Level crossing is the great divide

From time immemorial, we have had an unrestricted right-of-way at the site of Toddington Lane level crossing, limited only intermittently since the opening of the railway in 1846. People on both sides of this crossing will be most seriously inconvenienced if Network Rail goes ahead with its plans to stop all road vehicles from using this road without providing a sensible alternative.

The current argument over the future of the Lyminster Road (A284) level crossing emphasises the importance of such crossings to local inhabitants. Delays commonly occurring at Ferring and East Preston show the stupidity of sharing a level crossing between two different modes of transport.

If Toddington level crossing is closed, southbound transport from the hundreds of proposed new houses will be restricted to a very circuitous route over the railway bridge on the proposed Lyminster bypass.

If it is to remain open, a large percentage of the new traffic will be tempted to travel to Littlehampton, etc, via Toddington Lane and Holmes Way. These roads have already seen a vast increase in rat-running traffic over the past three to four years and could not tolerate any further increase. After all, Toddington Lane was never intended for more than local farm vehicles and those of a few inhabitants, and the modern Holmes Way was not designed to handle more than a limited number of vehicles.

W. F. Daggett

Barn Close

Toddington

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