A27

[Lord Bracknell]

I cant get my head round why the bit from beddingham to wilmington can't be straightened and/or dualled.

It's fields/open land on both sides virtually all the way, and there are very very few houses directly on the road... middle farm might lose a bit of carpark and a few houses in selmeston might have to go, but berwick and firle are for the most part set miles back from the existing road...

Schemes have been designed already to achieve low cost improvements over this section of route. Some have been implemented already - for example the installation of a couple of small islands and right turning lanes along the Firle Straight, which have had the effect of practically eliminating dangerous, high-speed overtaking manoeuvres and the nasty crashes that go with them. There are other small-scale improvements, already designed, that could be made elsewhere along the route, including Selmeston and Wilmington - but these are victims of cuts in government spending. The stretch of road past Middle Farm itself now (sensibly) has a 50mph speed limit - which might well have ensured that yesterday's crash didn't involve fatalities. Other simple measures, such as painting double white lines for a few miles might also help.

As a daily user of the road, I would say, though, that almost all the hazards can be dealt with if drivers were better at driving and didn't attempt stupid overtaking manoeuvres.

 

[The Oldman]

I would ban overtaking between Beddingham and Polegate plus make the whole bit a 50mph zone. Simple and cheap solution to save lives and prevent the total chaos on surrounding roads which happens all too frequently after an accident. Last night the traffic from Brighton to Bexhill on both the coast road and the A27 was at a crawl for more than 5 hours.

 

[warsaw]

I would ban overtaking between Beddingham and Polegate plus make the whole bit a 50mph zone. Simple and cheap solution to save lives and prevent the total chaos on surrounding roads which happens all too frequently after an accident. Last night the traffic from Brighton to Bexhill on both the coast road and the A27 was at a crawl for more than 5 hours.

Hang on a minute!!! I use this frigging bit of road several times a week because my business demands it. I am SICK of crawling along for 8 MILES at 30 MPH behind tractors, horse lorries and old dears who wonder why the road in front of them is empty.

If it can't be dualled (and why not?) at least straighten it, get rid of the bumps and dips, hedges and ditches, widen it and turn it into a proper A road instead of a country lane. Stop wasting money putting in more stupid traffic calming measures which confuse the f*** out of everybody and DO IT PROPERLY instead.

 

[beorhthelm]

Nothing wrong with this part of the road, it's the drivers who will insist in overtaking anything that's not doing 50+. Most of the time the traffic moves well but people will try and speed and overtake at the wrong time.

whats wrong with going 60 along an A road? what annoys me more are the 45mph freaks, who trundle along at that speed from the Beddington to the bend at Selmeston, completly ignoring that its 30 through the village there. then pseudo-brakeing at every damn corner at that speed.

I cant get my head round why the bit from beddingham to wilmington can't be straightened and/or dualled.

It's fields/open land on both sides virtually all the way, and there are very very few houses directly on the road... middle farm might lose a bit of carpark and a few houses in selmeston might have to go, but berwick and firle are for the most part set miles back from the existing road...

generally road is too winding and narrow for the traffic, but theres alot of odd houses here and there for widening. a smart idea would be to fork off at the end of the Firle straight and run a decent road parallel to the railway, then over and join the roundabout for the A22/27. ideal i'd run a dual carriage way from Lewes like that, it would disarm the objection of spoiling the views. Glyde might object to this, so the Firle fork is more likly.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

whats wrong with going 60 along an A road? what annoys me more are the 45mph freaks, who trundle along at that speed from the Beddington to the bend at Selmeston, completly ignoring that its 30 through the village there. then pseudo-brakeing at every damn corner at that speed.

What's wrong? The fact that the speed limit from Middle Farm to Selmeston is 50mph, dropping to 30mph when you reach Selmeston. The "45mph freaks", as you call them, are driving at close to the speed limit - and much closer to it than you apparently want to. Drivers who end up being "annoyed" by this are the ones that cause the crashes.

It's "Beddingham", btw.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

I agree that a 60mph limit is ok for those that will drively safely for normal conditions and adapt their driving when conditions are less favourable. Unfortunately there are also those that cannot drive safely whether the limit is 60,50 or 40 and those that will overtake even when there are solid double lines. Too many RTCs on the Middle Farm - Selmeston stretch appear to have been caused by the latter and often it is the innocent punter coming the way the way that is the victim. The minor improvements and changes to speed limits are positive but the underlying problems will not be substantially reduced until there is better segregation ie a dual carriageway.

 

[The Oldman]

Hang on a minute!!! I use this frigging bit of road several times a week because my business demands it. I am SICK of crawling along for 8 MILES at 30 MPH behind tractors, horse lorries and old dears who wonder why the road in front of them is empty.

If it can't be dualled (and why not?) at least straighten it, get rid of the bumps and dips, hedges and ditches, widen it and turn it into a proper A road instead of a country lane. Stop wasting money putting in more stupid traffic calming measures which confuse the f*** out of everybody and DO IT PROPERLY instead.

If the road was straightened out etc as you suggest it still would not stop tractors and old dears slowing you up but would make the temptation to overtake even greater. You may be able to judge this ok but accidents show that many take stupid risks out of frustration.

Ideally I would love to see this part of the A27 made into a proper dual carriageway but I doubt if I will see that in my lifetime. Meanwhile we continue to have tragic accidents and resultant chaos on the surrounding roads it seems almost monthly. No overtaking and a lower speed limit might add 5 minutes to your jouney but at least you and others have a better chance of arriving safely.

