Park or Ride? Getting to the new Royal Sussex County Hospital

There is a major plan to replace Brighton’s elderly Royal Sussex County Hospital with a brand new hospital. And it won’t be Private Finance Initiative.  So far so good.  Less good are the transport arrangements for the new hospital, which have attracted the ire of Friends of the Earth.  FoE would like to see more focus on walking, cycling and public transport rather than “£10 million on a new car park.” When I looked at plans for the the hospital during the public exhibition, I was struck by a similar thought – particularly pertinent given the need to combat rising levels of obesity, pollution, climate change, etc. Brighton FoE is running a petition about this, and they are looking for more signatures to help get some positive changes. The deadline is 23 January 2012.  The plans for the new hospital go to a Special Planning Committee of Brighton and Hove City Council on 27 January 2012.