The damage to our poor streets has been appalling. There have now been 6 repairs of Upper North Street and its infrastructure since the diversion began on 9 January 2023. These are as follows:

• Street surface - 3, the current repair is re-repairing the first repair and much more.
• Damaged water pipes - 2 and major works to the water supply as part of the current street repair.
• Damaged gas pipes - 1 but more work on gas pipes as part of the current repair.

Large open trenches remain inside the hazard fencing of the current repair. On top of the shallow old water pipes are the even shallower Virgin Media conduits. 

Upper North Street has been closed twice for one water repair (36 hours) and the current street surface, water and other utility repairs (re-opening date after urgent closure on 31 March expected to be around 23 April ). During these closures the buses have supposedly been diverted via Seven Dials and Dyke Road with no apparent change in the bus timetables. In reality, several bus drivers have missed receiving direction from their bus company bosses, and then have missed the signs along the streets, and have had to make dangerous turns in the narrow side streets when they realise their path really is blocked and Upper North Street really is closed. 

Now Montpelier Road just north of the traffic lights, that the buses are now using as Upper North Street is closed,  has developed a water leak.

The workers making these repairs have repeatedly told the residents that the shallow, old, superficial water pipes cannot cope with the weight and vibration of 690 buses per day. Some suggested that Upper North Street should be closed for months to install new water pipes at the current regulated depth. But no, the Council from inside its echo chamber has said in its latest update "The utility failures are not as result of use of the street by buses and are not a reason for the weight restriction being in place."

Who is paying for all this? Apparently the Council and Southern Water are having a bit of an argument but we all know that it is us, the residents, who will end up paying for such stupidity. 

In its latest update, Brighton & Hove City Council has said Western Road may open to 2-way traffic in December 2023 meaning the 700 or so residents along the diversion route will still have another 9 months of chaos, sleep deprivation, loss of privacy, noise, light and air pollution, and safety hazards as westbound vehicles continue to mount the pavement to avoid the buses. In summer, not only will many keep their blinds and curtains closed, but opening their windows to let in fresh air will instead let in putrid air and noise. In addition, the Council as always hedges its bets "The order and length of time for each section is subject to change."

Many residents have described the severe impact of this diversion on their health, wellbeing and safety. It cannot continue. So on 13 April, my solicitor lodged the bundle to the Court requesting permission to proceed with a judicial review of the lawfulness of Brighton & Hove CIty Council’s second Temporary Traffic Regulation Order. As soon as I am able to, I shall circulate the link to the documents when they are made public by the Court.

Gathering all the information and organising it into the bundle required by the Court has been a complex, time consuming, and expensive process. Having said that, it has been a privilege to be able to work with such a dedicated, knowledgeable and talented legal team. I may be financially poorer as a result of this process, but I am much richer as a result of the knowledge I have gained and the amazing people in our community who have shared the horrendous impact of this bus diversion on their health, wellbeing and safety. I am also incredibly grateful to those neighbours who thought they had retired, but have applied their immense knowledge and experience to strengthen the content of the bundle that is now before the Court. Finally of course, the 63 pledges at https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-690-buses-daily-on-4-residential-streets/ and the money raised, have made me feel that we must fight the destructive impact of this bus diversion on our community. We have never had a voice. The majority of us have spent hours and hours documenting the negative impact on our lives for council officers and councillors. All we have received in return are stock phrases from their echo chamber, insulated from rebuttal. We cannot let this happen again. Now of course, this is in the hands of the Court!