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Letter: Misery on the coast road
11:53am Tuesday 5th August 2008
Living as I have for the best part of five years in Saltdean, I have developed a love-hate relationship with the A259. The stunning views and sense of space afforded by living on this road are offset by the inevitable congestion. Despite this, the journey has never proved particularly stressful. Until now.
Although I have many issues with the design and politics of this road layout, I felt compelled to write about one particular aspect of it.
Approaching Rottingdean from the west, traffic now merges into one lane just before the brow of the hill rather than just after the lights at the High Street.
The wisdom of merging lanes like this just before the summit of a hill with limited visibility is questionable in itself but it is the behaviour that such bad design triggers in drivers which is of more concern.
Driving in urban areas can be a frustrating experience at the best of times and smooth traffic flow relies for the greater part on the cooperative attitude of drivers. Badly designed traffic systems exasperate and exasperated drivers drive badly.
Nowhere is this more evident than at the point where the two lanes merge and we are reliant on drivers to “merge in turn”.
While the cameras monitoring the bus lanes remain absent a small percentage of drivers are opting to pull out into the bus lane and zoom ahead as if to demonstrate their frustration. Worse is the point-blank refusal of some to allow drivers to merge from the outside lane. As if having opted for the inside lane at Ovingdean affords them the moral high ground. This conflict at the brow of the hill is best demonstrated by an incident I witnessed recently when a driver on the inside lane decided to match the movements of the car attempting to merge metre for metre leaving them out on the chevrons for some distance, effectively on the other side of the road approaching the summit until a driver behind took pity and allowed them entry.
I appeal that this particular stretch be reviewed and at the very least a sign added suggesting that cars “merge in turn” to prevent a serious incident occurring.
Jennifer Lawlor, Crowborough Road, Saltdean
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TrueBlue, Saltdean says...
8:12pm Tue 5 Aug 08
The point Jennifer spoke of earlier of the 2 lanes becoming 1 just beyond the Ovingdean roundabout I disagree with due to the fact you could sit there all day if drivers continually race up on the outside pushing for that last little bit of advantage over the patient queueing line of cars in the inner lane. The new road alterations have just pushed the Rottingdean hill eastbound pinch point back a further 500m.
There is a distinct lack of signage at certain dangerous points on the route as only yesterday I confused myself whilst climbing out of Rottingdean towards Saltdean. I was behind a double decker bus which stopped to offload passengers at the bus stop marginally beyond the A259/Cranleigh Avenue junction. I eased to my right thinking I could pass by the bus if safe to do so as drivers could do this before these alterations on the right hand side when fortunately my partner told me that the centre lane is for the cars travelling in the opposite direction. That momentary lapse of concentration could have been disastrous. Passing stationery buses is something we've all done on that stretch of the A259 over the years when the road was suitable to sustain such a manouevre unlike it is now, but it's a habit that now would cause an accident. I accept I must change my driving habits and be more patient, but I must say that particular bus stop is now in a stupid position on the brow of the hill, especially with the lack of signs warning not to overtake, or to remain in a single lane queue.
Please somebody find a solution to the A259 so I can have my Heaven back!!
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Stuck in traffic, Saltdean says...
5:13pm Tue 5 Aug 08
Heading west out of Rottingdean towards Brighton there is currently one lane in this direction. The road markings suggest that there are two, (a broken white line). Yesterday I witnessed a van pull out assuming the broken white lines meant 2 lane traffic. He was met by a car in the same lane heading towards him over the brow of the hill.
SORT THIS OUT WHOEVER IS ION CHARGE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.
And in relation to the above letter, I have resorted to driving down the bus lane.