Don’t end up with something like this
Have your say! Respond to the A2300 consultation
Having just experienced West Sussex County Council’s (WSCC) indifference to towards walking and cycling on the New Monks Farm development, we shouldn’t really be surprised to see them at it again. This time WSCC is proposing to dual the A2300 from the A23 into Burgess Hill to support new development. They appear to only consider road building as a serious option, while public transport, walking and cycling are seen as add-ons and consequently don’t ever deliver much. It’s the classic ‘predict and provide’ approach that just fuels traffic growth, congestion and a low quality environment.
What is most shocking, though, is how sub-standard, dangerous and unattractive the proposals are for people who want to walk and cycle. The shared path alongside the road will do little to alleviate traffic levels in and around Burgess Hill and we suspect that some cyclists will still use the road, even a 70mph road, because it is so bad. Just producing maps and drawing lines on them showing routes for people to walk and cycle is meaningless unless the infrastructure provided is safe, easy and attractive to use. This is none of these.
We are urging people to take a few minutes to object to these poor quality and dangerous facilities.
- The scheme does not conform to the National Planning Policy Framework which says that pedestrian and cycle movements should be given priority (para 110) – here they are just an afterthought
- The shared path is too narrow (at 2.5m wide) – it should be at least 3 metres wide to meet latest standards
- The path is unsafe as it has too many crossings of high speed junctions, made worse by the 70 mph speed limit. No help is given to people crossing these roads
- There are too many sharp bends at crossing points and no slips (easy access points) onto the path near the A23, at Stairbridge Lane or Cuckfield Road – this will cause cyclists to have to swerve into the traffic to get onto and off the shared path
- Several quieter roads (good for cycling) would be severed by these proposals with no help given to pedestrians or cyclists to cross the A2300 – Stairbridge Lane to Pookbourne Lane, Bishopstone Lane and Cuckfield Road
- The path under the retained overbridge is right next to the 70mph road. This is dangerous – the central reservation should be reduced and or the road moved across to provide the required 3 metre separation between road and path
- Some cyclists will be tempted to still use the road (even at 70mph) because the path is so poor (a measure of success in terms of design would be to provide a facility that encourages all cyclists to use it)
- The Cuckfield Road roundabout should be redesigned to open up easy access for walking and cycling (from all directions) and with speed limits reduced
- The path should have a sealed surface (tarmac)
- The proposed new roundabout at the eastern end (not part of this scheme but to be provided for by developers) is not fit for purpose and needs redesigning to properly accommodate cycling.
You can find out more about the proposals here
Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth 
You need to consider pedestrians and cyclists, you are putting their lives at risk!!!!