Press release

East Sussex County Council has announced a programme to review – and potentially decrease – the speed limits in dozens of rural settlements across the county.

The initiative, which was set up after villagers identified speeding as one of their biggest concerns, was planned to be funded to the tune of £1.6m over four years.

But it was bolstered even further this week after a meeting of the Full Council agreed an extra £150,000 to accelerate the roll-out of the project, bringing the total for the coming financial year to £550,000.

Thirteen new speed limits are already being put in place and potentially about 30 more villages could benefit from the initiative over the next four years.

Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: "I understand how important this issue is to the many residents in quiet communities whose lives are blighted because drivers pile past their homes at speeds that are simply too high. That is why we have taken the opportunity to invest still further into the programme from available funds.

"We have asked all our partners in the parishes to tell us if they have problems with speeding so that their villages can be assessed and prioritised for work. But this is an enormous project over a number of years and we would ask residents to be patient. We will address speed limits in their communities eventually but we must look at the areas with the biggest problems first."

A consultation on the initiative was launched at last April’s Village Speed Limits summit, which was attended by representatives from 50 parish councils. A survey at the time found that nine out of ten parish councils believed 30mph limits should be the norm in villages.

After the conference, 266 settlements were identified for review and of 149 with one or more crash in the last three years, 46 were identified as suitable for works to reduce their speed limit from 40mph to 30.

Notes to editors

To support the rural review of speed limits in 2008/09 the budget provision in the draft capital programme is £550,000 with £460,000 being met from County Council resources, a bid of £80,000 being made to the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and £10,000 from parish contributions.

The reviews are being done by electoral division, with the wards with the highest accident rates being prioritised. At the same time a road safety review of the A and B roads in that ward will be done. This ward approach will not only be more efficient, focusing on several reviews at once in one geographical area, but it will also enable ward councillors to act as a liaison between that community and County.

The 13 new speed limits currently being put in include:

• 50mph limits on four sections of the A26
• 40mph and 50mph limits on two sections of the A272
• 30mph and 40mph limits in the villages of Ninfield, Westham, Hankham, North Chailey, Rushlake Green, Lye Green, and, Ticehurst.

The County Council will work with the parishes on the details of how and where to install signage and any other road safety features.

Reviews of electoral divisions over the next four years from April will be done in the following order:

• 2008/9: Forest Row; Alfriston, East Hoathly and Hellingly; Buxted Maresfield; Hailsham and Herstmonceux; Wadhurst
• 2009/10: Battle and Crowhurst; Ringmer and Lewes Bridge; Framfield and Horam; Chailey; Northern Rother
• 2010/11: Brede Valley and Marsham; Heathfield; Polegate, Willingdon and East Dean; Ouse Valley East
• 2011/12: Rye and Eastern Rother; Newhaven and Ouse Valley West; Pevensey and Westham; Rother North West.

The speed limit implementation strategy was approved at the 17 December Lead Member meeting

All new speed limits are agreed with Sussex Police, which enforces those limits. The County Council is sending information leaflets on the dangers of speeding to each parish council that has had a speed limit reduction, which they are being encouraged to distribute to residents.

In addition the County Council is tackling speeding across East Sussex by:

• working with Sussex Police to support community speed watch schemes (including helping meet the cost of hand-held laser speed guns);
• using speed-reactive signs that automatically warn drivers if they are breaking the limit;
• making more mobile speed indication devices (SIDs) available for parishes. These display the speed of oncoming vehicles and alert drivers who are over the speed limit. Five new SIDs have been ordered on behalf of the Sussex Safety Camera Partnership;

The 13 speed limits currently being implemented are as follows:

• Ninfield – 30mph speed limit (traffic calming required) currently under construction.
• Westham – 30mph speed limit (traffic calming required) currently under construction.
• Hankham, in Westham parish – 30mph speed limit (signs and markings) currently under construction.
• North Chailey – Proposed 30mph speed limit (signs, markings, Vehicle Activated Signs) currently being advertised and, subject to any objections, will come into force in early March
• Rushlake Green – Proposed 30mph speed limit ( signs and markings) – currently under construction.
• Lye Green, in Withyham – The new 40mph limit has been advertised with no objections and will come into force in mid-February when the new signing/markings will be installed
• Ticehurst – Review of existing 30/40mph speed limit (signs and markings) – programmed for early March (unless there are objections)

The A26 and A272:

• A26 at Beacon Road, Crowborough – a new 50 'buffer' limit to the west of the existing town limit will be installed and come into force in February; there were no objections received
• A26 at Heron’s Ghyll – the new 50 limit is now in force and the site signing/marking is currently taking place
• A26 at Kiln Lane to A22 – 50mph speed limit ( signs and markings) – currently under construction
• A26 at Paygate Cottages to Earwig Corner – the new 50 limit north of the existing town 30 limit is currently under construction
• A272, North Chailey to Newick – a new 50 limit between the two villages, together with adjustments to the existing village limits, is currently being advertised and, subject to any objections, will come into force in mid-March, together with the works on-site
• A272 at Piltdown – work started on this scheme before Christmas with the installation of a traffic management scheme, principally new central markings/hatching/double white lines, and the new 40 limit comes into force at the end of January when the new signing/markings will be installed on-site. There were no objections received to the new 40mph limit
• A272 from Piltdown to A22 Maresfield (A272 east of Batt's Bridge, Piltdown, to Maresfield) – traffic management scheme with new warning signing/bollards/kerbing is due to be installed at Batt's Bridge in mid-February with a new 50 limit to follow.

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