On 29 Apr 2014 at 6:31pm LucieS wrote:
Hi there,
My fiancé and I are moving to the area soon from Wales and whilst I'll be working in Lewes he needs to commute to London. We are looking at a place on the outskirts but that would involve him driving to the station and parking up in time to get a train at around 7 am.
Does anyone know what the parking situation is like at that time? Will he be able to get a space? We can see that there aren't a huge amount of them but since it's early we are hopeful that it won't be an issue.
Thanks!
On 29 Apr 2014 at 6:37pm Country Boy wrote:
Don't be shocked by some of the replies you get Lucie, its the way they are round here.
On 29 Apr 2014 at 7:11pm Extra wrote:
Can you be a little more specific as to where on the outskirts and you may receive genuine helpful replies.
On 29 Apr 2014 at 7:30pm Petitepois wrote:
Generally there are alot of spaces available at that time of day. I would say he should get a space no problem..
On 29 Apr 2014 at 9:24pm Deelite 2 wrote:
There are always parking spaces free at the station. £5.80 a day. Less for weekly ticket. There's also a good cycle rack.
Hope you enjoy living in Lewes.
On 29 Apr 2014 at 10:01pm LucieS wrote:
Thanks so much for the replies. Very useful indeed. The house we're looking at is in a village called Piddinghoe. Good news that there are likely to be spaces. We were looking at the season ticket option since it brings the cost down to around £3 a day but didn't want to make the investment only to find that spaces filled up too quickly.
Today it has been raining yet again in Wales, certainly looking forward to moving East!
On 30 Apr 2014 at 9:19am Albert Square wrote:
Good luck with the move - be aware traffic in Lewes can be gridlock, and getting in and out of the station is particularly bad, so if he can get a bike he may find it a great deal easier. Alternatively, bus to the edge of town and it's a 10 minute walk, probably cheaper and easier.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 9:42am GhostBike wrote:
Cycling is a good option from some places, but not from Piddinghoe. It will involve the C7 - a particularly poor place for cyclists as the road is busy but narrow and windy, and drivers overtake inappropriately and too closely all the time.
And good luck finding a bus that will get you from Piddinghoe to Lewes in time for 7am.
You can get the train to Lewes from Newhaven, though, and you could cycle there.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 9:44am GhostBike wrote:
I should add if he gets to Lewes station for an early train he will be cycling in the dark down a unlit, busy country road for several months a year.
There is a direct train from Newhaven to London Victoria at shortly after 7.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 9:58am tobnac wrote:
I park at the station once a week just after 8am. There is always heaps of space.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 10:32am Albert Square wrote:
Good call Ghostbike, Newhaven is much better than Lewes, both driving and cycling. Probably quicker door to door too even taking into account the extra few minutes on the train.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 11:15am Andy wrote:
If the proposed cycle path from Newhaven to Lewes along the Ouse happens, it will be a delightful cycle to Lewes train station.
I would not call it 'gridlock', yes, you sometimes need to wait a few minutes whilst the traffic clears. Compared with London or Brighton (or any other City) the traffic flow is good.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 11:25am Albert Square wrote:
I disagree. Even the Guardian's awful "Let's move to Lewes" thing a couple of years ago warned it was a problem for the town. A couple of mornings last week the High Street was unpassable due to delivery lorries blocking traffic flow completely - it only takes a couple between the war memorial and Tom Paine's house to effectively make central Lewes a single lane of traffic. Get someone who misses the chance to pull over to let traffic pass in conjunction with traffic light changes and that can cause tailbacks down to Boots, and that's what most people call gridlock. Traffic flow in central Brighton is much better than central Lewes because it's restricted to buses and taxi's only, both of which keep moving. Coming in and out of the Lewes station car park is on a single lane, one way road which is also a blocking point. Newhaven station is definitely the option for an easy life (and probably closer than Lewes).
On 30 Apr 2014 at 11:49am GhostBike wrote:
AlbertSquare - the Guardian article you mention said that Traffic was a problem for LEwes, in the sense that there are too many cars passing through the town, which makes the environment quite poor for pedestrians, particularly families, and those living in the centre.
It wasn't suggesting that Lewes has a traffic jam problem - it doesn't. What it does have is too many cars and other vehicles passing through, and a road system designed to priorise vehicle movements rather than the needs of pedestrians and residents.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 12:00pm Albert Square wrote:
Nope, you're mistaken I'm afraid. Here's what it said about the town: "The A27 South Downs "motorway" trundles past via the bypass, but it doesn't stop traffic clogging up every inch". You can find it quite easily with Google.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 12:55pm Tipex wrote:
I'd agree with ghostbike. There's a lot of traffic in Lewes but, generally speaking, you can get from one end of town to the other in less than 10 minutes which isn't bad. Deliveries on the high street do slow things down at times but it could be FAR worst. Once all the proposed housing developments have been completed then it might be a VERY different story...
