Plans to widen the A23 in West Sussex approved

[Cian]

Thanks for making our roads in Sussex safer. Take a plane and train next time, thank you and please.

I don't fly except when utterly required to, so no.

I'm also CPC and IAM qualified, and entirely used to driving at 80mph due to that being our motorway speed limit as well as a few thousand KM on autobahns. That section of road is whats unsafe.

Additionally my car, like most European ones, doesn't have the UK's archaic customary units on its speedo...

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Sorry I used the wrong word it wasnt a motorway but actually listed as a trunk road. Which I think meant a dual carriage way for most of it.

All that the phrase "Folkestone to Honiton Trunk Road" ever meant (then and now) is that the the road between Folkestone and Honiton is the responsibility of the Highways Agency, rather than the local highway authorities.

It's now called the South Coast Trunk Road and consists of bits of the M20, A2070, A259, A27, M27, A31 and A35.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

This is a map of the national trunk road and motorway network in England:-

All roads not shown are the responsibility of county councils or unitary authorities.

 

[Brovion]

Blimey they don't class the A27 as a 'Trunk' road do they? That shows how shit Britain's transport infrastructure is. There's the odd section such as the Brighton bypass that's up to spec (and those sections have been developed piecemeal), and the rest is a combination of country lanes, traffic lights, residential roads and roundabout-infested bypasses. God knows how many tonnes of CO2 are produced annually by traffic that gets choked on a daily basis trying to negotiate a road that in large sections hasn't changed that much since they abolished the Red Flag Act.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Blimey they don't class the A27 as a 'Trunk' road do they? That shows how shit Britain's transport infrastructure is.

A 'Trunk' road means nothing more than a road that is the responsibility of central government, rather than local government.

Bizarrely, DeLaWarr Road, Bexhill (which looks just like any other suburban street) is a trunk road, because it's part of the A259. The Highways Agency is responsible for the pelican crossings and bus-stop markings which, in every other street in Bexhill, are in the care of East Sussex County Council.

 

[Notters]

Blimey they don't class the A27 as a 'Trunk' road do they? That shows how shit Britain's transport infrastructure is. There's the odd section such as the Brighton bypass that's up to spec (and those sections have been developed piecemeal), and the rest is a combination of country lanes, traffic lights, residential roads and roundabout-infested bypasses. God knows how many tonnes of CO2 are produced annually by traffic that gets choked on a daily basis trying to negotiate a road that in large sections hasn't changed that much since they abolished the Red Flag Act.

As lord B says, all that trunk road means is that the HA are responsible for it's maintenance.

 

[JJ McClure]

Excellent news about the Handcross stretch, its been a pain as long as I can remember. No doubt it'll be a complete 'mare whilst it gets done, so I guess its the Balcombe road for me.

 

[Brovion]

A 'Trunk' road means nothing more than a road that is the responsibility of central government, rather than local government.

Bizarrely, DeLaWarr Road, Bexhill (which looks just like any other suburban street) is a trunk road, because it's part of the A259. The Highways Agency is responsible for the pelican crossings and bus-stop markings which, in every other street in Bexhill, are in the care of East Sussex County Council.

Yes, I guessed the 'Trunk Road' definition would be something like that. I just don't envy the poor sod who, arriving at Dover on the ferry (having driven on the French, German, Dutch, Belgian, etc road networks) looks at the map of "Britain's trunk roads" and thinks: "Ah, it'll be easy enough to get to Portsmouth, all I've got to do is turn left and follow the A27."

Can't we get some Euro-funding to upgrade the A27?

 

[Gwylan]

A 'Trunk' road means nothing more than a road that is the responsibility of central government, rather than local government.

Bizarrely, DeLaWarr Road, Bexhill (which looks just like any other suburban street) is a trunk road, because it's part of the A259. The Highways Agency is responsible for the pelican crossings and bus-stop markings which, in every other street in Bexhill, are in the care of East Sussex County Council.

Ed, does that mean that the HA is responsible for London Road too because that's part of the A23?

Must be scuzziest street in their remit if it does.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Sorry I used the wrong word it wasnt a motorway but actually listed as a trunk road. Which I think meant a dual carriage way for most of it. Despite buying all the houses in Arundel Rd Worthing the scheme was shelved and the houses sold back to the general public at ridiculously low prices, nothing like the price that was originally paid for the compulsory purchase.

Hence the A27 comes to a dead end going nowhere near Crossbush. I think the plan there was to build a fly over that took traffic over the Arun to rejoin the A27 west of the Hospital and White Horse pub, and thus completely avoid Arundel.

They've done this twice in fact.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Ed, does that mean that the HA is responsible for London Road too because that's part of the A23?

Must be scuzziest street in their remit if it does.

Lord B will know better, but I think Brighton and Hove City Council takes over the A23 at the Patcham Roundabout. Interestingly, my parents' first house, and where I spent the first year of my life, is now underneath the A27 flyover; I think they were only able to afford it as it was subject to planning blight (Dad told me that at one time there was a plan to bring the M23 all the way down - as with the M27, I'm not sure there was ever a plan to make it a motorway). We also have an intimate connection with Falmer, as the building where Dad did his teacher training from 1967 to 1970 when it was Falmer College of Education is one of those that have been demolished for the stadium.

Another little fact - Transport for London took over a number of sections of roads that were once motorways - the Westway, West Cross Route and the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Roads. These had to be downgraded, as someone forgot to include responsibility for motorways when the bill setting up TfL was drawn up.

 

[User removed 4]

IAdditionally my car, like most European ones, doesn't have the UK's archaic customary units on its speedo...

Just the sort of snide comment i was on about.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

This is a map of the national trunk road and motorway network in England:-

All roads not shown are the responsibility of county councils or unitary authorities.

Was saying in the office yesterday that the East Midlands was probably the dullest of the english regions and that map gives a good indication why!

 

[fcportaloo]

We don't need any more road building

 

[Since1982]

We don't need any more road building

Meanwhile, back inthe real world.... unless like me and thousands of others you have to drive to work using the A23 at Handcross and suffer delays and frustration day in day out.

 

[Curious Orange]

We don't need any more road building

This isn't a new road, its one that is already there - and is fecking dangerous!!

 

[Hunting 784561]

We don't need any more road building

This scheme gets rid of all small exit roads and private driveways off the current main road, which are extremely dangerous on a 70 mph dual carriageway and puts them into a new seperate road to be built alongside.

The A23 will become 3 lane dualled, but much, much, safer as a result.

 

[countrygull]

This scheme gets rid of all small exit roads and private driveways off the current main road, which are extremely dangerous on a 70 mph dual carriageway and puts them into a new seperate road to be built alongside.

The A23 will become 3 lane dualled, but much, much, safer as a result.

What would it take for it to become a motorway, of interest?

 

[auschr]

it's going to look silly having all these roads when we have flying cars

 

[Voice of Reason]

Get the train.

I'd luv to but some wanker closed my station. So, train from where to where?