Gridlock outside Brighton after A27 motorcycle crash (From The Argus)

....PLUS the Gridlock CHAOS that is the Westbound A27 that you reported for us yesterday WE ARE DOOMED!

Hey! No helicopter? Why not, they turn up everytime someone complains of pain?

I blame the cycle lane, is there one?
if not why not

Doont worry HoveActually, all roads will become cycle lanes very soon.

This section of the A27 is lethal. A gigantic accident waiting to happen. I'd love to know who designed it and what kind of attention they are paying to this particularly hazourdous junction. Since the stadium infrastructure has been operating it is invariably a hit and miss situation. Anyone who does not know the road is likely to not understand as they approach from the hill around the bend that there will be a whole lane gridlocked with a sudden queue waiting to exit at Falmer. Even if you have anticipated it and slowed to account for it, the likelihood of the person behind you having done the same is left to chance. I travel this route regularly at peak traffic times and am an extremely confident driver, but this particular section fills me with dread. Are the council looking at some immediate redesigns? And I'd be interested to know what the existing accident statistics are as compared with other parts of the A27?

F in L wrote:
Hey! No helicopter? Why not, they turn up everytime someone complains of pain?

Unfortunately it was attending a cyclist injured after riding through a red light in Edinburgh at the time.

Not another accident on that part of the road - it took me 2 hours to get home from Chichester tonight, well p'd off I was, thought I'd be clever and go the sea front way home when I heard about the accident on the radio only to find more congestion because they have the sea front up AGAIN, what is it with Brighton why do they always have the sea front up? and when will they sort Falmer out, they haven't even bother to renew that round-a-bout at Falmer, I'm sure its damaged my car, its so uneven, you'd think they would have renewed the road around Falmer when they put the stadium in. Our roads are an absolute nightmare!

what investigation is required? the motorcyclist hit a stationary van! he wasn't watching where he was going, or going too fast! it really is that simple. if he only complained of back pain, i would suspect it wasn't speeding that caused it, but a lack of attention.

davyboy, read the posts above.
That stretch of road is on a blind bend.
The traffic may be at a halt around the bend and traffic comes around the corner at 70mph and stuggles to stop.
Stopping a motorbike at that speed is challenging.
That is why other posters are saying its an accident waiting to happen.
It just needs some matrix signs further back from the carriageway to alert drivers when traffic is at a halt.

What's with this road? Every day some idiot manages to crash on it. It's a dual carriageway A road. How hard is it to not crash? *Sheesh*

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
davyboy, read the posts above.
That stretch of road is on a blind bend.
The traffic may be at a halt around the bend and traffic comes around the corner at 70mph and stuggles to stop.
Stopping a motorbike at that speed is challenging.
That is why other posters are saying its an accident waiting to happen.
It just needs some matrix signs further back from the carriageway to alert drivers when traffic is at a halt.

There is a small yellow sign on the eastbound carriageway near the Hollingbury sliproad that warns of queues ahead but it's too small to be easily noticed.

Just the beginning of gridlock chaos in Brighton.Falmer/Lewe
s Rd with planned bus lanes-Nightmare,Trav
elled to Newhaven from Shoreham last night and it was a gridlocked nightmare all the way.Brighton seafront dug up again?.A259 to Saltdean one long stream of slow moving almost stationary traffic.Who was that Tory Councillor from Nr Hastings who approved this stupid scheme.He needs to take a drive back here and see what he has caused.

Why shut both lanes of the A27 last night? Surely they could have kept one lane open? To make things worse, A27 traffic was directed through the University campus! How stupid was that! 100's of cars going through the middle of a University!

It was a nightmare, it took me the best of 2 hours to get home. That part of the A27 is a joke and a death trap! It needs sorting now!

If, as MaxwellsGhost suggests, it is difficult to stop a motorcycle from 70 mph, they shouldn't be allowed to go that fast.

To those that complain that that stretch of road is dangerous...

