Road campaign pays off

UP to 15 people have been killed on the Lancing and Sompting stretch of the A27 since 1984 '“ making it one of the most dangerous roads to cross in the country.

Many of the victims have been Boundstone Community College pupils crossing the road.

Safety campaigners have spent years demonstrating and calling for a footbrige or underpass to be installed at the spot, with public meetings being held and petitions and delegations to the Highways Agency.

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In 1998, the then transport minister Glenda Jackson promised action after visiting the accident blackspot on a visit to Lancing and later that year MP Tim Loughton met Highways Agency chief executive Lawrie Haynes, who announced a package of safety measures.

Concerned parents, pupils and councillors also held a roadside protest during the morning rush-hour to highlight the dangers of the stretch of road in April, 1998. But it was not until 2002 that the Highways Agency finally announced it was to install a footbridge, with plans going before Adur Council in July, 2002.

But the project was put on hold after a London-based group called Living Streets objected to the Highways Agency about the footbridge in October, 2003.

Work finally started last October with the existing crossing outside the school being removed and a new guardrail being installed in the central reservation.

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The bridge was finally put into place on Saturday night and final work to secure it was taking place this week.

Local MP Tim Loughton said: "I am delighted that after many years of campaigning by councillors, myself and residents, the new link re-joining north and south Lancing will be a reality. The Highways Agency has fulfilled its promise after all the pressure was brought to bear by the community, which had lost too many of its young people on this dangerous stretch of road.

"I hope that the level of fatalities and serious accidents we've seen in the past have now been consigned to history."

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