On 15 May 2016 at 11:56pm Car-free Lewes wrote:
Why the council doesn't just close a number of the central carparks and simplify the road system in Lewes to make it less car-friendly is beyond me. Too often cars zoom through the high street at well above 20 mph, people park all over the place and on double yellows, just for a minute (!), which block everything up.. There is a serious need to rethink the car in lewes, and limit its impact on the town. Some misguided traders think the car is everything, but they are acting purely from misinformed self-interest, and probably their own desire to park near work. The reality is that cars and lorries seriously compromise the whole town, and we need to reduce them to a minimum. Think how lovely Lewes would be if cars were severely limited zooming around the town, and pushed to the edges of where people shop, eat and walk.
On 16 May 2016 at 12:02am Get Real wrote:
Lewes isn't Oxford where that happens
There's basically f.uck all in Lewes to attract people and if you take away their right to drive here then the tumble weed will soon start blowing
On 16 May 2016 at 8:02am Socialist Future wrote:
If traders and shoppers were organised, thought locally, and ensured deliveries were made at the hours required, all motorised vehicles could easily be outlawed from 10am until 5pm. This is no different from areas of London that are seen as standard-setting and would enhance Lewes's appeal. Just do this, enact the statute, and people will welcome it in the end. The time will soon be here when energy for private motorised transport will be so expensive and dangerous that the notion of private cars and goods transport will be remembered as a laughable historical anachronism. Oil and coal are running out, nuclear power is unclean and threatening, and renewable energy isn't working. Little Lewes should take the lead here. Before you ask, I walk, and take an early train to work. No car, ever.
On 16 May 2016 at 8:12am Earl of Lewes wrote:
I agree it would be nicer. I hate the constant roar of traffic from the A27 and remember how lovely it was when it snowed heavily and the roads were silent. But Lewes is a hub and all sorts of people in the local villages have to drive here and need easy parking, particularly those who aren't that mobile. Public transport is patchy. Perhaps when we switch to quieter electric cars that will help, as will driverless cars that automatically comply with the speed limit. But most drivers are fine - it's just a small handful of lads who roar around the town like it's the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Most of us know who they are.
On 16 May 2016 at 9:28am Grunge wrote:
Southover: best of luck with the trains!
On 16 May 2016 at 1:55pm Cloud cuckoo land wrote:
Yeah and while we're at it let's open a Unicorn farm in Lewes, that should bring in lots of visitors, the visitors can all stay in Premier Inn and ride push bikes all day.
Meanwhile back in the real world, my 25 minute commute to Albourne would involve a train ride to Brighton, bus to Henfield and then bus to Albourne.
It would take around 4 hours and I would get there in time to leave again and do the 4 hour journey back home.
I won't even enquire how I'm supposed to get a weekly food shop for a family of 4 home (maybe the train can stop at the bottom of Landport and let me off).
On 16 May 2016 at 3:42pm Observer wrote:
While it's unlikely that you'll ever get rid of cars, even at specific hours, I do think that Lewes could rethink its roads and traffic to make it more friendly for pedestrians.
Mind you, when people start having air quality sensors in their phones, it will be interesting how attitudes to cars change. They'll start realising how polluted places like Fisher Street and Station Street are - I'd imagine well in excess of the legal maximum for all sorts of particulates...
On 16 May 2016 at 4:30pm particulate wrote:
Only if there is an excess of certain Teutonic vehicles.
On 16 May 2016 at 4:41pm Particulates wrote:
Not true i am afraid Particulate. All diesel cars are polluting health hazards (except if they have been fitted with filters). Its just that VW cheated their emission to make them seem as if they were less polluting. A diesel-free town/world is my dream. Nasty fuel responsible for far too many deaths.
On 16 May 2016 at 4:41pm VAG scandal wrote:
Don't worry apparently VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group) are bringing out an "air quality monitoring app"... Just like the cars it will prove emissions are actually 10x less than we all thought and the world will be saved.
Ban diesels it's not hard to improve air quality, this has been known for 40+ years but as usual lot's of politicians talking about it for the last four decades and no actual action (how no decision can be made after 40 years is beyond my comprehension).
No doubt the "vote in" crowd will tell us all how many improvements the EU has made to emissions and air quality and that we'd all be dead from pollution if we "vote out".
On 17 May 2016 at 12:02am IMEYOU wrote:
How mislead I have been, I always thought that Diesels were more environmentally friendly than petrol. But I have learnt a lot recently, so my next set of wheels will be petrol driven with castrol engine oil. Cant wait!
On 17 May 2016 at 7:43am Particulates wrote:
How about a Prius? Or a Tesla?
On 17 May 2016 at 5:00pm Clifford wrote:
Cloud cuckoo land wrote: 'I won't even enquire how I'm supposed to get a weekly food shop for a family of 4 home.'
Have it delivered. More and more people are. And it saves that soul-destroying trudge round the supermarket.
On 17 May 2016 at 5:09pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Making the town centre car-free is a lovely idea, but as so much of the town centre is residential, people who need their cars to do their jobs or get to work will have to drive in the town centre to get to and from their homes.
Similarly, people who live in the town centre and need visits from carers, health visitors, district nurses and the like will need them to be able to access their homes by car.
Just because someone lives near a station or a bus route doesn't mean they don't need a car, there is the other end of their journey to consider as well.
