On 17 Jan 2008 at 7:00pm R2d2 wrote:
I'm new to lewes - were the road junctions designed by the day-release student? The from little East Street where it meets the Causeway is all wrong with cars giving way differently (exactly the opposite to) a roundabout and having to peer past passenger to see what's coming - not easy in a van or truck. The weirdness at the top of East Street also baffles me. Both are Accidents waiting to Happen!
On 17 Jan 2008 at 9:58pm The Super K wrote:
Yet there is never any accidents, so it must work. May I suggest you take a driving refresher course, then you can find other things to complain about in our lovely little town.
On 17 Jan 2008 at 10:00pm Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
It's not the driving in the town that concerns most people, it's being stationary that causes the real problems - blasted NCP (again)!
On 18 Jan 2008 at 4:23am expat two wrote:
Its one of those paradoxes - the more visibility a driver gets, the more dangerously he/she drives. Did you ever see that doco about US highways agencies cutting back forestry which obstructed sightlines on level crossings only to find train/car collisions increase exponentially?
On 18 Jan 2008 at 7:51am R2d2 wrote:
There ARE accidents but they're at slow speeds (usually) so few repercussions. Once you're used to their weirdness then the junctions are less of a problem so for locals they're OK, it's the old, the visitors and the vans/lorries that have the problem.
Instead of me improving my driving (pathetic retort Special K!) take youself down to Chaula's and watch the junction. Pay special heed to the white vans and trucks coming down little east street and see the difficulty they have emerging onto the Causeway road for yourself.
And this thread has nothing to do with the bl@@dy parking in Lewes!
On 18 Jan 2008 at 10:51am The Super K wrote:
1) Lived in Lewes 30 years never seen an accident at either spot, but then never seen YOU driving round them!
2) SUPER K not special maybe you need to get on a brain trainer to improve your memory.
3) Why move to a town you can't drive round without crashing into everyone. I have notice road accidents are up in the town recently, can you be to blame.
The Road is designed like that to allow the traffic entering the town through the tunnel and from Ringmer and Uckfield easy passage into town. If you drive over the Cause way on a friday around 4-5pm its backed all the way to Malling Hill as it is. By making that traffic give way at the bottom of East Street under your way would make the traffic Hell, and clog up the tunnel traffic entering Lewes to go out to Uckfield. As it is though it works at the moment. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Unless your an out of work town planner here to Destroy Lewes.
On 18 Jan 2008 at 12:49pm FA wrote:
One of the worst junctions...yet i've never seen an accident there is Market street/fisher street....the corner by the Dilraj and Lamb. Bloody nightmare trying to get out of there !
On 18 Jan 2008 at 1:00pm Taff wrote:
I find Lewes quite easy to drive around, when its busy or not. Whatever happened to 'driving as the conditions allow' that is traffic as well as the weather. It is only those rushing about that are accidents waiting to happen. Either its a deadline or a deathwish! It is your choice.
On 18 Jan 2008 at 1:16pm R2d2 wrote:
Special K - it should be possible to express an opinion on these forums without w@nkers like you turning it into a personal vendetta. As for driving skills (and I cannot believe that I'm forced to tell you this) my quals include HGV1, HAZMAT, Performance/Advanced Driving etc. Zero points, full no claims and experience that includes the 'roads' in Iraq.
So, can I suggest that you respond to comments made by me and others in a calm and lucid style without being rude and offensive from the off - my point is that the junctions mentioned seem (to me) to be poorly thought out - at no point have I said that I've crashed into other road users! Certainly, I have seen the aftermath of two prangs pulled into the bus station or Little East Street so accidents do happen - perhaps things will improve when they redevelop the Phoenix Causeway area.
FA - you're right, that is a tricky junction. And you can legally turn into it from Fisher Street which makes it even more exciting!
On 18 Jan 2008 at 2:15pm The Super K wrote:
And there you lower yourself to insults! I mearly suggested that if you find the road layout tricky you should seek some training! I then explained to you WHY the layout is as such, yet you chose to ignore that part of the post.
Beside that road layout has possibly been like that since the horse and cart!
The Fisher Street junction did have a mirror up on the side of the fishn chip shop but the local Lamb thugs kept smashing it.
On 18 Jan 2008 at 2:17pm prufrock wrote:
R2d2 you are right. The current road layout is about 40 years old and unsafe. It has long been ESCC policy to dispense with it but they say they do not have the money. They are now awaiting developments in the Phoenix/North Street area, which include a complete re-arrangement of the current plan, in the expectation that the developer will pay as a condition of planning permission.
On 18 Jan 2008 at 2:28pm FA wrote:
Don't remember the mirror super K....i keep saying to my mrs that it needs a mirror up there !!!
On 20 Jan 2008 at 4:14pm s.oliver wrote:
The road layout around North St is terrible. The main reason for this is that it was never completed. Originally it was to be part of a major road that would have made its way across the Paddock, up White Hill, down West St, to join on at the existing system. It was never finished, thank goodness, and would have involved demolishing buildings in North and West St. Details of this ridiculous plan are in the local library.
There are plenty of small accidents on these junctions, especially minor crashes as cars change lanes and the apalling state of West St was only remedied after a local resident spent 5 years pursuing ESCC due to the number of motobike, and cycling accidents at the corner. A pregnant pedestrian was hit, simply standing chatting on the pavement to a group of friends. The situation was finally resolved when a lorry skidded down the dangerous camber into a row of houses. Market St junction has visible evidence of an accident as the corner of the Dilraj was knocked off, and and similar evidence is seen on the round ended building in Commercial Sq which has an ugly mini crash barrier attached. There are no proper road crossings for pedestrians, though there is a partial one by Eastgate Church. Notice that only two of the three crossings was completed. Drivers might like to notice that depending on where they are driving from, Fisher St is 20MPH or30MPH. ESCC have acknowledged that the traffic flow in the one way system area will increase now that Cliffe High St has been pedestrainised. I was told that they were doing this as they 'expected' the junction by Waitrose to be changed by the Phoenix Development, and that would make it all OK. Well it hasn't been, and might never be.
I dont think the system is the most dangerous in Britain, but it is nothing to be proud of.
On 21 Jan 2008 at 9:38am Amethyst wrote:
These road junctions were conceived in the '60's when planning and architecture were notoriously bad but there should be no excuse for the Kingston Roundabout when leaving Lewes and turning right to Brighton. How many times are people cut up? I always now expect the car in the outside lane to turn to Brighton and often they do.