East Sussex motorists “cannot go on like this” as councillors call for action on the A259

Liberal Democrat county councillors James MacCleary and Carolyn Lambert say the stretch of road is now at a ‘crisis point’ with consistent gridlock and a growing number of accidents in the area.

Councillor MacCleary said: “The A259 through Seaford is now at crisis point. It is regularly gridlocked and there have been more accidents in recent weeks.

"Residents cannot go on like this. We need urgent action to make the road safer for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.”

In 2021, councillor Lambert took a Notice of Motion to the county council’s lead member for Transport and Environment, asking for a safety audit of all the junctions throughout Seaford, as well as other road safety measures such as speed reduction and a safe pedestrian crossing.

The council’s Conservative administration rejected this notice. Councillor Lambert has now a taken another Notice of Motion to the lead member, calling for the installation of temporary traffic lights at the Bishopstone Junction.

Councillor Lambert adds: “I took a Notice of Motion to the lead member two years ago now and it was turned down by the Conservatives as a study was being carried out.

"This study has now been delayed with no real timetable orMP raises “plight” of Peacehaven library in Parliament action plan. There is money in the County Council’s Active Travel fund to look at putting in a footbridge at the Bishopstone crossing so that pedestrians and cyclists can cross safely. It’s time for action.”

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

Fewer shops on Lewes High Street as town prepares to lose Paperchase and M&Co

MP raises “plight” of Peacehaven library in Parliament

East Sussex resident captures footage of meteoroid lighting up the night sky

The county council administration said the proposals put forward in the new Notice of Motion would be considered in due course.

In a statement, the council reiterated that it believed that the crash record for this section of the A259 was relatively low, considering that more than 25,000 traffic movements took place on it every day.

That said, the council also told SussexWorld had identified a number of road safety measures for the area, including lining and signage works for the Bishopstone Road and Hillside junctions, as well as the introduction of hazard marker posts on the bends near Foxhole Farm.

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “Major road schemes come with a significant cost and, due to our very limited resources, we have to prioritise interventions to where the need is greatest.

"While this section of the A259 is extremely busy with more than 25,000 traffic movements every day, given the number of vehicles using the road, the crash record remains relatively low and the road layout has not been identified as an underlying factor in those collisions that do occur.

“The A259 between Seaford and Newhaven has been considered as part of the A259 Major Road Network South Coast Corridor Study, that is assessing a range of potential schemes to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and safety for all road users.

"Once the proposed package of schemes has been finalised later this year, including further testing, design and key stakeholder engagement, we will then submit a business case to Government seeking funding for further design and business case development for the improvements to the A259.”