West Sussex County Council to tackle A27 traffic hell (From The Argus)
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West Sussex County Council to tackle A27 traffic hell
1:00pm Sunday 21st October 2012 in News
West Sussex County Council to tackle A27 traffic hell
A council is to tackle traffic hell on the A27 itself after growing tired of waiting for Government assistance.
West Sussex County Council is promising “incremental, achievable and affordable”
improvements to the A27 at three traffic bottlenecks, but concedes that a major overhaul remains decades away.
The council yesterday announced plans to develop proposals to improve congestion around Chichester, Arundel and Worthing, with short-term changes that can be carried out over the next five years.
The authority said it still has long-term aspirations for a bypass along the county’s busiest road but conceded that Government funding would not be forthcoming before 2015 at the very earliest.
Speaking at the meeting, Pieter Montyn, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said A27 congestion was damaging local businesses and discouraging companies from relocating or expanding in Sussex.
He added: “The difference this time is that in the past we have been pushing for major schemes.
“It is clear that major schemes will not happen now and we will have to wait and our economy will not wait. That is why we have to do something quickly.
“The strategic group will be looking at achievable options, brought in incrementally and that are affordable through pooling of finances.”
Funding could be pooled from the Highways Agency, which is responsible for trunk roads, the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, the Coastal West Sussex Partnership and district and borough councils.
The announcement was made during a council meeting yesterday, following a motion by Liberal Democrat councillor Derek Deedman, who urged the council to consider all possible funding options to help pay for major road improvements.
Toll roads Speaking to The Argus prior to the meeting, the Bramber Castle councillor said that an effective solution around Worthing would cost £1 billion alone, while major projects at Chichester and Arundel could cost in excess of £100 million each.
He said that the council needed to explore all funding options, including businesses contributing to the costs, private finance initiatives and even toll roads.
At yesterday’s meeting, councillors were told how traffic problems meant Shoreham-based technology firmRicardo was having difficulties recruiting skilled workers.
They also heard how surrounding roads to the A27 had become “rat-runs”
for motorists looking for short-cuts away from traffic jams.
Middleton councillor Christina Coleman said the current congestion was restricting access for emergency vehicles.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader James Walsh said that the latest Department for Transport funding of £40,000 for Ford Roundabout would simply shift congestion 30 yards west.
County council leader Louise Goldsmith said: “We have to recognise that the type of A27 improvements we want to see are still many years away, possibly decades.”
Comments(22)
rolivan
says...
1:32pm Sun 21 Oct 12
sbiscorrupt
says...
1:35pm Sun 21 Oct 12
So what are these 'achievable options'?
For example a bypass in Worthing is neither achievable, or more importantly desirable - since it will involve the destruction of some of the last surrounding open spaces around the town!
Until we hear anything that remotely resembles a 'solution', we can only conclude that this will be yet another 'talking shop' designed to try and justify the existence of a few well paid 'think tanks'...!
rolivan
says...
1:57pm Sun 21 Oct 12
funkyyoyo
says...
3:42pm Sun 21 Oct 12
pwlr1966
says...
5:01pm Sun 21 Oct 12
ChrisDS
says...
10:07pm Sun 21 Oct 12
bug eye
says...
10:26pm Sun 21 Oct 12
ChrisDS wrote:I have heard of A roads and B roads but now sea roads.
maybe it is time to think out of the box .... a road out to sea from brighton to portsmouth ,,, would give selsey an extra exit ... and maybe only one junction near littlehampton ,, Now that's what I call a bypass !
Dirk Von Roden
says...
12:14am Mon 22 Oct 12
Made In Sussex
says...
9:30am Mon 22 Oct 12
Erm...Actually maybe not, a few years ago a tenant farmer died and a load of land between cissbury ring and worthing bercame available and the council was going to sell it to developers. Fortunatley Locals stepped in and saved it. This would have been the last poissible bit of land you coulf have put a bypass through, so just shows the short sighted short term view of the authorities. In fact the y should never have been allowed to build in the Charmandean area of Worthing, if they hadnt much of ting road could have been widened.
Tailgaters Anonymous
says...
9:44am Mon 22 Oct 12
Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit
says...
10:28am Mon 22 Oct 12
funkyyoyo wrote:Indeed. Get rid of the excess people and ...viola! Problem solved. If we could return to the population levels of the early nineteenth century we wouldn't need any more roads, housing estates, power stations, etc.
more waffle as usual!!!! there are too many people and cars in this country!!! building larger roads is not the solution!!!
In the meantime, whilst we're waiting for the Black Death (or 21st century equivalent) to save us from ourselves we have some transport infrastructure problems to address.
Made In Sussex
says...
11:51am Mon 22 Oct 12
funkyyoyo wrote:I would happily take the train the 20 miles to work.....oh wait it takes twice as long and costs twice as much..incentive NOT.
more waffle as usual!!!! there are too many people and cars in this country!!! building larger roads is not the solution!!!
Stu
says...
11:57am Mon 22 Oct 12
Made In Sussex wrote:Same here. That and the fact there is no railway line or station near work.
funkyyoyo wrote:I would happily take the train the 20 miles to work.....oh wait it takes twice as long and costs twice as much..incentive NOT.
more waffle as usual!!!! there are too many people and cars in this country!!! building larger roads is not the solution!!!
This will no doubt be a total waste of money by WS council. Best way to spend the money - chop down the trees and get rid of the wide verges along the A27 through Worthing and make it 2 lanes in either direction.
getThisCoalitionOut
says...
12:21pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Fairfax Sakes
says...
12:29pm Mon 22 Oct 12
fredaj
says...
1:12pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Made In Sussex
says...
1:31pm Mon 22 Oct 12
I'm sure that wont stop building on the last few bits of land where a bypass could go..
Until then anything else will be just tweaking around the edges of the problem same as the last 30
+ years..
hovelawns
says...
3:14pm Mon 22 Oct 12
If ever there was a western world example of disastrous planning then this is it. I hope all the nimbys are happy with their lot.
The train - have an extra line each way so it can go express? No cant do that, might offend someone.
West Sussex council must be part of the problem not the solution.
Surely not!
says...
4:40pm Mon 22 Oct 12
getThisCoalitionOut wrote:The money from Vehicle Excise Duty was never enough to pay for the roads even when it was ringfenced. I would like to see your face when you got the bill for your VED if road building and maintenance had to be paid for using a ringfenced Tax on vehicles wasn't subsidised by general taxation!
Road tax was originally set up to pay for roads - so wonder where all that money goes - MP's expenses, MP's subsidised bars, MP's subsidised canteens, MP's ripping us off - time for a change I think.
Stu
says...
5:33pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Made In Sussex wrote:I know that which is why I said 2 lanes each way. I never mentioned a dual carriageway (ie a road with a central reservation). Its wide enough for 2 lanes to me with no central reservation most if not all of the way through.
Unfortunatley there is not enough verge through worthing to convert it into a dual carriageway, demolition of property would be inevitable for the road the stay on its current route.
I'm sure that wont stop building on the last few bits of land where a bypass could go..
Until then anything else will be just tweaking around the edges of the problem same as the last 30
+ years..
Made In Sussex
says...
7:29pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Cash Bull says...
1:09pm Sun 21 Oct 12