Petition calls for improvements to A259 after another collision near Seaford

It comes following another collision at the site in which a woman in her 80s suffered life-threatening injuries.

Emergency services responded to the collision in Bishopstone on Wednesday morning (December 2).

Road closures were in place for several hours while emergency crews dealt with the incident.

Now, Seaford Conservatives have launched a petition calling for improvement plans to be put in place by the county council as soon as possible.

It has written an open letter to the county council’s director of transport.

The letter, organised by Seaford’s MP Maria Caulfield and signed by local Conservative councillors and candidates, sets out the results of a recent survey in which 87.9 per cent of respondents said that they had experienced problems including crashes, traffic, and near misses at the junctions.

Mrs Caulfield said: “Despite lowering of the speed limit problems persist at these junctions of the A259 at Bishopstone, Marine Parade and Hill Rise, yet another terrible accident has shown just how badly improvements are needed here, and that is why we, as Conservative representatives of Seaford, have written this open letter to East Sussex County Council’s Director of Transport to urge him to accelerate plans for improvements at this site.

“In my recent survey of the area residents overwhelmingly told me that they experience problems here. Hundreds have told me that they want traffic lights or roundabouts, and many also want to see speed limits lowered further.”

Seaford West district councillor Liz Boorman said the council has been calling for improvements for a long time.

“It is tragic that another accident has happened at this site,” she said.

“As the local councillor I regularly speak with residents who are desperate for change here.

“They feel like they almost take their lives in their hands every time they want to pull out on to the A259.

“We have been calling for improvements such as traffic lights, roundabouts or slower speed limits for a long time and are now urging that such changes come sooner rather than later, before anyone else is hurt here.”

Councillor Sam Adeniji, district councillor for Seaford South, added: “It is heartbreaking to see another crash here, meaning more families having their lives turned upside down. It is only right that plans are brought forward to make changes here so that residents can use the junctions with confidence that they are safe in doing so.”

Luke Proudfoot, Seaford Conservatives’ prospective candidate for Seaford South in the upcoming county elections, said he regularly used the A259 past Bishopstone on his commute to and from work and has witnessed many near misses.

He also said he was involved in a small collision last year.

“I was lucky that we were in queueing traffic at the time so damage was minimal and no one was hurt,” he said.

“The speed that some motorists go on this section of road is clearly a problem and the speed limit is ignored.

“The county council needs to bring forward their plans and keep residents and other motorists safe.”

To sign the petition, visit Lewesconservatives.com/A259Petition.

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We are aware of the collision that happened this week and our thoughts are with those involved and their families.

“This section of the A259 is extremely busy with more than 25,000 traffic movements every day.

“Given the number of vehicles using the road, the crash record remains relatively low and the road layout has not been identified as an underlying factor in those collisions that do occur.

“Major road schemes come with a significant cost and, due to our very limited resources, we have to prioritise interventions to where the need is greatest.

“We do carry out regular assessments of all roads and junctions on our network and have identified a number of road safety measures including lining and signage work for the Hillside junction, which we hope to carry out next year.

“In the longer term, the three junctions will be considered as part of a wider study of traffic flow and road safety along the A259 between Eastbourne and Brighton.

“The study will start next year and its outcomes will inform the development of a business case to seek additional Government funding for improvements to the A259.”