Traffic lights could be introduced at Great Daux roundabout as part of North Horsham proposals

During a meeting in public on housing held by Horsham District Council last night (Thursday February 13) consultants WSP presented initial findings of a transport and development study for the district.

They have been hired to identify the impact of HDC’s development options in existing transport infrastructure.

Potential outline mitigation measures listed were: signalisation of all approaches to the Great Daux roundabout, widening of the A24 south approach at both the Hop Oast and Robin Hood roundabouts, and widening of the B2195 Crawley Road approach to the A264 Moorhead Roundabout.

However some members expressed concern that modelling only allowed them to predict peak traffic flow in the morning not in the evenings.

Andrew Baldwin (Con, Holbrook East) said: “I find it peculiar if a bit barmy they only give you the facts for the morning.”

But Brian Donnelly (Con, Pulborough and Coldwaltham) told members it could not be ‘nuclear science’ to work out from the journey times in the morning what the likely corresponding traffic flows were like in the opposite direction.

An officer from West Sussex County Council said: “With the resources available we can only produce an AMP model so it’s possible to look at the PM peak on reversal of the AMP flow, bearing in mind there are some differences of journey purposes.”

Malcolm Curnock (LDem, Broadbridge Heath) questioned why a new grade-separated junction was required for more than 2,000 homes west of Horsham, but was not required for North Horsham, where plans could include a new business park, parkway railway station, secondary school, and supermarket.

Craig Drennan, technical director at WSP, replied: “We can only go on the information that has been supplied.”

He said that the assumption was for three access points to the new North of Horsham development: the existing Rusper Road roundabout, a new roundabout on the A264, and an access point between Rusper Road and the railway bridge.