Call for cameras on Lewes Road
A Haywards Heath resident is calling for a reduced speed limit enforced by fixed speed cameras on Lewes Road.
Simon Pockett, 42, who lives on the road with his wife and two children, said ‘only a very small number’ of vehicles stick to the current 40mph limit.
He said some reach 60mph on the road, which is dangerous because visibility is poor for residents pulling out of their driveways.
“We’ve got hedges all around us,” said Simon, adding that his view is blocked by a telegraph pole.
“You’re playing Russian Roulette really, trying to nudge out,” he said. “If you stall then you’re going to be completely T-boned.”
Simon said there is a 30mph limit from the Birch
Hotel, which increases to 40mph at Birch Close and to 50mph after Snowdrop Lane.
He wants the 40mph section, where he and others live, to be reduced to 30mph.
“It’s a very straight bit of road and 40mph does seem quite slow to a driver,” said Simon, adding that people who obey the current limit are often tailgated or overtaken.
He said the only way to make it safer is with fixed speed cameras because people would ignore a lower speed limit on its own.
He is open to the idea of a traffic calming structure or give-way system, but said that a speed camera ‘would pay for itself pretty quickly’ on Lewes Road.
Simon is worried the situation will become more dangerous as it gets dark in winter and has raised his concerns with West Sussex County Council.
Stephen Hillier, County Councillor for Bentswood and Franklands Wards (Haywards Heath East), said police and WSCC Highways are ‘fully aware’ of the situation.
But he said there is ‘limited action’ police and WSCC Highways can take because of a lack of accident data. He also said there are limits to what can be done on an A-road and that speed humps were not possible.
“Similarly, the restrictive rules around the installation of speed cameras also mean they are a non-starter at this time,” said Mr Hillier.
But he said police would recommend Lewes Road for consideration in their Speed Management Programme and that the council is looking at installing vehicle-activated signs to tell drivers when they are speeding.
Read more on this issue at midsussextimes.co.uk