On Monday afternoon at 4:40pm Jo Oliver was driving up Cinque Port Street with her two children, following a huge juggernaut. She had been following it from Broad Oak, Brede to Rye.
She observed that it was a very wide vehicle with a left-hand side driver position so it went well over the white line causing other cars to get out of its way.
When the driver indicated to turn right through Landgate all three of them were shocked.
“We had watched him narrowly missing cars as he passed and when he turned the corner to go through the arch there was a loud scraping sound as he hit the pavement bollard and damaged the stones around it, causing a hazard to pedestrians.
“Our narrow historic streets are not capable of coping with these monsters and shop signs are in danger of being damaged.”
The Standard reported that its sign had been hit on the same day but luckily its swing-ability saved it from harm.
James Gossage captured the photograph of it travelling down the Mint at 4:45 pm and reported that it screeched to a stop outside Marino’s Fish Bar then swerved around a parked vehicle and roared off down the road.
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Nikki Pepper , James Gossage .
What was he doing there? Probably following a sat nav.
Did he read any of the road restrictions? Obviously not.
Will he be convicted? Probably not.
What you need to be thankful for is that his vehicle handling skills were pretty good, not an easy task getting that through the High Street, he could have done a lot more damage especially getting past the illegally parked cars in the mint.
As for swerving round and roaring off? Probably not.
We need better bigger signs at the approach of Rye from the Strand Quay round about for lorries and Divert them round landgate and then at bottom signs to camber Hastings or London.
Best would be of course no through roads for lorries
In Rye town. Stay on 259
Could Rye Town Council do a bit of lobbying perhaps to the powers responsible.
I’m guessing that the lorry came from Udimore rather than on the A259, it would need a weight and size limit on vehicles turning left at the top of the station approach, except coaches of course because we also have the ridiculous situation where coaches are allowed up Rope Walk and right into Cinque Ports Street.
It’s also worth remembering that Rye are not too keen on more signage especially larger ones, ideally better signage at the Landgate would help but that wouldn’t be very pleasing to the eye either.