‘Down to Burgess Hill McDonald’s to help reduce drive-thru queues’

Traffic problems at the Burgess Hill McDonald’s drive-thru could be reduced by better matching staff numbers to demand, according to county council officers.
Traffic queueing to enter McDonald's drive thru Burgess Hill is causing problems on the roundabout just outside. Pic Steve Robards SR1829128 SUS-180311-162546001Traffic queueing to enter McDonald's drive thru Burgess Hill is causing problems on the roundabout just outside. Pic Steve Robards SR1829128 SUS-180311-162546001
Traffic queueing to enter McDonald's drive thru Burgess Hill is causing problems on the roundabout just outside. Pic Steve Robards SR1829128 SUS-180311-162546001

The fast food restaurant had a £1.3m makeover last year but since then residents have complained about queues forming on to the nearby roundabout, blocking other drivers.

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Richard Speller, the county council’s highways manager for Mid Sussex, said McDonald’s needed to ensure enough staff were on hand at times of high demand to stop long queues forming.

He said: “I do not think there is a reasonable and practicable engineering solution as there are already keep clear markings on the roundabout and they are being ignored.”

Similarly if they put yellow box markings on the roundabout drivers ‘will ignore them anyway’.

Conversations have been taking place with the district council, police and the franchise owner, members of West Sussex County Council’s Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee were told on Tuesday night (March 12).

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Previously it has been suggested the entrance to the drive-thru could be redesigned to take queuing traffic through the car park on to Station Road.

But Mr Speller said: “This just moves the problem on the roundabout to the junction with Station Road and Waitrose.”

He added: “The answer is the franchise manager has to get his staff rates correct to anticipate demand.”

Anne Jones (Con, Burgess Hill East) suggested that the current yellow markings on the roundabout were fading and asked if they could be refreshed.

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She said: “There are markings on the road but they are fading, making some people ignore them.”

Officers said this could be taken forward.

Although some motorists would ignore yellow box markings if they were introduced Mrs Jones thought ‘90 per cent of drivers will take notice’.

She suggested cameras could be installed to catch offenders.