VOTE: Arundel traders show town is still ‘open’ despite roadworks

About a dozen shop owners from the town, along with Arundel’s district councillor, Paul Dendle, are desperately calling for West Sussex Highways Agency to re-think its current roadwork scheme, along the A27 in Crossbush, after it caused hours of chaos and delays for thousands of motorists in the area, on Monday.

Mr Dendle spearheaded a frantic rush to begin an awareness campaign, on Tuesday evening, alongside concerned Arundel traders, some of whom had seen a drop of more than 60 per cent in sales, on Monday alone.

The group, armed with a sign telling motorists that “Arundel is still open for business”, massed at the town’s first roundabout on the A27, after the Crossbush works.

Speaking during the rally, Mr Dendle said: “If nothing is done to rectify this situation, Arundel will be on its knees.

“This scheme by the Highways Agency is completely untenable. The town simply can’t survive.

“Much of the good work in the last few years of building Arundel up into the vibrant town it is now is being unravelled by the Highways Agency in matter of days.

“The organisation says there has been an adequate consultation, but that is laughable. Yes, I agree, there has been a consultation but it’s been a megaphone consultation where they speak but don’t listen.

“The key thing today is to tell people that Arundel is open for business and that we want people to come back into the town but we also want to ask the Highways Agency to shift their work to night-only operations.”

Road works to repair the A27’s crumbling embankments at the Crossbush intersection, are scheduled to be completed by the end of April.

However, some traders fear that this might be too little, too late.

Andy Heggadon, co-chairman of the Arundel Festival committee and manager at Sparks Yard, in Tarrant Street, has been one of the hardest hit by the traffic snarl-up.

He said he saw his sales at the store plummet by more than 60 per cent – compared to what it should be for this time of year – in a matter of hours on Monday, with a similar figure reported on Tuesday.

“This equates to a loss of hundreds of pounds, in a single day,” he said. “If you multiply that by six or seven weeks that will run into the thousands.

“Small, independent businesses simply can’t survive, with that level of loss, particularly during this harsh economic climate.

“Arundel is being held for ransom.”

Road works to repair the A27’s crumbling embankments at the Crossbush intersection, are scheduled to be completed by the end of April.

However, some traders fear that this might be too little, too late.

Should West Sussex Highways Agency consider working on the Crossbush roundabout at night, instead of during the day, in a bid to reduce congestion in the area? Cast your vote in the poll to the right of the screen and leave your comments below.