New safety measures for busy Eastbourne road after four-year campaign

The improvement works are taking place in Sevenoaks Road in Langney this week after residents, West Rise junior and infant schools, and a local councillor banded together to call for something to be done.

Councillor Alan Shuttleworth, chair of Sevenoaks Road Traffic Calming Group, said, “Over the past four years we have had many meetings and hundreds of emails to try to get some road safety improvements for the road.

“The central concern is about the speed of vehicles who use the road as a cut-through.

“There are two schools, a play park, recreation ground, and a nature area close to the road.

“There have been numerous accidents and incidents including the demolition of the front of a house by one car.

“We desperately need measures to slow the traffic.”

Eastbourne Borough Council backed the schools and traffic calming group with a grant from the Langney devolved budget scheme.

The current proposals include: changes at the entrance to the road at Willingdon Drove, new signs, and red high friction surfacing.

Also included is the construction of new bollards at three existing uncontrolled crossings, and repositioning of ‘school’ signs to each approach to schools.

Councillor Shuttleworth said, “We welcome the improvement works but they don’t go far enough.

“We have been refused speed cameras and electronic vehicle-activated signage.

“We wanted a crossing to the children’s play park, but this cannot be done until the speed is reduced.

“We have paid for a speed survey and our 50 per cent contribution to improvements. The county council has agreed to install more prominent bollards but not a pedestrian crossing.”

Further work is scheduled to be carried out in October. The group says it intends to keep pressing for more improvements.

Eastbourne residents call on county council to make road safe

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