Safety fears for Lyminster road after serious crash

FEARS over road safety in Lyminster have been raised this week after a motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash.
Campaigner Jane Vening, pictured right, with Caroline Harriot, left D14401156aCampaigner Jane Vening, pictured right, with Caroline Harriot, left D14401156a
Campaigner Jane Vening, pictured right, with Caroline Harriot, left D14401156a

Emergency services rushed to the A284 Lyminster Road, just south of the Crossbush junction, on Tuesday morning (October 21) when a motorcyclist and car collided, shortly after 7.30am.

The injured rider, a man aged 40, was flown to St George’s Hospital in south London by an air ambulance suffering from head, chest, leg and arm injuries.

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Now, campaigners from community group Lyminster’s Forgotten Link have highlighted their concerns about the road, which they say is a hot spot for speeding motorists.

Lyminster resident and Forgotten Link member Jane Vening said: “This is further proof, if needed, that we desperately need a speed reduction along this piece of road.

Residents turning in and out of their driveways face real danger. I’ve almost had the back of my car taken off on numerous occasions.”

Mrs Vening said the road need to be reduced from its current speed limit of 60mph to 40mph.

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It’s an opinion shared by Arundel and Wick county councillor Nigel Peters.

Mr Peters said: “It’s not a good road. It’s just a residential link for Littlehampton and Arundel.

“It was never built as what you and I would call a ‘fast road’, even though it has a national speed limit on it.”

However, a county council spokesman said in the past three years there had only been one ‘injury collision’ on the 60mph stretch of the road.

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He said: “It is too early to say if this was a speed- related collision or that a reduction in speed limit, if it occurred in the 60mph zone, would have in anyway mitigated or prevented it.”

Mr Peters felt that development of new homes and addition of added traffic on the roads caused drivers to take increased risks.

“Because there is so much development in the area now, people are aware of that they are going to get held up on their journeys,” Mr Peters said.

“So when they see a clear stretch of road they just go mad and accelerate to make up the time.

“It can be a very dangerous move.”

He explained West Sussex County Council was seeking to impose a 40mph limit by March next year.