Upgrade A27

[BensGrandad]

This, upgrade the railways, increase the capacity, quality and reliability on both East and West lines, job done.

Thank you Lord Beeching.

Is that not now the M20/M25/M4/M5?

The idea was to generally follow the route of the A27 and A31 etc to Honiton from Folkestone and avoid the round the world tour of the existing motorway network to transport goods to the west from Kent docks. Now we are leaving Europe there may be less foreign lorries using Dover and the Tunnel so less need.p

 

[ManOfSussex]

Even if the project got planning permission the Brexiteers will ensure we won't have the workers from abroad we need to get the thing built.

You're being a pessimist and Andrea Leadsom banished them back in July.

 

[beorhthelm]

Not kidding are you, that's grim. Couple of times recently I had to get back to Derbyshire at short notice, but still a couple of days notice, and it was in the region of £130, horrendous.

Why do we have such a regressive attitude to railways, never fails to annoy me when I hear 'investing in roads' and 'subsidising railways'.

because after paying in through fuel duty and road fund duty, drivers pay several times over for the roads. while rail users dont, so general taxation contributes to running the network. the funny thing is, for season ticket holders its not such a bad deal, big sticker shock on the annual gold card but works out less than £20 day to commute Sussex to London inc travel card. (thanks btw fellow tax payers )

 

[Pavilionaire]

You're being a pessimist and Andrea Leadsom banished them back in July.

Theresa May lollygags over Hinckley Point, lollygags over the third runway and will lollygag over the A27 too.

The time to have improved the A27 would have been when we decided to enter the European Economic Community. Had we done so we may have reaped the rewards of EEC membership much earlier and in greater quantities.

The government pisses around re the third runway when the decision to Brexit makes it ESSENTIAL - not just desirable - to have that extra capacity because otherwise we won't be able to deliver to those non-EU export markets.

 

[e77]

Unfortunately Southern Rail and the lack of fast roads in Sussex hardly encourages investment.

 

[The Birdman]

Even if the project got planning permission the Brexiteers will ensure we won't have the workers from abroad we need to get the thing built.

They still got a couple of years to build it and the new runway plus HS1. And HS2

 

[The Albion Roar]

The Falmer junction on the A27 is in desperate need of sorting out. Ideally it would be a big roundabout over the dual carriageway, like the Gatwick junction on the M23, as the queues there are terrible. It has been said there is no impetus to get it sorted as 1 half is in Lewes and the other in Brighton & Hove so neither authority feels it is their responsibility.

Luckily, they're not the authorities responsible for getting it built, nor are they responsible for the maintenance and running of these roads.

While the councils would have a say, this is the responsibility of the Highways Agency.

 

[Notters]

Luckily, they're not the authorities responsible for getting it built, nor are they responsible for the maintenance and running of these roads.

While the councils would have a say, this is the responsibility of the Highways Agency.

Highways England!

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Not kidding are you, that's grim. Couple of times recently I had to get back to Derbyshire at short notice, but still a couple of days notice, and it was in the region of £130, horrendous.

Why do we have such a regressive attitude to railways, never fails to annoy me when I hear 'investing in roads' and 'subsidising railways'.

The rail network was designed for a far smaller population than we have and therefore struggles to meet demand. The high prices are there to discourage it's use because it just can't cope and it's there to stop social travel and alike during rush hour, taking up valuable capacity

 

[ATFC Seagull]

The rail network was designed for a far smaller population than we have and therefore struggles to meet demand. The high prices are there to discourage it's use because it just can't cope and it's there to stop social travel and alike during rush hour, taking up valuable capacity

I agree with your overall point but I think you are giving the railway companies too much credit there. The high prices are there because there is not enough regulation, it's a closed market, and they are money-grabbing *******s!

 

[Pavilionaire]

They still got a couple of years to build it and the new runway plus HS1. And HS2

Yeah. How does the third Heathrow runway square with "The Northern Powerhouse"?

In terms of the process dysfunctional democracy like ours is not conducive to big civil engineering projects, particularly when they are almost entirely government-funded. Does it take a dictatorship to build roads, rail and airports in a reasonable amount of time?

 

[mikeyjh]

because after paying in through fuel duty and road fund duty, drivers pay several times over for the roads. while rail users dont, so general taxation contributes to running the network. the funny thing is, for season ticket holders its not such a bad deal, big sticker shock on the annual gold card but works out less than £20 day to commute Sussex to London inc travel card. (thanks btw fellow tax payers )

See post 68, it's bigger than that isn't it, it's not drivers v rail users (most commuters will also be drivers anyway) but how we have an effective, sustainable transport network that benefits everyone.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Whatever happened to the Dover to Honiton trunk road that always seemed to be discussed in the 1970s?

I will be long dead when this is done.
I travel from Plymouth to Brighton/ Eastbourne quite regularly in fact I did it last weekend.
I prefer A303 & M/A27 if possible.
It looks like the A303 is going to be duelled and quite soon, they are even discussing doing the bit over the Blackdown Hills which is going to be extremely tricky.
However, as I have said for years, get the bulldozer out and make Dover to Honiton and down to Plymouth a motorway or duelled, no questions asked knock everything down, plough through the fields and just build it.
Some nice countryside and lots of houses I admit but so much traffic uses it making it a nightmare of a journey unless, like me do it through the late evening or night.
I had some time to get home on Monday so used the entire length of the A272, nice drive but never again, part was closed at Cowfold but there were also accidents on A27,M27 and M5 southbound on the same day so whichever route I had taken would have screwed me up.
Lancing to Chichester is just a joke of a road in both directions.
Lewis to Polegate is almost as bad.

 

[GT49er]

If they can do this at Florida Keys, why not in the English Channel ?

I don't know - it didn't work too well when they tried that route for the railway!

http://www.urban75.org/railway/brighton-sea-railway.html

 

[Screaming J]

At first glance, this seems to be a set of sensible proposals that will address most of the problems of congestion and safety that need to be resolved.

Wouldn't it also make sense to have a new bit of road from somewhere near Folkington to join up with Copthall (?) Roundabout so getting rid of that junction at Polegate?

 

[Taybha]

 

[AmexRuislip]

Announced today Public consultation for upgrades to the A27 East of Lewes to Polgate that help fans get to the games Ten minutes earlier.

They did all that on the M25 upgrades, now you get to your destination 10 hours later

 

[Diego Napier]

The rail network was designed for a far smaller population than we have and therefore struggles to meet demand. The high prices are there to discourage it's use because it just can't cope and it's there to stop social travel and alike during rush hour, taking up valuable capacity

Off the point but rather more precisely, the rail network would be struggling so much if Dr. Beeching hadn't determined that 1/3 of the original railway structure (7000 stations, 6000 miles of track) should be dispensed with.

 

[BensGrandad]

Plus Goods trains ran throughout the night transporting goods to goods depots near stations that now go by lorry on the roads

 

[AmexRuislip]

They still got a couple of years to build it and the new runway plus HS2

It's all going to be very jolly round here, when these two are being built in unison!!