Fresh calls for reduction to speed limit on road after two accidents in just six days
A series of road accidents on a road outside Chichester has sparked calls for urgent improvement works.
Richard Hitchcock, chairman of Westbourne Parish Council, said ‘every resident in Aldsworth’ had signed a petition for a reduction in the 40mph speed limit on Emsworth Common Road.
A driver suffered minor injuries after a single-vehicle collision on the road on Thursday, September 24. Six days later, a van ended up a ditch on the same stretch of road.
Mr Hitchcock said: “Residents have reported to the parish council that many people drive in excess of 40mph through Aldsworth on Emsworth Common Road which presents a great danger to those who live there.”
West Sussex County Council said it was aware of a ‘number
of reported incidents’ on Emsworth Common Road.
A spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear about any accident and take road safety very seriously.
“Our road safety team
constantly monitors recorded injury incidents to identify patterns of incidents. This helps us to target particular areas of concern, as finite resources have to be prioritised.
“We have actively engaged with residents and the parish council with a view to explore possible solutions and this work is ongoing.”
Mr Hitchcock said the petition was presented to the county council but they were informed the road ‘does not meet the criteria’ for a 30mph limit.
Gary Marshall, 62, said he has lived in the area his whole life and the road has been dangerous for ‘at least ten years’.
He said: “I am coming to the end of my patience. Cars go well in excess of the limit and we cannot get off our drives. It is a danger to pedestrians, dog walkers, cyclists and horse riders. I am astounded, frustrated, upset and angry at the lack of common sense by the authorities to do something about it.
“It is interfering with our lives. I can’t believe there hasn’t been a more serious accident. It’s just luck.”
Fellow resident Tony Kerr called for better signage and ‘ideally a reduction in the speed limit’, due to the ‘dangerous beds and narrow bridge’.
He said: “It’s a 40mph limit which people don’t respect, vehicles come tearing round the corner. I don’t think anyone has been seriously hurt but it can only be a matter of time.”
Mr Kerr said the bridge parapet was ‘badly damaged’ by one of the crashes.
The parish council has requested permission to install speed indicator devices to ‘remind drivers of their speed’ and to record the speed of passing vehicles.
“Over the last 18 months, we have been campaigning to West Sussex County Council and Sussex Police to make the road safer by introducing similar traffic calming measures that are in place in Funtington and East Ashling,” Mr Hitchcock said.
“We are now waiting for the posts for the devices to be installed by the county council.
“We have asked Sussex Police if our community speedwatch group could record the speed of passing vehicles but the road was seen to be unsafe for our volunteers due to the lack of pavements.”