Has anyone else noticed the chaos around Rye of late, caused by East Sussex highways, and the Highways Agency? Roads are being dug up, and then left for days, without a workman in sight and causing long queues all around the town. It is stupid to put a “road closed ahead” sign at Strand Quay roundabout, when the road ahead into the town is open.
This just confuses new drivers coming into the town, following the diversion sign to nowhere. You really couldn’t make up their stupidity, as the road in question, Wish Ward, has no road works on it, its further along at the Deals*. When is someone going to get a grip of these clueless contractors, before the town grinds to a halt?
[*Editor’s note: the Deals, for the uninitiated is the area from the bottom of the Mint, past the Ship, until you reach the junction with South Undercliff.]
Image Credits: John Minter .
Rather than moaning about it, report it to the Highways Department as I did this morning. I informed them the Road Closed and diversion sign was not required as the road is open into the town.
They said they’d get someone to sort it out.
Seems pointless to me writing to Rye News if you can pick the phone and do something positive.
Highlighting two major concerns which has affected so many locals, visitors and through traffic,in Rye over the last week,i do not think constitutes that i am moaning about this frustrating chaos,which has been uncalled for.As Nearly a Ryer has stated the diversion sign was not required, so why was it put there in the first place.
In actual fact the Deals is the road from the bottom of Mermaid Street to the information centre, the road from Mermaid Street to South Undercliff Is the Strand and the road from The Kettle of fish to South Undercliff is Strand Quay.
To be pedantic the Deals runs from Mermaid Street to the Heritage Centre. The information centre is now located at the Town Hall under the banner of Rye Information Point
Radio2 was playing away in the kitchen the other day when the traffic report came on. Mid way between the M1 Birmingham and some other far away exotic roadworks, I was surprised to hear “Rye, on the A259 at the roundabout, serious delays”. I was wondering what was going.
It could only be our very expensive road management system that has all the latest equipment and multi person survey teams to look at potholes etc. Signs up, roads closed, then the team turn up and throw in a shovelful of tar, job done. Until three months later.
I suspect sometimes that the contractors dealing with the road works have no real clue as to the local Geography and cannot take account of the local traffic flow nuances. They seem have a number of signs that they feel obliged to put out with little regard to the actual situation on the ground leading to unnecessary confusion. One truck laden in the back with ominous temporary traffic lights seems to be parked more or less permanently around town no doubt foreboding yet more road works. I understand local councils no longer have the say-so about when road works take place – thanks to the deregulation of the Madam Thatcher government of the 1980s and thus multiple road works are liable to descend on a town especially in the busy summer period – as someone on a local Next Door site said recently “can anyone tell me where road works go in the winter ?”
Its about time the Highways agency, RDC and Rye town council meet-up to sort out the awful parking congestion along Military Road! I have now had 2 instances of my car mirrors being in contact with other on coming cars – and I was stationary at the time, giving way! The problem has been made worse with the introduction parking meters within the town, can the Rye town council consider installing additional meters along Military Road or allow free parking with-in the car parks to encourage more use of them and thus reduce road congestion? The recent traffic congestion (and extended road works) has made travel extremely difficult.
Drove into Rye from our home in Pett on Wednesday evening at 8.45 PM to go for a meal.
What a total joke. Road closed signs everywhere. Only a total idiot could have placed them where they did.
We are locals & know all the Rye town roads. What would it have been like for visitors.
I nearly abandoned our previously booked meal. None of the road closures made any sense at all & in a town already full of one way streets you basically had to ignore the signs to get into the town.
No joined up thinking whatever & a further threat to the town’s traders already damaged incomes.
Sort it out Rye !
I live in Tower Street John , and there is a constant queue of cars and traffic with engines running car fans and music, phones ringing loudly on speakers! I have to queue to get out of Rye every time!
Rye relies on tourist trade and visitors for its livley hood. Perhaps they should do the work at night !
I do believe Clancy Docra has a lot and I mean a LOT to answer for the setting up of road work signs and then disappearing for weeks on end!!!
Isn’t it great to see a regular reader now writing opinions without hiding behind anonymity? John posts comments regularly as we know and usually has an opinion on most subjects close to home and if more locals who happily make their views known found the time to do the same, it would help Rye News to attract an increased audience. There is a huge amount of untapped talent languishing locally, story contributions are always welcomed at Rye News, your views count but why not turn them into an article. Wouldn’t it be nice to see some of the unnecessary acid comments replaced with something worth reading about?