent I can pivot to ‘active travel’. My ebike, “popular with women of a certain age” a salesman told me, may just clock up a few more miles.
Today, one significant stride towards encouraging sustainable travel has been the government's introduction of a £2 bus fare cap, a move that has seen bus usage at near pre-pandemic levels and is an important support in the cost-of-living challenges we all face.
Equally noteworthy is the £41 million committed by the government for bus improvements – for more reliable and more frequent services, more environmentally friendly and to promote the take up of public transport. There is some concern about the potential impact of bus corridor proposals, notably along Seaside. Town-wide congestion relief is the aim of the scheme, but local traders’ voices must be heard and any potential impact recognised.
Listening throughout the day at the summit, I undertook several actions. One was to take up with the county council, Eastbourne council’s request to consider a reduction to 20 mph as the default speed limit in the Town. I’m asking residents to give feedback to me, whether they would support such a move, via a survey on my website and Facebook page. Over to you.
