Motorway signs could curb carnage on A23
MOTORWAY-STYLE variable speed limit signs should be placed on the A23 to make it safer for drivers.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Simon Burgess is to ask the Highways Agency to install the signs between Pease Pottage and Brighton to flash up different speed limits depending on the amount of traffic on the road or the driving conditions.
He said he was prompted to take action after reading in The Argus about the many road accidents and fatalities on the A23 in the past two to three years.
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In May 2004, eight were killed at Newtimber when a car containing five people crashed over the central reservation and into another in the northbound lane.
In October 2003 a 19-year-old man was killed when his Nissan skidded off the southbound carriageway north of the A27 junction and former Albion striker Lee Steele suffered facial and head injuries after crashing his car near Pyecombe in December 2001.
Just two weeks ago, a ten-car pile-up caused five-mile tailbacks during rush hour. The drivers escaped with minor injuries.
In June a man travelling in a minibus carrying 15 people, including adults with learning difficulties, was killed when it crashed on the A23 at Pyecombe.
Work on a £40.5 million scheme to improve safety at Handcross, a notorious A23 accident blackspot, will not start until 2008 because a Regional Transport Board, responsible for deciding on a start date for the project, has not yet been set up.
Coun Burgess said: "There have been too many tragic accidents and huge traffic jams on this important route. Variable speed limit signage could be used to slow traffic, especially during peak holiday periods, before it reaches accident blackspots or traffic jams.
"It's terrible to read of the personal tragedies car crashes bring and of residents and visitors stuck in jams for hours.
"Variable speed limits can reduce the number of accidents and keep traffic moving at a safe speed.
"They could also be used to give motorists alternative routes or warn them of the length of delays.
"I would like to see more people travelling by train or bus. It is safer and more environmentally friendly but we should also work to reduce tragic accidents and the pollution caused by stop-start driving."
A spokeswoman for the Highways Agency said: "Safety is a top priority and we will continue to expand the use of technology at appropriate locations
I think he forgot to add Lee steele's was was after a party
MOTORWAY-STYLE variable speed limit signs should be placed on the A23 to make it safer for drivers.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Simon Burgess is to ask the Highways Agency to install the signs between Pease Pottage and Brighton to flash up different speed limits depending on the amount of traffic on the road or the driving conditions.
He said he was prompted to take action after reading in The Argus about the many road accidents and fatalities on the A23 in the past two to three years.
continued...
In May 2004, eight were killed at Newtimber when a car containing five people crashed over the central reservation and into another in the northbound lane.
In October 2003 a 19-year-old man was killed when his Nissan skidded off the southbound carriageway north of the A27 junction and former Albion striker Lee Steele suffered facial and head injuries after crashing his car near Pyecombe in December 2001.
Just two weeks ago, a ten-car pile-up caused five-mile tailbacks during rush hour. The drivers escaped with minor injuries.
In June a man travelling in a minibus carrying 15 people, including adults with learning difficulties, was killed when it crashed on the A23 at Pyecombe.
Work on a £40.5 million scheme to improve safety at Handcross, a notorious A23 accident blackspot, will not start until 2008 because a Regional Transport Board, responsible for deciding on a start date for the project, has not yet been set up.
Coun Burgess said: "There have been too many tragic accidents and huge traffic jams on this important route. Variable speed limit signage could be used to slow traffic, especially during peak holiday periods, before it reaches accident blackspots or traffic jams.
"It's terrible to read of the personal tragedies car crashes bring and of residents and visitors stuck in jams for hours.
"Variable speed limits can reduce the number of accidents and keep traffic moving at a safe speed.
"They could also be used to give motorists alternative routes or warn them of the length of delays.
"I would like to see more people travelling by train or bus. It is safer and more environmentally friendly but we should also work to reduce tragic accidents and the pollution caused by stop-start driving."
A spokeswoman for the Highways Agency said: "Safety is a top priority and we will continue to expand the use of technology at appropriate locations
I think he forgot to add Lee steele's was was after a party
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