A vehicle activated sign (VAS) on Surrenden Road which has been the subject of delay, frustration and now mystery to local residents appears at last to be working - if intermittently.

Following its installation in the spring, the time taken to connect it to a power supply meant it stood redundantly by the roadside on the north-south side of the duel carriageway for nearly six months.

Now however, the sign, which tells drivers to slow down when speeding traffic is detected and then flashes the speed limit at them, seems to be being triggered by vehicles. Some residents however still remain unconvinced that it is working at all times.

Yesterday, two local parents deliberately drove too fast down the stretch of road to prove the point and the sign did not activate.

Yet today cars did trigger the speed limit and the warning on the illuminated board. Some other cars however, which seemed to be going equally quickly, did not.

Council spokesperson, Alan Stone, urged anyone with concerns about the sign to contact the council’s traffic safety officer, Len Holloway, on 01273 292184. He also cautioned against anyone trying to activate it on purpose.

Local residents and worried parents initially persuaded the council of the need for a VAS on the stretch of this road between Varndean College and Preston Drove due to traffic regularly exceeding the speed limit. The route, which has several tight bends, blind spots and cars parked along its length, has to be crossed by children attending four nearby schools.

Road safety campaigners, Safer Surrenden, claim that as well as the Surrenden Road route regularly seeing traffic exceed the 30 mph speed limit, there has also been an increase in vehicles using the road since the introduction of the bus lane on nearby London Road. This, they say, increases accident risk further.

Similar signs to the one on Surrenden Road are also found on the London Road near Preston Park and at the top of Bear Road.

Department for Transport research published in 2003 showed that such signs reduce road traffic accidents by making drivers slow down.

Safer Surrenden can be contacted by email at safersurrenden@tiscali.co.uk