Drivers putting others at risk at Rottingdean roadworks

2:40pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By Ben Leo, reporter

Drivers are frestrated by roadworks in Rottingdean Drivers are frestrated by roadworks in Rottingdean

Reckless drivers are moving road signs and going the wrong way down one-way streets.

The Argus reported last week how some drivers faced a five-mile detour during gas safety works in Rottingdean.

But since work began last Saturday some drivers have been ignoring no entry signs and driving head-first into the path of oncoming traffic.

The Argus caught several vehicles trying to pass through the no entry signs yesterday.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said they had been made aware of drivers ignoring the road signs and had been liaising with Brighton and Hove City Council and Southern Gas Networks to make sure the signs were visible to road users.

She added: “We would ask drivers to obey these signs and to park thoughtfully in the area to ensure that the signs are not obscured. Ignoring road signs can be an offence and may be enforceable by police.”

Rottingdean councillor Lynda Hyde, said: “I am saddened that people are not obeying the road signs which in turn is putting other road users at risk. I am particularly worried that people are altering and moving road signs, which could be dangerous for children who are returning to school next week from their half-term holidays.”

Two-week closure

The Green, between the junctions at Falmer Road and Dean Court Road, will be closed for two weeks as part of a £225,000 project to fit new plastic gas pipes and is the first of two separate road closures. The second phase of the project will begin on Saturday, November 10 when the works will move to Vicarage Lane.

Road users have complained of ‘horrendous’ traffic and are calling for the work to be completed without any closures.

Jane Purcell, from Peacehaven, uses the A259 to get home from Brighton after work. She said: “I am just astounded by the traffic chaos. Since these road works were put in place it is absolutely horrendous. Traffic is at a virtual standstill.

“People aren’t following the diversion and you can see they are cutting through Ovingdean.”

A spokeswoman for Southern Gas Networks said: “It is necessary to close sections of The Green and Vicarage Lane while we complete our works.

We would ask road-users to respect the road signs. The signs are there to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of our engineers.

“We do appreciate that road works can be frustrating and we would like to thank everyone for their patience while we complete this essential maintenance."

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Comments(13)

Crystal Ball says...
2:44pm Thu 1 Nov 12

These people are monumentally stupid and selfish. The number plates are on record so find them and punish them.

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brightonyorkie says...
2:49pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Am i frustrated by the road works in Rottingdean? No cus i live in Shoreham!!

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Bob_The_Ferret says...
3:16pm Thu 1 Nov 12

It would be perfectly possible to use temporary traffic lights to allow alternate directions to flow on the affected roads, while advising drivers to use alternative routes if possible. The overall delays probably won't be much worse than those caused by the A259 bus lanes.

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Ballroom Blitz says...
3:37pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Bob_The_Ferret wrote:
It would be perfectly possible to use temporary traffic lights to allow alternate directions to flow on the affected roads, while advising drivers to use alternative routes if possible. The overall delays probably won't be much worse than those caused by the A259 bus lanes.
Exactly right. The traffic could easily use the road past the vicarage and the school in BOTH directions, by putting in temporary lights and regulating the traffic as you suggest.
Closing the road entirely is the stupidest option one could think of. I drove that way this week not knowing about the closure, and my only option was a 5 mile detour.
Crazy lack of thought and planning by the council, and I don't blame people for trying to get through... especially if you actually CAN!

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kopite_rob says...
4:13pm Thu 1 Nov 12

This was my thought initially and then I thought about the chaos that reigns when a bus or HGV turns into the High Street off of Marine Drive and can't get past by The Olde Cottage.
The High Street in many places isn't wide enough for two way traffic and it would only take one or two buses or lorries to chance a red on the temporary lights for the High Street to be gridlocked.
This coach horse track isn't fit for purpose for the volume of traffic it now has to deal with.
Something radical will have to happen in the future.

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rolivan says...
4:19pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Ilive in a village similar to Rottingdean and all of the Utility Companies came in and replaced all of the necessary pipework at the same time, and then the road was resurfaced. Who is next in line after the Gasworks?

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panda_electrical says...
4:28pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Buses are routed through Ovindean so that works for me except in the peak when it is the C7.
The signage seems about right for Brighton emission targets go out the window when inconveniencing vehicle drivers. 5 miles in the van is about a litre of fuel, good news another 80p for the exchequer bad news another litre of fuel worth of emissions per vehicle. But considering the road layout normally where the main roundabout onto the A259 is on the Ovindean road and traffic is all routed through Rottindean to the restricted traffic lights causing gridlock at times there is no surprise at this latest travesty to road planning.
Before anyone asks I still can’t my get all the tools and ladders on my bike or the bus so that is not an option. Could probably put them in a wheelbarrow though and walk down the bus lane, or more likely just carry on despite the actions of our politicians and planners not because of them.

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Bob_The_Ferret says...
6:01pm Thu 1 Nov 12

There was a similar issue when the bottom end of Ditchling Road was dug up a while back, with poor traffic management only catering for one direction of traffic flow. After a few idiots chanced it the wrong way, the council made the contractors shut the entire road for weeks.

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We're up here says...
7:36pm Thu 1 Nov 12

How about a new road starting at the bottom or top of Woodingdean going east with drop-down roads to Saltdean and Peacehaven, a bridge over the river then joining the A26 north of Newhaven. Sigh....I can dream can't I?

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sussexram40 says...
9:15pm Thu 1 Nov 12

It's a common problem with villages with old buildings that were built when it was all horse and cart. Perhaps the answer is for people to start being less sentimental about buildings and knocking down the centres of places like this and rebuilding narrower buildings thus enabling a wider road? Lots of red tape to get through and prostests before it will happen but living in the past isn't really the answeer. In 400years time the buildings of today would be historic.

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GixerNick says...
10:33pm Thu 1 Nov 12

I knew it was going to be busier on the A259, but every evening so far the queues have been back to the junction with Roedean, so it just goes to show how much traffic uses the road from Falmer into Rottingdean. I pity the poor people in Ovingdean who for the next 3-or-so-weeks will have to put up with gridlock in the evening rush hour.

I think they should have set the traffic lights up so that traffic in both directions could use the one way road from the seafront, but I can see why they didnt because people jumping the red lights in either direction WILL cause a prang.

I voted NO in the poll as I don't have 4 wheels. I only have 2, so I just ride past the queues on the A259 chuckling behind my visor at the 'poor hard done by car drivers' sitting there impatiently whilst texting away or updating their Twitter page on their phones and it only adds 2 or 3 minutes at the most to my commute home.

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scootergirly says...
12:08pm Fri 2 Nov 12

its a shame that these much needed roadworks are causing so much inconvenience to car drivers.
just coming along the coast road of an evening is a sight to see, miles of queuing traffic. pretty much like what it is in the morning on the way to brighton from peacehaven, but then when its a time of no school amazingly there is no traffic!!!
we have to accept that these things need doing and not break the traffic rules.

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blacktopsoldier says...
2:46pm Fri 2 Nov 12

come and play on the A27 at Lancing, or any other road around here when they're working,watch the selfish ones at the Saltings R/bout, that aren't prepared to queue,
could go on and on about these people who think that nothing applies to them,
come on traffic police this is driving without due care and consideration in my book

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