Call for action to solve problems with Highwood A24 junction

The roundabouts and slip rounds provide access to the Highwood Mill development and the new Broadbridge Heath bypass.

Last week West Sussex County Council’s planning committee approved an application for a new £21million fire station and training centre just off the junction at Highwood.

But at the meeting safety concerns were raised about the junction and calls were made for the county council to take action while it was building the fire station.

Trudie Mitchell, chair of Horsham Denne Neighbourhood Council, said there were two main problems with the roundabout: the ‘confusing’ lane markings on the slip roads approaching the roundabout causing motorists to switch lanes unexpectedly and the difficulties in using the footpath to Broadbridge Heath to the west as the crossings had ‘extremely poor’ sight lines.

Horsham Riverside’s Lib Dem county councillor Morwen Millson said she had received many emails from Highwood residents about the difficulties of exiting the estate.

A five minute wait for a gap was not unusual, while pedestrians and cyclists had found the experience of crossing the junction ‘nigh on impossible’.

She added: “Most of the traffic going up the A24 slip roads is going too fast and mainly above the speed limit of 40mph.”

She asked if problems with the junction could be addressed during the fire station’s construction.

But county council officers said pre-existing road safety issues were separate matters not material to the application and needed to be addressed through other routes.

After the meeting, A West Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We are considering additional signage to clarify lane usage on the approach to Highwood from Farthings Hill and the A24.

“CCTV traffic surveys carried out in June 2019 (ie pre-COVID-19 crisis) at the Highwood junction recorded a maximum delay of just under four minutes in the evening peak period, but the average delay per vehicle, at peak times in the morning and evenings, was around of 30-33 seconds.

“We had intended further surveys in the May/June of 2020 but this has been delayed because traffic levels would not have been a fair representation at a time of COVID-19 restrictions: the current national lockdown measures, when only essential journeys should be being made, have led to a further delay but the surveys will be scheduled as soon as appropriate.”