Brighton & Hove deploys AI sensors on active travel corridor

The data revealed patterns that guided design decisions:

• Low pedestrian use, high informal cycling: on a section where the pavement will be widened into a shared-use path, sensors confirmed very low footfall but up to 100 cyclists a day already using the space informally due to perceived on-road danger
• Demand follows safe design: where protected infrastructure already exists (such as near Hove Lagoon), counts reached 1,000-1,500 cyclists per day, compared with only a few hundred using the adjacent unprotected road
• Targeted junction redesigns: turning counts showed that a proposed left-turn ban at the busy Hove Street junction would affect only a few hundred vehicles daily but protect a higher number of cyclists already making this direct crossing, and many more cyclists who currently follow an indirect route around this junction. The evidence helped build support among councillors and partners, including developers at the nearby King Alfred Leisure Centre
• Efficient lane reallocation: classified counts data confirmed that 80 per cent of vehicles used the outer lane, validating the decision to remove a redundant inside lane to create space for cycling without affecting capacity.

“Having VivaCity’s high quality, multimodal data to back up our design decisions has been invaluable. We could show exactly how the space is used, quantify low-use lanes or turning movements, and demonstrate that our proposals minimise impact on traffic while improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians,” said Jasmin Barnicoat, senior project manager, Brighton & Hove City Council.

“Which in turn supports active travel and our long-term vision for the area. The data let us show residents that we’re designing based on how people actually move through the space. It gave credibility to our decisions and helped turn what could have been a contentious project into one that’s widely supported.”

“We could show exactly how the space is used, quantify low-use lanes or turning movements, and demonstrate that our proposals minimise impact on traffic while improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians”

Construction is expected to start in 2026, phased to account for summer tourism and local demand. Post-implementation monitoring will continue for at least three years to measure success, with VivaCity sensors remaining in place to track modal shifts, safety improvements, and network performance.

People-focused transport schemes

By integrating continuous data from the outset, Brighton & Hove City Council reckons it has built a blueprint for how evidence-driven design can help local authorities deliver ambitious, people-focused transport schemes that stand up to public scrutiny and political challenge.

VivaCity was awarded the Queen’s Enterprise Award for Innovation in 2021 and claims its sensors have been deployed in some 90 towns and cities across the UK.