Fresh road chaos in north Horsham blamed on new traffic lights

The lights have been situated at the Rusper Road roundabout junction as part of works linking the new Mowbray village north of Horsham to the rest of the town.

But drivers have condemned the changes as ‘horrendous’ and ‘a nightmare.’

They say that the A264 frequently now has tailbacks from the Rusper Road roundabout back to the Moorhead roundabout. The dual carriageway is coned off, leaving just a single lane. Traffic is also affected in the opposite direction.

Drivers say it can take 20 minutes to go just a few hundred yards.

People have been voicing their views on social media. One said: “The Robin Hood roundabout flowed well and rarely had bottlenecks. However, the situation has worsened since the traffic lights were installed. Rather than helping to alleviate congestion, the lights have caused tailbacks in every direction.”

Another said: “It’s horrendous, it doesn’t matter what time of day.”

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And another added: “I have to pick my son up from Bohunt and at the moment it is an absolute nightmare.”

The roadworks are part of the Legal & General Mowbray development in north Horsham where the first of 2,750 homes are currently under construction.

A spokesperson for Legal & General said: “In line with the original schedule of works, current traffic management measures on the A264 are on target to be removed on the November 4 and the Rusper Road Roundabout will be able to reopen fully.

"The traffic lights in place, as part of the council’s Traffic Statement and plan, are working to approved timings to ensure the safety of pedestrians and flow of traffic in an east, west and north, south direction.

"The pedestrian bridge has been programmed to be closed during half term for remedial works, which are almost complete, and we’ll be reopening it before 7am on Monday (October 31).

The 500-acre area off Rusper Road will eventually have schools, shops, businesses, community facilities and green open spaces, as well as the new homes.

Horsham’s new Bohunt School opened on the site in January and there are plans by supermarket chain Morrison’s for a new store there.

Planning permission for the major £1billion development was first granted back in 2017.