On 17 May 2016 at 10:55pm Lewes_visitor wrote:
If there was any political vision in Lewes council there would be a move to develop a strategy around reducing cars in Lewes. Forget the straw man arguments about carers etc., clearly they could get passes and so could Taxi's and buses. It is the casual "oh I really must drive to Waitrose to shop" tiny car journeys that need to be cut down and the rat-runs across Lewes. Additionally the number of huge lorries is striking in Lewes, what are you all thinking? Make the road system mostly pedestrianised in the centre with a one way system that keeps cars out as much as possible. Ban lorries and large vehicles in the day, and increase the cost of car parks. For all those decrying a car-free lewes as an impossibility, I mean come on, this is 2016, we now know the dangers of particulate matter and car accidents, and you really don't need the traffic volumes in the small town of Lewes. A number of towns across the UK and Europe have banned cars in the centre and guess what? The town centre has thrived, with cafe culture, more visitors and tourists and a nicer air environment in which to enjoy it.
On 18 May 2016 at 12:18am Socialist Future wrote:
Just enact the law quickly, and let the town settle itself into a progressive future. People will come. Those who complain have had more than enough warning. Their excuses are nothing compared to the safety and equality we are now building into the environment. There's a lot of community spirit where cars and other private transport are banished.
On 18 May 2016 at 8:46am lewes resident wrote:
Thanks Lewes Visitor, your post says all that needs to be said. You correctly identify the usual 'straw man' complaints but if cities like Copenhagen and now Barcelona can do it, surely little Lewes might like to try. As well as a lack of will there is the problem that we have a District Council (responsible for air pollution which is very high indeed in central Lewes) who have no power at all over traffic.
On 18 May 2016 at 11:45am stevet wrote:
I remember visiting similarly sized small towns in Holland, Germany etc and being struck by how much of the centres were ’shared space’ with no parked cars and hardly any traffic. It mkes towns so much more pleasant. Pick a random example from the map, look on google street view to see my point. I’m not sure exactly how this could work in Lewes but I’m sure the situation could be vastly improved from the status quo. Not sure if anyone else follows the ‘Lewes Past’ facebook group but the contrasts between the contemporary pedestrian precinct and semi-pedestrianisied Cliffe High Street with the lack of traffic, weekend markets etc is so much better than how it used to appear. I’m sure we haven’t reached the limit of public realm improvements in the town.
On 18 May 2016 at 2:06pm Cloud cuckoo land wrote:
Clifford wrote: "Have it delivered. More and more people are. And it saves that soul-destroying trudge round the supermarket. "
So how are they supposed to deliver it if there's no vehicles in Lewes...
On 18 May 2016 at 5:54pm Car-free Lewes wrote:
"So how are they supposed to deliver it if there's no vehicles in Lewes..."
No-one is advocating for "no vehicles" in Lewes. Just a way of reducing traffic to a more reasonable level. There could still be access for certain kinds of vehicles, such as deliveries or carers, but lorries can be banned between 9-5pm, personal cars can be kept out of the centre as much as possible.
Why this debate gets bogged down is silly straw man arguments is beyond me. It is patently obviously that traffic levels are crazy in Lewes and are a health hazard, unpleasant and often dangerous. Its time for our representatives to start the hard work of working out a solution to this problem. Which, if they would only take the blinkers off, and face up to the loud (minority) of people who think that being able to drive is somehow a god-given right even when it is unhelpful to the greater community, they could (I am sure) come up with a solution. There will always be a vocal minority who will fight for their right to pollute the centre and park their car on the high st. but I think the majority will see the greater advantages for everyone in cutting traffic down, through traffic calming, re-routing traffic, closing or re-siting car parks and instituting good policy for further traffic management.
On 18 May 2016 at 8:14pm Watcher wrote:
I'm just baffled by the idea that a one-way system in the town centre would keep traffic levels down. Which roads would be one-way? And how would it work?
On 18 May 2016 at 10:48pm The (Seg)way Forward wrote:
Discourage large cars in the town as the roads were not designed with cars in mind (and especially not 4WDs)
On 18 May 2016 at 11:35pm Reality wrote:
'Car-free Lewes' traders like cars as they bring customers in to the town, public transport is not & never will be fit for purpose. We need far more car parking not less if the town centre is to remain vibrant & viable as a retail environment
On 19 May 2016 at 6:47pm Droffilc wrote:
So you have never had the road blocked by a tesco truck unloading Clifford ? Engine running waiting , queue forms , tempers rise , yeah let's all gave it delivered fool
On 20 May 2016 at 8:26pm Belladonna wrote:
Traffic levels in Lewes are mental. We could start by banning large lorries from the centre and making deliveries to shops between 7-9 and 4-7. Hastings old town has managed it, Chichester manages it, we need town edge car parks and pedestrianisation/ with residents only car parking in the shopping centre.
On 20 May 2016 at 8:39pm Linda wrote:
OH yes lets do deliveries at 7am and see how many complaints the council get in the first week.... I see this as both ends against the middle If you move into a town centre then you know what you signed up for. so get real a live with it.
On 24 May 2016 at 8:44am Douglas Williams wrote:
Great idea no cars in Lewes. This would help the poor sods who have moved here not get scammed by the parking muggers. Why is Lewes a rip off place?
I will never shop or enter this town again. 46 years in London no parking or speed fines. One day in Sussex scammed at Laura Ashley??
On 24 May 2016 at 9:14am Ffillroc d'Pillock wrote:
I've never seen a tesco truck unloading clifford. Maybe trooper has seen a tesco lorry unloading illegals ?