It's not the road that is dangerous. It's the people using them.

There are a few signs warning of queues and even so, when going around a blind bend ease off the accelerator and maybe even apply the brake!!

Just because a few people are too lazy to check mirrors, can't read the road ahead and or fail to read and respond to road signs does not make a road dangerous! Stop blaming the road for the drivers mistakes!!

Kenny, you can say the same things about cars...they also need stopping distances depending on speed.
Can you recite the required stopping distances as set out in the Highway Code?
The difference between cars and motorbikes is that if you are in a car hitting a van you have a little more protection.

Now he is OK I hope he is prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.

cat shepard wrote:
This section of the A27 is lethal. A gigantic accident waiting to happen. I'd love to know who designed it and what kind of attention they are paying to this particularly hazourdous junction. Since the stadium infrastructure has been operating it is invariably a hit and miss situation. Anyone who does not know the road is likely to not understand as they approach from the hill around the bend that there will be a whole lane gridlocked with a sudden queue waiting to exit at Falmer. Even if you have anticipated it and slowed to account for it, the likelihood of the person behind you having done the same is left to chance. I travel this route regularly at peak traffic times and am an extremely confident driver, but this particular section fills me with dread. Are the council looking at some immediate redesigns? And I'd be interested to know what the existing accident statistics are as compared with other parts of the A27?

There are signs warning of likely queues when descending that hill. Drive so that you can stop in the distance you can see and use your mirror.

Brightonlad86 wrote:
To those that complain that that stretch of road is dangerous...

It's not the road that is dangerous. It's the people using them.

There are a few signs warning of queues and even so, when going around a blind bend ease off the accelerator and maybe even apply the brake!!

Just because a few people are too lazy to check mirrors, can't read the road ahead and or fail to read and respond to road signs does not make a road dangerous! Stop blaming the road for the drivers mistakes!!

I think it's fair to say that most people rounding a corner on a dual carriageway don't expect to be confronted with stationary traffic.

I agree that it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. I used to drive this way home every night and negotiating the junction was always a nerve-wracking experience. They don't need to slow traffic down beforehand, or warn people of queues, they need to tear the whole junction down and start again. The problem is that the flow of traffic leaving the A27 eastbound and turning right to go towards Woodingdean constantly has to give way at the roundabout on the other side of the A27 to traffic coming out of Woodingdean, which has priority and turns right to join the A27 - whoever decided that the slip road should cut across the traffic flow from the other way has clearly never been in a car or near a road in their life. As a result, the traffic quickly builds up, tails down the slip road and then onto the A27 at a blind corner, which is why accidents always happen there.

For the want of about 50 yards' worth of new slip roads the congestion at that junction would completely stop.

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
Kenny, you can say the same things about cars...they also need stopping distances depending on speed.
Can you recite the required stopping distances as set out in the Highway Code?
The difference between cars and motorbikes is that if you are in a car hitting a van you have a little more protection.

wet road, 30% less grip on a bike, things can go wrong in the wet if circumstances suddenly force a change of direction or speed.
Hope the guy's ok, quite tricky riding conditions out there right now. Its a game of real skill and fair play to him for being out there.

jamesbandenburg wrote:

Brightonlad86 wrote:
To those that complain that that stretch of road is dangerous...

It's not the road that is dangerous. It's the people using them.

There are a few signs warning of queues and even so, when going around a blind bend ease off the accelerator and maybe even apply the brake!!

Just because a few people are too lazy to check mirrors, can't read the road ahead and or fail to read and respond to road signs does not make a road dangerous! Stop blaming the road for the drivers mistakes!!

I think it's fair to say that most people rounding a corner on a dual carriageway don't expect to be confronted with stationary traffic.

