Saltdean Residents Association members have long felt that the junction of the A259 with Longridge Avenue is not working properly. The junction works on a ‘give way’ system where cars wanting to turn right into Longridge Avenue from the Peacehaven direction have to wait in the middle of the road either until a gap appears in the traffic or the green stage ends. The problems continue as there is only room for 3 or 4 cars to sit in the middle of the road waiting to go right into Longridge Avenue. The 3rd or 4th vehicle may have very little time to get round the corner before the lights change.

Most people still think the junction was much better as a roundabout. If you have any views or specialist knowledge in the field of traffic management we would be particularly pleased to hear from you. Please email:- SRA1934@hotmail.com or phone the Secretary, Janet Preece 305758.

The SRA has asked Brighton & Hove Council to comment on the possibility of changing the arrangements at this junction. They have said that this type of junction is in common use throughout the country and recognised as a standard and safe layout. It would be possible to fit a right turn facility into the existing junction arrangement, however design options that included a right turn facility were looked into and rejected during the planning of the scheme. Apparently changing the traffic signal arrangements is a complex process and could have a detrimental effect on road capacity and safety.

There are two ways of putting a formal right turn in place, namely an indicative arrow or a full green stage for right turning vehicles.

With an indicative arrow a single green arrow comes on when there are sufficient vehicles waiting to turn right to trigger it. Vehicles would not have to wait until the arrow appears and would be allowed to turn during gaps as they appear. This solution reduces the capacity of the junction, causing additional queuing and delay for eastbound motorists. Safety is also an issue with this type of facility - many installations have been removed because of a poor safety record. Motorists get confused, follow the car in front, and get hit by a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.

With a full green stage motorists have to remain queuing until the right turn signal turns green. As well as an eastbound delay there would be a build up westbound as vehicles are not permitted to turn until the signal goes green. There would also be some major engineering works required because of current road widths At the moment the accident record for the junction is in fact very good and, given the above, council officers consider that there is a significant chance that if right turn facilities were introduced an accident problem may be unwittingly created. The issue of additional delay for eastbound motorists would also need to be overcome and therefore Brighton & Hove officers consider that it would be appropriate to retain the current layout and continue to monitor the performance of the junction.