OPPOSITION to controversial bus lane plans in Eastbourne stepped up today (Friday), as business owners and local residents joined forces in a public protest against the proposed scheme, which includes plans to remove a tree outside a café.
The protest was held outside That Coffee Place in Station Approach, where campaigners assembled with placards urging East Sussex County Council to reconsider the proposals.
The scheme, part of East Sussex County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), will see a new eastbound bus lane introduced along Station Parade, reducing general traffic from two lanes to one.
While council leaders say the changes will improve bus journey times and reliability, many local traders fear the opposite – warning of worsening congestion, safety concerns and damage to independent businesses.
Hayley Chester, owner of That Coffee Place, said local businesses feel they have been ignored throughout the process.
She told Eastbourne News: “Our businesses, we’ve not been heard, our views have not been taken on board.
“We are standing together today, and we’re coming together as a community, we don’t want this, and they need to listen to us.
“They also want to cut down the large tree outside the shop and take half of the pavement out to use that for the bus lane, so my shop will then be closer to the road for starters, and then it also stops my Uber Eats and Just Eat drivers from stopping as well, because it will be a no-stopping bus lane.
“I’ve been here since February 2024, and as far as I’m aware, this was in from 2023, but as a new business, I wasn’t consulted.”
Read full article at Eastbourne News.
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