LETTER: Major impact of changes to roads

I was interested to read Valerie Wise’s letter: ‘Public tempers will really boil’ (22.5.14) about the non-availability of the Peter Brett Associates (PBA) report on the traffic impact assessment of the massive Liberty development in the strategic gap.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th May 2014, 07:00 BST
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Five sets of traffic lights along this northern bypass between Great Daux and Rusper roundabouts, a new roundabout between the two, pedestrian crossings and a much enlarged Rusper roundabout are being proposed.

This report was raised in a public Cabinet meeting on 23rd April – so the document should be available to public. It isn’t secret anymore – we all know about it.

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But I wonder if your readers have really understood the impact of these proposals on their lives, not only while the construction goes on, but also the resulting traffic chaos when this scheme is in operation?

The Horsham edition front page of last week’s paper had the headline ‘18 months of commuter hell’ – not referring to the A264 – but the A24 between Hop Oast and Farthings Hill roundabouts – starting on June 9th.

This chaos is ‘mitigation’ of the inadequate road infrastructure to cope with extra traffic generated from the Wickhurst Green and Highwood developments.

The ‘mitigation’ proposals relating to the HDPF strategic plan won’t just affect people in North Horsham; it will affect everyone who regularly uses the A24/A264 corridor.

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Additionally, the impact on all of the feeder roads to the A264 has been completely overlooked. Perhaps the residents of Pondtail Road/ Pondtail Drive area are not fully aware of the proposed infrastructure development to create an access point to the new roundabout that is being proposed on the A264 northern by pass, linking with Langhurstwood Road.

This is all the result of the completely unsustainable ‘Strategic site’ within the HDPF, drawn up and undemocratically pushed through by Cllrs Dawe, Croft, Vickers, Rae and O’Connell; to ensure that all of the housing they say we have to accept, together with an unnecessary business park, supermarket and secondary school (in the wrong location), is all dumped in the northern wards, rather than the sensible option of distributing it across the whole District.

For further information on the ongoing consultation period and how to object – see http://www.futurehorsham.info/how-to-object/. You have until 27th June to submit your objection.

G.D. CONSTABLE

The Castle, Horsham

Related topics:North HorshamA24