Things are about to get a lot worse for pedestrians and cyclists using the A2300 facilities

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) cannot be allowed to get away with pretending (Middy letters, Feb 7) that the scheme to dual the A2300 will do anything other than have a negative impact on people walking and cycling.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Feb 2019, 14:52 BST
Updated 21st Feb 2019, 14:55 BST
A2300 road between the A23 and Burgess Hill. Pic Steve Robards SUS-140916-152329001A2300 road between the A23 and Burgess Hill. Pic Steve Robards SUS-140916-152329001
A2300 road between the A23 and Burgess Hill. Pic Steve Robards SUS-140916-152329001

As Michael Brown so clearly stated, it is Government policy to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists in such developments. Yet WSCC appears to be sticking two fingers up at both the Government and the local community.

Building a path for walkers and cyclists does not mean it is a useful or even a usable facility, especially if people can’t get on or off it safely. It would be like having the A27 Shoreham bypass but without the bridge over the River Adur – pretty useless. WSCC wouldn’t think about building a road like that, so why does it think it’s acceptable to do this for people walking and cycling?

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Not only will it increase the speed limit of the A2300 to 70mph and make it a wider and hence harder to cross, it will also sever some quiet country lanes that are used for cycling and walking. So not only is WSCC failing to provide for pedestrians and cyclists, it is actively making it worse for them.

There is no excuse for this and while WSCC may try and plead limited budgets and time, it knows the rules. It also has had plenty of opportunities to correct what risks becoming a costly mistake.

Given what we know about climate change, pressures on the NHS from people not exercising enough, or even the unfairness of not providing safe facilities for people who don’t or can’t drive, there are plenty of reasons why WSCC should overhaul these designs. If it won’t, then it doesn’t deserve to get the funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership for this dangerous and badly designed road.

Chris Todd

Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth

Hollingdean Terrace

Brighton