Traffic lights being considered at bottlenecks

The Bexhill-based 1066 Roads Improvement Group sought a meeting with county council director of transport and environment Bob Wilkins.

Group representatives Roger Gillett and Dr John Thurston spent well over an hour with the director and three of his heads of department at his Lewes offices.

The pressure group was set up to lobby for better roads for the area and in particular to continue the fight for a Bexhill-Hastings bypass in the wake of its rejection by Stephen Byers when Transport Secretary.

Though there is no progress on the bypass, Roger Gillett said this week that the pair were delighted to have been given a detailed hearing by Mr Wilkins and by his frank responses on a range of issues.

The Bexhill representatives raised the issue of local trouble-spots such as Chantry Lane, Ninfield Road and Gunters Lane.

The Old town - Holliers Hill route is increasingly being used as a "rat run" because of congestion in London Road. The top of Chantry Lane near its junction with High Street is narrow and has a blind bend.

Mr Gillett said this week: "They are looking at traffic lights. The junction of Wrestwood Road with Ninfield Road, also traffic lights.

"I got the impression that Gunters Lane had not been looked at so closely. My feeling about this is that they will put it on their list."

The pair also brought up the condition of the Old Marsh Road between Herbrand Walk and the Star Inn, Watermill Lane, Henley Down, the Crowhurst-to-Queensway rat-run and various town roads.

"The answer was that they spend 15m a year but require 150m to get them into the state of repair they would like."

Though not directly in their roads remit, the pair raised the issue of the continued reference in the county waste plan to the Ashdown clay quarries in Turkey Road being used for landfill.

Roger Gillett said: "The county council see Ashdown Brickworks as the only landfill site in the area. The Ashdown site requires access which the ESCC would expect the (waste) contractor to fund."

From his discussion, he feels that an extension of the planned Bexhill-Hastings Link Road to give access to landfill at Turkey Road from the A259 could eventually fill the missing section - so turning the Link Road into a form of Bexhill-Hastings bypass.