On 27 Sep 2016 at 6:21pm Driving Dave wrote:
When will this road receive some much needed investment?
Starting from the Swan end:
The mini-roundabout needs something like STOP signs on all entrances to prevent vehicles flying round like Monaco. There needs to be a system in place to slow the cars coming up Bell Lane and down from Kingston.
Next is the Southover School width restriction road, some parents are now leaving their cars outside of the Anne of Cleves causing all kinds of havoc, but what is worse is larger vehicles ignoring the width restriction sign and trying to squeeze down the lane.
After this is the two pinch points, the one outside the church and the other just before the train station roundabout.
All that is needed is for the council to remove some of the parking spaces so that the road is slightly wider.
On 27 Sep 2016 at 6:38pm Old bike wrote:
Alternatively, you could move to Swindon.
On 27 Sep 2016 at 7:28pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I drive up and down there most days and, apart from the potholes, I think the road's fine. It's the drivers that are the problem.
If people just slowed down a bit approaching the roundabout by the Swan, instead of regarding it as a race to see who can get on to the roundabout first, there wouldn't be any problems at all there.
There's usually a queue coming up from Bell Lane, so speeding is rarely an issue, and anyone who feels compelled to put their foot down coming from the Kingston direction is an impatient eejit.
The narrowness of the station end of the road forces people to slow down, it's like built in traffic calming. Which begs the question why did they spend all that money on speed humps?
I agree with you about lorries though. Width/weight restrictions would be a good idea. Every now and then the junction at the Swan is blocked for ages while an artic tries to turn left after coming up the C7.
On 27 Sep 2016 at 10:48pm A Person wrote:
The Swan roundabout is a bit of a nightmare if you're on foot and you want to cross the road. Actually it is a complete nightmare, particularly at busy times. Your best bet is that some kind driver takes pity on you and waves you across.
ACT, there is only a queue there during the rush hour (when the C7 is also a flipping race track); at other times drivers launch themselves across at top speed in a game of chicken. It is remarkable that no-one's been seriously injured.
The school run is only going to get worse, as next year Southover school will be just about the only school in BN7 with any spaces at all. The capacity has been increased by something like 40%, presumably to accommodate all the new builds right over the other side of town. If only there was a school in the Pells: wouldn't that be grand?
On 27 Sep 2016 at 11:38pm Tipex wrote:
Havoc?? Nightmare?? Southover High St? Seriously? Your lives must be an endless stream of anxiety and rage.
On 28 Sep 2016 at 12:08am The Greek wrote:
It's alright though
On 28 Sep 2016 at 11:05am Nibbles wrote:
This is why this forum is so magical. You have to laugh at the majority of first world problems that wind some people up so much. We're all guilty of it to a point and to obviously very different levels.
As for the road itself, it can get a bit congested at times (don't really notice any F1 style driving), and certainly isn't helped by Bus replacement services that are currently commonplace, but it just takes a bit longer to go through, maybe an extra 39 seconds on your life. More time which could be better spent on Lewes Forums...
On 28 Sep 2016 at 2:25pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
When is the C7 like a race track? Most of my trips up and down it are spent stuck behind someone doing 10mph below the speed limit, less if it's cyclists, the recycling van or a tractor.
When I went down earlier today, I was behind a man who didn't go above 35 all the way from Lewes to Rodmell, and still found it necessary to brake every time he was a car coming in the opposite direction. On the way back, there was a huge queue of cars held up by the tractor that was cutting the verges.
I wish I could say today was unusually bad, but it wasn't.
On 28 Sep 2016 at 6:19pm A Person wrote:
My nightmare very nearly came true just this afternoon, just before 4.30. I sat waiting to turn right as traffic roared up Bell Lane and whizzed off on the C7. I grabbed the opportunity as someone in a vast 4x4 turned left into Southover High St, and very nearly ran over a family dodging the queuing traffic to cross to the Swan. They weren't looking my way and I hadn't seen them because the 4x4 was blocking the view.
The C7 is full of traffic travelling at top speed (50 for most of it) and very impatient of the tractors and doddery old blokes (and bikes - how many near misses of impatient cars overtaking on blind bends?) on the road. Outside racetrack, sorry commuting, hours it's a lovely road. It's transformed into an unpleasant switchback for a couple of hours every day. (And no I'm not one of the doddery old blokes)
On 28 Sep 2016 at 8:05pm Reality wrote:
How exactly did it get the title 'High Street' in the first place, was it ever such a thing?
On 28 Sep 2016 at 9:26pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
A Person, you've proved my point that it's not the road that's the problem, but the drivers.
You chose to make a manoeuvre when your view was blocked by a 4x4, and nearly hit a family crossing the road. Not making a turn until you can see that the way is clear for you to do so is a very basic principle of driving. If you don't bother checking that the there's no-one in the road you're about to enter before you drive into it, you might as well put a blindfold on when you get behind the wheel.
And you then go on to complain about impatient drivers who overtake on blind bends...
On 28 Sep 2016 at 10:42pm A Person wrote:
Fair point, ACT, except I didn't hit them. The only time it's possible to turn right at that junction at going home time is when someone indicates left (not that common, sadly) and you know you can proceed. I stopped in time; others probably wouldn't have. The pedestrians have no choice but to weave through the frantic southbound traffic, and they weren't looking either.
So actually that junction really is a problem, particularly at very busy times which oddly enough coincide with people going home from work. So yes, I think you'll find my points stand.
On 2 Oct 2016 at 7:17am lewes resident wrote:
Yes the C7 is like a race track ,idiots overtaking coming down the hill. etc. Interesting to see some of the campaigners for slower speeds on the C7 to then drive at least 50mph along Southover High Street and Bell Lane.