 

[warsaw]

What's wrong? The fact that the speed limit from Middle Farm to Selmeston is 50mph, dropping to 30mph when you reach Selmeston. The "45mph freaks", as you call them, are driving at close to the speed limit - and much closer to it than you apparently want to. Drivers who end up being "annoyed" by this are the ones that cause the crashes.

It's "Beddingham", btw.

Hang on Lord B, I think Beorhthelm is being a bit generous. I'd be DELIGHTED to do 45 in the 60 bits. My son failed his driving test because he wasn't driving close to the speed limit, something to do with consideration for others I expect. If you are toddling along at 35 in a 60 because you don't need to get anywhere anytime soon then have the courtesy to PULL OVER

 

[Skint Gull]

Can I just clarify Lord B, you honestly think that Right turn junctions in the middle of the 60mph Firle straight are safe and can justified so that a few local residents don't have to bother going a bit further back the road to be able to turn right? Disaster of a road that should have been a dual carriageway decades ago, how can you honestly expect cars and vans with places to go and work to do to simply sit behind lorries who can only legally do 40 on such a busy road?

 

[Weststander]

Norman Baker has a lot to answer for -against the Amex and a strong opponent of dualling the notorious A27. Should have been widened years ago, Its a complete nightmare .

You can't dual every A road (money & countryside). People should still drive on the correct side of the road.

 

[beorhthelm]

What's wrong? The fact that the speed limit from Middle Farm to Selmeston is 50mph, dropping to 30mph when you reach Selmeston. The "45mph freaks", as you call them, are driving at close to the speed limit

i was questioning what wrong with going 60 when its 60 limit.
the problem with the freaks is driving through the 30 zone at 45. i call them freaks because of the apparent obsessive fixed speed, but really i question if they are aware of speed limits at all, just cruising at low revs in top gear. i have no problem with the 50 through that section because the road isnt suitable for 60. but where it is 60, dry, clear daytime etc, get a move on. its rather the point of the discussion, if a non-urban road isnt suitable for 60mph for long sections, should it really be an A class road, or should it be improved so that it is?

It's "Beddingham", btw.

i used to fish there too.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

The Selmeston speed limit on the A27 is 40.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Can I just clarify Lord B, you honestly think that Right turn junctions in the middle of the 60mph Firle straight are safe and can justified so that a few local residents don't have to bother going a bit further back the road to be able to turn right?

"A bit" further back? Turning right from Mill Lane, Beddingham would involve a detour of NINE MILES to avoid a right turn across the A27.

 

[Skint Gull]

Having googled this street and come up with nothing i presume you mean Mill Lane in Ripe. If so this road leads down to the junction at the start of Firle straight which is not one of the ones that bother me, its actually the one that I am suggesting people should turn right from! My issue is the one where Burgh Lane and Wick St cross the 27 right in the bloody middle!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Having googled this street and come up with nothing i presume you mean Mill Lane in Ripe. If so this road leads down to the junction at the start of Firle straight which is not one of the ones that bother me, its actually the one that I am suggesting people should turn right from! My issue is the one where Burgh Lane and Wick St cross the 27 right in the bloody middle!

No ... I mean Mill Lane, Beddingham. It's the road that runs direct from the Trevor Arms to the old Toll House and the Paragliding shop on the A27, past Balcombe Pit and a place called Mill House. The road from Ripe that fetches up at the eastern end of the Firle Straight is Ripe Lane. I live in it.

Incidentally ... Burgh Lane has been incorrectly named on most maps. Burgh Lane itself is actually a track leading north (towards a place called Burgh Bridge) from the junction you are talking about. Wick Street is the correct name for both bits of the old A27 that cross the new A27 in the middle of the Firle Straight. But no matter ... one significant right turning vehicle movement that regularly occurs there is the local bus from Firle Village to Alfriston. Ban the right turn and you've cut the bus service.

As a daily right-turner out of Ripe Lane, I have been pressing the Highways Agency to improve the right turning arrangements at that junction for some years. As a local parish councillor, I even persuaded the Secretary of State for Transport to include in his decision letter about the Public Inquiry into the Beddingham Flyover Scheme a promise that he would get the Highways Agency to investigate options to improve the junction - but all they've done so far is undertake a traffic count and advise us locals that they haven't got the funds to do any more. They did say, though, that the accident rate doesn't justify any expenditure.

 

[Brovion]

... if a non-urban road isnt suitable for 60mph for long sections, should it really be an A class road, or should it be improved so that it is?
....

It shouldn't be an A class road but I'm actually not in favour of improving it. One of the areas where I agree with Lord B is that the A27 is a local road as well as being the main, sorry only viable east/west route in Sussex and consequently is used by people wanting to go between Glynde and Polegate as well as those wanting to go from Hastings to Chichester. Consequently it's too cramped to be a 'proper' trunk road and too busy and dangerous to be a safe local road.

The honest thing would be to re-designate it as the B27 (with speed limits and restrictions to match) and just accept that there isn't an east/west 'A' road. And then campaign for a new, dualled A27 further north of the current alignnment and leave the 'B27' to be the little local road.

Won't happen of course, despite the growing population the transport infrastructure in Britain is still rooted in the 1970s.

 

[Skint Gull]

But no matter ... one significant right turning vehicle movement that regularly occurs there is the local bus from Firle Village to Alfriston. Ban the right turn and you've cut the bus service.

Can I ask you to Google the area please Lord B and confirm for me which right turn the bus comes out from? I see absolutely no reason why buses can't turn right from the Western most road listed a Wick Street rather than the Eastern one which is in the middle of the straight?