East Sussex County Council Folly

SO in a masterful act of shooting ones self in the foot East Sussex County Council are about to feel the full force of council taxpayers wrath when they realise the runaway cost of the Bexhill road scheme.

Surely someone at county hall must have a bit of a brain to work out that if the locals revolt and stand in the way of the road builders mega bucks will have to be paid for security – no good asking the police to do it they’ve been cut down to one bobby and his dog.

I remember when the Newbury bypass was only going to cost £5mil oh yeah the security alone cost £10mil.

Brighton's Eastern Bypass?

NEWS that the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) are to provide £5.3 million of taxpayers money to improve infrastructure (roads to you and me) to make building of the planed football stadium at Falmer near Brighton possible, has outraged lovers of the South Downs.

Those who know the area will be aware that Brighton has a western bypass that cuts through the Downs at Stanmer, Hangleton and Southwick and was built only after a long and bitter Public Inquiry and debate - and of course has done nothing to relieve Brighton of traffic. Now the fear is that a further section of dual carriageway could be built from Falmer across Downland to Woodingdean and on to the east of Rottingdean.

In a letter to the local papers our Ian Brookes points out that SEEDA is an un-elected quango yet it doles out taxpayers money as if it was its own. Ian goes on to say that footie fans have been hoodwinked yet again (remember the Goldstone Ground) and their hard fought for stadium is to be used as an excuse to build more on the Downs. His prediction is that the first bulldozer arriving to carve out a dual-carriageway will provoke actions reminiscent of the Twyford Down protests.

Bypasses creates more traffic

And yet another damming new study see:

Beyond Transport Infrastructure. 

The Full Report Is Being posted On:

http://www.cpre.org.uk/publications/index.htm or  http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Landscape/PP/planning/research.asp

BUILDING new bypasses just creates more traffic, a study has shown. The research involves the Newbury bypass, which went ahead ten years ago despite a massive anti-road protest.

The Atkins Movement Framework for Newbury study, commissioned by West Berkshire Council, revealed that the bypass has resulted in traffic growth of just under 50%. Said the campaign group Roadblock (www.roadblock.org.uk): "Figures also show that congestion is as bad at rush hour as it was prior to the bypass opening, and that the new road has encouraged more traffic."

Speaking on the Today radio programme, Newbury businessman and Friends of the Earth member Adrian Foster Fletcher said: "This road was never built to solve Newbury's traffic problems, and this report shows how the bypass has failed Newbury and encouraged more traffic and pollution. Ten years on we hope that the lessons of Newbury will be learned."

Hello! Anyone listening in Arundel, Brighton, Chichester or Worthing?  

Outrageous!

THAT was the general feeling of those who sat and watched as 10 old duffers passed sentence on one of the last parts of Worthing's ancient heritage.

Titnore lane is a winding narrow former Droveway that unfortunately sits between the A27 and A259 trunk roads and over the years has been allowed to become a convenient rat run between them and parts of West Worthing and Goring-by-Sea.

Ok that's fine for low volume local traffic but our friends at the local highway authority (West Sussex County) have for decades had an eye on this lane to be used as a western bypass for Worthing but lacked the money to do it. Then by a twist of fate along come these developers with a £3Billion scheme to build what is nearly a new town on Greenfield's just off the lane.

Ah now here comes the usual trick, it goes something like this. Mmm we'd like to let you build but you see traffic will have to enter via Titnore lane and you know how narrow etc it is. Of course if you entered into an agreement to pay for it to be widened etc maybe we could encourage Worthing borough council (they're the planning authority) to see their way clear to grant you planning consent.

And that's just about what's happened. I say just about because campaigners are not giving up. During the various planning meetings very suspect evidence has been given to councillors. There's been the dubious re-classification of the lane. The Highways Agency classified it as an A road in 1995 on the understanding it was to be imminently upgraded, but it wasn't, so it remains a C road. The councillors were told it was a A road and agreed a planning decision on that. Then there's the statement from the county's most senior highways official in answer to questions from councillors. He said 'Modern cars can stop in the same distance on a wet road as on a dry one'. Well maybe at 3mph!.

No this whole case stinks. We know WSCC are obsessed with creating more road space for yet more traffic to fill instead of using that money improving education and facilities for the old folk.

But our fear is that if Titnore lane is upgraded, how long will it be before we see plans for a major new road across the Downs to the A24 to link on to it?

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Arundel Bypass of the Bypass etc.

As you might have seen on various websites, things on the Roadbuilding front are revving up.

First we have our old friend the A27.

Surveyors have been seen out in force plotting a new route for a road around the Arundel Bypass and in the National Trust woodland near to the bottleneck at Fontwell.

But that's not all. Work may start soon on the existing Chichester Bypass (ring-road) to erect flyovers, over the roundabouts. Said our friends in the area: "Looks as though mature trees on the roundabouts will get the chop".

The A24.

Although the multi million pound scheme to replace crossovers and a light controlled junction with grade separated junctions had been put on hold until funding is secured, a serious threat remains.

The A23.

Handcross Hill and the woodland remains the last stretch to be ‘improved’. It now appears work is to start imminently.

Titnore Lane.

Ah yes, Titnore Lane that winding old English lane with it's overhanging canopy provided by mature oak trees and believed to have once been a droveway with origins in pre-history. Now it's a rat-run between the A27 and A259.

Soon all that history and charm will be no more if the road builders get their way. Proposed is a horrible scheme to widen, straighten and build a roundabout with an access road all to provide access for traffic to the already over-trafficked A27 from a new massive housing estate. An added concern is the threat to the designation of the South Downs National Park if this scheme goes ahead. 

During the 90's we showed determination and staged a heroic struggle that prevented the so-called 'South Coast Super Highway'. However over the years since then, we've allowed traffic to increase so much that the siren voices are back, calling again for that Super Highway along the coast.

Are we going to let it happen? Is anyone prepared to stop it? Yes is the answer to the Titnore lane issue.

On Saturday, 29 October 2005, newly formed ‘Titnore Emergency Action’ held a 'vigil for the death of democracy' (referring to John Prescott's refusal to hold a public inquiry into the scheme) at the southern end of Titnore lane. Although 60 or so banner waving campaigners of all ages turned up, they were heavily out numbered by police in busses, cars, motor bike's and even a helicopter.

However despite that massive police over reaction only one campaigner was arrested for.... waving a banner on the wrong side of the road!!!.