On 30 Apr 2014 at 1:30pm Rookie wrote:
I used to cycle to Lewes station when I was younger, but now I ride a 125cc scooter. Very convenient. Easy to ride as no gears. Just twist and go. Gets around the jams. Cheap to buy, insure and tax. Free to park anywhere, including the station, where I park under the bridge out of the rain. One of the best things I ever bought as I think I have more than saved the initial outlay in the last 5 years.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 2:46pm GhostBike wrote:
Nevertheless, if I think of one car-related problem in Lewes, it isn't congestion or parking but just the fact that what is one of the most beautiful towns in the country is completely spoilt by tons of pollution-spewing metal roaring through it, without much concessions being made to the pedestrian. Narrow pavements a classic example.
I drive myself by the way. I've been caught in a queue at the bottleneck once or twice in ten years living here, maybe delayed by about 5 minutes. same at Prison crossroads at rush hour. But that's hardly a problem.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 2:54pm Albert Square wrote:
Totally agree, too much traffic comes through town. Not sure what the solution would be beyond making it bus and taxi only at certain times of day like they did in Brighton, but that'd hurt trade at the top end of town.
On 30 Apr 2014 at 5:53pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
If they made the High Street buses and taxis only, cars would go via Southover and Prince Edwards Road instead. The congestion there, and in Lansdown Place and Lancaster Street, would be dreadful instead.
They could ban the school buses and coaches from hanging around waiting by Shelleys. They cause a lot of problems at both ends of the school day. Make the kids walk down from Nevill Crescent.
On 1 May 2014 at 10:12am GhostBike wrote:
Banning buses and coaches wouldn't solve the problem of the sheer volume of traffic making Lewes much less pleasant than it could be.
I agree on your points about traffic moving elsewhere, but you could take other steps in those locations. You could also do with a large car park to the south of the station and a new exit/entrance to the bypass down near Ham Lane. Make it free and charge more heavily for all the ones in town.
It's a difficult town geographically but lots of places all over the world manage to tame traffic and make themselves more pleasant for pedestrians. Loads of examples on the continent. If you grumble it can't be done, then I think it really betrays a view that cars should be dominant and you should be allowed to go wherever you want.
On 1 May 2014 at 10:48am stevet wrote:
One of the benefits of the North Street development is that it appears there will be a significant amount of 'shared space' around Little East Street and Waitrose which should slow cars down and make the environment much more pleasant for pedestrians.
On 1 May 2014 at 1:27pm seagull wrote:
The idea of a new free car park south of the station with direct access to the bypass is a great idea. They could redevelop the dripping pan as a car park as it is only wasted space. What do you think rookie?
On 1 May 2014 at 5:37pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
While slowing cars down in Little East Street might be nice for pedestrians there, wouldn't that just make it worse along West Street/High Street/Fisher Street as the traffic would surely back up more?
And it's a 20 mph limit there. How slow do you actually want the cars to go?
On 1 May 2014 at 8:39pm Ed Can Do wrote:
Has anyone actually seen a car doing 20 mph when not stuck in traffic since they introduced all the hideous new signs? I've certainly not noticed any particular slow-down in the traffic. Pretty much the biggest waste of money in a long time that one.
On 1 May 2014 at 9:03pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
They're lulling motorists into a false sense of security, prior to putting up speed cameras and making themselves shedloads of money.
On 2 May 2014 at 7:24am tobnac wrote:
I do 20 (when i remember to). Having a toddler has made me appreciate how much safer it feels, particularly in parts of town with narrow pavements. i also do 30 on kingston rd because i know the residents want it.
On 2 May 2014 at 12:11pm GhostBike wrote:
If you try to do 20mph in Lewes you end up being tailgated, sometimes quite aggressively, taxis being the worst at this.
ACT, youre reasonable on most issues, but on cars you inexpicably become a jeremy clarkson esque petrolhead, spouting ukip style nonsense about speed cameras being revenue generators not life savers.
Slower cars should not mean more stationary traffic as long as people drive smoothly.
Ultimately my view is that towns are for pedestrians, motorists needs should come second.
On 2 May 2014 at 3:17pm Southover Queen wrote:
"If you try to do 20mph in Lewes you end up being tailgated, sometimes quite aggressively"
Yup. I was tailed by a furious small car full of teenagers all the way through town just yesterday. They eventually hurtled past me outside the new nick, with the rear passengers waving and gurning through the back window. It resulted in their gaining a whole car's length's advantage at the Tesco roundabout...
I've also taken to stopping at safe places to let the poor benighted pedestrians cross safely. That also infuriates the boy racers.
On 3 May 2014 at 12:26pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Your irony detector has failed again, Ghostbike!
I stick to the 20mph limit because I think it's reasonable in the town centre where there are pedestrians trying to get around and cross the busy roads. I also take a perverse pleasure in annoying drivers who tailgate and slow down by easing off the throttle, so they don't get any warning. Once they've nearly gone into the back of you once or twice, they tend to back off.
In the early mornings, I've seen both buses and dustcarts exceeding the 20mph limit by quite a bit. One dustcart tore ahead of me up the high street at such a rate I thought it must have been turbocharged.