I agree that it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. I used to drive this way home every night and negotiating the junction was always a nerve-wracking experience. They don't need to slow traffic down beforehand, or warn people of queues, they need to tear the whole junction down and start again. The problem is that the flow of traffic leaving the A27 eastbound and turning right to go towards Woodingdean constantly has to give way at the roundabout on the other side of the A27 to traffic coming out of Woodingdean, which has priority and turns right to join the A27 - whoever decided that the slip road should cut across the traffic flow from the other way has clearly never been in a car or near a road in their life. As a result, the traffic quickly builds up, tails down the slip road and then onto the A27 at a blind corner, which is why accidents always happen there.

For the want of about 50 yards' worth of new slip roads the congestion at that junction would completely stop.

When there are clear road signs indicating 'queues ahead' you must drive accordingly.

....and your 50 yards of new slip road... What will happen to the flow of traffic when a lane is shut to enable the works to take place? No doubt more moaners!!

Again, it is bad drivers that cause accidents... Not bad roads!

davyboy wrote:
what investigation is required? the motorcyclist hit a stationary van! he wasn't watching where he was going, or going too fast! it really is that simple. if he only complained of back pain, i would suspect it wasn't speeding that caused it, but a lack of attention.

Incredible!!
What planet are you on? Could it possibly be another vehicle caused the motorcyclist to swerve or perhaps even a pothole or poor surface?

Do not just assume that the motorcyclist is an idiot. Quite clearly you have never ridden on two wheels in fast traffic.

Get all of the facts before you cast blame. I hope the guy makes a full recovery and returns to motorcycling again.

Brightonlad86 wrote:

jamesbandenburg wrote:

Brightonlad86 wrote:
To those that complain that that stretch of road is dangerous...

It's not the road that is dangerous. It's the people using them.

There are a few signs warning of queues and even so, when going around a blind bend ease off the accelerator and maybe even apply the brake!!

Just because a few people are too lazy to check mirrors, can't read the road ahead and or fail to read and respond to road signs does not make a road dangerous! Stop blaming the road for the drivers mistakes!!

I think it's fair to say that most people rounding a corner on a dual carriageway don't expect to be confronted with stationary traffic.

I agree that it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. I used to drive this way home every night and negotiating the junction was always a nerve-wracking experience. They don't need to slow traffic down beforehand, or warn people of queues, they need to tear the whole junction down and start again. The problem is that the flow of traffic leaving the A27 eastbound and turning right to go towards Woodingdean constantly has to give way at the roundabout on the other side of the A27 to traffic coming out of Woodingdean, which has priority and turns right to join the A27 - whoever decided that the slip road should cut across the traffic flow from the other way has clearly never been in a car or near a road in their life. As a result, the traffic quickly builds up, tails down the slip road and then onto the A27 at a blind corner, which is why accidents always happen there.

For the want of about 50 yards' worth of new slip roads the congestion at that junction would completely stop.

When there are clear road signs indicating 'queues ahead' you must drive accordingly.

....and your 50 yards of new slip road... What will happen to the flow of traffic when a lane is shut to enable the works to take place? No doubt more moaners!!

Again, it is bad drivers that cause accidents... Not bad roads!

Notice most people's opinions on the A23 roadworks - yes, they're a pain but the road will be much safer and less congested when they're finished.

Today I was in the traffic queue heading up to the roundabout to turn right towards Woodingdean.
A silver people carrier was on the A27 and wanted to get off the A27 to join the queue, so jammed its brakes on and came to almost a stop in the inside lane.
A lorry behind it almost wiped it out.
Terrible driving and a terrible junction.

Hate this junction and there will be many more crashes if something isn't done about it soon. Every morning I get on the A27 going eastbound and in the mornings, the slip road from Lewes Road leads straight into this traffic jam of cars coming off at Falmer. It's difficult to negotiate across this queue and on the A27 safely.

Setting off at 5mph onto a road where people are driving at up to 90mph is pretty scary. This is made worse by people trying to jump the queue. I've nearly driven into the back of a stationary van doing just that.

I don't blame this biker at all and I hope he recovers swiftly.