Release date: 6 January 2023
Action has been taken, with more measures to follow, to address traffic-flow issues at a Burgess Hill junction.
Traffic lights were installed, and a mini roundabout recently removed, at the Station Road/Church Road/Mill Road junction to improve cycling and pedestrian use, as part of the Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Phase One. However, concerns were raised about the impact on traffic flow.
A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “We apologise for any inconvenience these works are having on the local community and the travelling public. We have heard and listened to residents’ concerns and are acting on them.
“The construction works are complex, particularly around the town centre and our monitoring of the implementation has shown the junction is not performing as expected.
“The concerns are with the right-hand movement onto Church Road that required road users to give way. When the lights were first turned on, the County Council’s traffic signal team monitored several dangerous movements from drivers that failed to give way when making the right turn on to Church Road. We have already taken action to make changes to the phasing of the lights over the holiday period by removing the two-way movement on Station Road as a temporary safety measure.
“We have now improved the signage and road markings at the junction and will bring back the originally intended two-way movement today (Friday 6th January), that will improve the traffic flow.”
These works are part of the wider Local Growth Fund, Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Programme, being delivered to support improved sustainable transport infrastructure throughout Burgess Hill. The £4.7million project focuses on encouraging more cycling and walking in the town to lower congestion and increase health and wellbeing by providing improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and enhancements to public spaces through Station Road, Queen Elizabeth Avenue and Wivelsfield Station areas. This follows on from the 2021/22 provision of approximately 14km of pedestrian and cycle improvements through the Burgess Hill Green Circle and Townwide Connections.
We are currently on track to have these works completed in the first half of this year, with the next area being between Queens Crescent and the Civic Way Roundabout. These works will require the use of temporary traffic signals for the safety of the workforce and the travelling public.
An overview of the wider programme is set out in BurgessHill.Net and full details of the current West Sussex County Council town centre work are provided on our Engagement HQ page for Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Phase One This contains frequently asked questions about the project and key contact details. For further information on the project, or the overall programme, please email: MidSussexGrowthProgramme@westsussex.gov.uk
