One of Rye News’s younger contributors is justifiably concerned about the blatant flaunting of speed restrictions by arrogant drivers in our town.
I joined the Rye Town Council Annual Meeting on June 13. There were many points that arose from public about things they wanted to be sorted, and one of these was… speeding traffic.
This is a big problem in Rye. There were many people at the meeting who had thoughts and feelings on this subject.
The main roads in and out of Rye were discussed most. These have a 30mph speed limit.
Councillor Chris Hoggart shared his work leading teams as part of Community Speedwatch.
This is a national organisation operating with volunteers who monitor speeding on their local roads, sharing the data they collect with the Police. Before joining this group Chris did a little monitoring himself. On New Winchelsea Road (a 30mph road), he found someone speeding at 96mph!
There were suggestions that zebra crossings and more signs saying to slow down may have an impact.
I often have to take routes without my parents which cross two dangerous roads. The junction at the top of New Winchelsea Road with Harbour Road is one. People slow down slightly to turn left or right, but not much. With a lane of traffic coming to the T-junction one way, another lane coming from the other way, and one coming to the Junction from the side, it makes it very difficult to see whether you will be squashed! That is not even saying that you have to rely on people using their indicators to know whether someone is turning or not.
The cars and lorries swing around the corner often with speed so if your mobility is not good you may be hit.
The other road is New Road. A lane of traffic whizzing one way and another zooming the other way, it is one of the hardest roads to cross in Rye. Again, if you are not able to move fast it is very hazardous. However, if there were a zebra crossing on this road, perhaps half-way between Skinners roundabout and Monk Bretton Bridge, the traffic would be slowed overall, and much easier to cross as well.
If you would like to join the local Speedwatch group of volunteers, please contact Councillor Chris Hoggart via the Rye town Council website.
Image Credits: Speedwatch .
Living in Winchelsea Road I often experience racing cars and bikes speeding in excess of 30pmh but of course, they are never caught!
It is a waste of time complaining as it has been the same for as long as I have lived here. Nothing changes.
Have to learn to live with it, no choice only move!
Noisy exhausts, which I thought were illegal too!
Nevertheless, feel better giving my point of view!
Every few years we have a moan about the speeding in Rye sometimes a lot of work is put in and some good ideas are mooted. Then like everything else in this town it is put on the back burner shelved or just forgotten.
The suggestion of a roundabout at the end of the harbour road, gate like structures and islands on the entrances to Rye to slow traffic good ideas but we are told they cost too much.(It also means that the Police don’t get their bi-monthly fines from speeders). The point of a zebra crossing between Skinners and MonkBretton Bridge not a good idea who does it help certainly not the residents of Kings Avenue or New Road the bridge itself acts as a traffic calmer. We have a speed sign on New Road does it work No! do we have any signage on the roads NO! little things like that help at minimal cost. No one wants to stick their neck out and say yes we will do that they will say it’s County and County will say it’s Highways Agency and once again is is shovelled out of the way to be lost in the sands of time.
That’s a good accurate and informative report by Xavier – thanks.
It occurred to me after the Town meeting that parked cars on the north side of Udimore Road make it clearly “urban”. Traffic flow is interrupted and slower as a result. The same applies on the A259, along Strand Quay where there are cars parked and along South Undercliff in the evenings and when someone is unloading. Maybe cars should be allowed to park along one side of New Road and Winchelsea Road? Tongue in cheek but it would provide more parking spaces and slow the traffic! Win-win!! Don’t you just love the odd “mad idea”?
New Road is a nightmare at times but police only seem to check it on a Saturday or Sunday morning when the sun is out and locals know they are there. They wanna come down at night but I guess they won’t make so much money off unknowing tourists.
I feel this could all be fixed by the road side; radar operated speed sign, that shows everybody that a driver is speeding. It is a very cost effective way of reducing speeding traffic. How about fitting a few more in place on the roads into and out of Rye?
We have one in new winchelsea Road John, when it’s working, and why not one in the opposite direction going out of Rye, before we have another fatality on our road.