On 17 May 2010 at 6:50pm Bongo wrote:
....on the Beddingham roundabout - choosing the rush hour to get the thing upright is a most excellent idea! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!
On 18 May 2010 at 10:36am Janet Street Preacher wrote:
A 25-year-old motorcyclist who was killed when his bike collided with a waste disposal lorry in Sussex has been named by police.
Joseph Green, of Great Cliffe Road, Eastbourne, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on the A26 at Beddingham, near Lewes, on Sunday.
The lorry driver, a 28-year old man also from Eastbourne, was treated in hospital for minor injuries and shock.
Sussex Police closed the road for several hours following the crash.
The force has urged any witnesses to contact officers.
On 18 May 2010 at 11:38am Down and Out wrote:
I've no idea what happened on this occasion but the road layout at the new roundabout is absolutely diabolical. When you're coming to Lewes from the Polegate direction the approach is way too far to the right. People in the middle lane end up right next to the island because the change of direction is so extreme, and anyone who approaches in the outside / right lane gets cut up. Then, on the way out of the other side the section going from two lanes down to one is far too short.
Why on earth did they add an extra lane on the approach splay - the only thing it will ever do is cause accidents.
On 18 May 2010 at 12:04pm Mr Change wrote:
I totally agree D&O, I came round that roundabout on my bike last weekend and you have to swing out wide on the entry as the angle is so tight which if someone is on your outside means you have to slow down to virtually walking pace, It was the same story at Kingston, and they had to spend a load more time and money sorting it out and you still get cut up by traffic on your outside every time you turn right out of Lewes towards brighton, what is it with the people who design road layouts nowadays, it is almost as if they don't drive and seem to know little about.
On 18 May 2010 at 1:18pm Taff wrote:
I dont see what the problem is with Beddingham. Assuming we all drive and ride with due care and attention?
Southerham is a different matter. The signage towards Brighton is far too close to the roundabout itself. People in the outside lane coming down the hill realise far too late they are in the wrong lane for the slip road to Brighton or the inside lane and typically carve anyone up to get in to one of the correct lanes.
i do wish there were yellow hatched boxes on Southerham as well. Turning right into Lewes is often tricky due to those that 'park' on the roundabout, inevitably blocking the exit to Lewes as well as the entry onto the roundabout out og Lewes.
I dont exactly know whether the road modifications have made any difference, queues now occur at Southerham and Polegate instead of being 'naturally' filtered by the old Beddingham level crossing.
On 18 May 2010 at 6:18pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
In response to OP, when there is a fatality they have to keep the road closed for long enough for accident investigators to gather evidence. Part of that evidence gathering would involve a full examination of the lorry, which needs to be done in situ so that it can be examined in conjunction with any debris etc around it.
I don't see what the problem is with Beddingham either, Taff. As long as you approach it sensibly, it's fine imo, and I agree with you about the signage at Southerham, too.
Colleagues who live in Eastbourne find their journey time reduced since the flyover was built, and you don't get the queues you used to get on the A26 at Beddingham in the evening rush hour.
On 19 May 2010 at 8:55am Down and Out wrote:
Taff and ACT - agree that you have to drive with due care and attention, but that doesn't mean that highways avoid a responsibility to design safe road layouts.
If you look at Beddingham on Google Earth / maps, and then compare with Southerham & Ashcombe, you can see that the sweep of the road markings is all wrong. I just don't understand how it benefits anyone to split the road into two lanes on the approach, back down to one immediately after the roundabout, then into two again. Why encourage people to overtake when it isn't safe?
On 19 May 2010 at 9:16am Clifford wrote:
One of the problems, in fact the major problem, is the Highways Agency, which is all-but privatised under the control of Atkins, a company whose first interest is (naturally) profit and whose second interest is the needs of road users.