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A27 between Beddingham and Polegate



happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
7,974
Eastbourne
The road will never be dualled all the time the MP, (Lewes-dwelling, London-working, train-using) Norman Baker, is in office. He is vehemently opposed to it, to the detriment of the eastern part of his constituency.
 




luppers

New member
Aug 10, 2008
798
Didim, Turkey
It is very easy to see why accidents happen on this road. I have the misfortune of having to use this road twice a day. On my way home from Falmer to Eastbourne at 530am I have to take my life in my hands with the MANY idiots driving towards Brighton who forget anything about speed limits and overtaking on brow of hills,blind bends etc. This is a daily event and the traffic is heavy even at this early hour.
A dual carriageway was suggested on several occasions but was last blocked by a non driver named Norman Baker!
 


Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
It is very easy to see why accidents happen on this road. I have the misfortune of having to use this road twice a day. On my way home from Falmer to Eastbourne at 530am I have to take my life in my hands with the MANY idiots driving towards Brighton who forget anything about speed limits and overtaking on brow of hills,blind bends etc. This is a daily event and the traffic is heavy even at this early hour.
A dual carriageway was suggested on several occasions but was last blocked by a non driver named Norman Baker!

The same Norman Baker who was happy to have his property compulsorily purchased for the railway bridge to be built.

As he is no longer Transport Minister, can he still have influence from the Home Office?
 


Box of Frogs

Zamoras Left Boot
Oct 8, 2003
4,751
Right here, right now
This is an awful stretch of road and one I avoid if at all possible. Something needs to be done to make if safer thats for sure. Maybe dual carriageway is not the answer, but it is a road that has too many turns off and on it to be left as it is.

Oh and with regard to Mr Llewellyn who was running late on his way to a PR event at Drusillas, sad as it was that he died, he was not the victim in that particular accident.
 










Seagull over Canaryland

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2011
3,549
Norfolk
I am very sorry to read of yet another fatality on this stretch of the A27.

Many users have no choice but to drive along the A27 as there are no viable alternative local west/east trunk routes. So I suppose until some effective improvements are made the only answer is for users to allow just that little bit more time to traverse the Beddingham - Polegate section. Even more so this time of year when weather and lighting conditions are poorer.

Local drivers have no real excuse not to take a bit more care given the A27 is so notorious. I do have some sympathy for drivers who are not familiar with the A27 - you can drive hundreds of miles from across the UK at the national speed limit only to arrive at the Middle Farm to Selmeston stretch and find you are in not much better than a country lane. No excuse for not driving safely within the road conditions but the sudden change in road quality must be a factor.

I do hold Norman Baker responsible for much of the inertia over upgrades to the A27. He is right to champion public transport but only as part of an integrated strategy that recognises most users have no real choice. So IMHO it is reasonable to upgrade the road in an environmentally sensitive way but unreasonable to allow casualties to continue over his terms as MP and previously on ESCC and LDC. I have debated this in person with him over many years while I lived and worked in Sussex and I found his attitude perverse considering so many of the casualties are his constituents.

The irony is seeing Norman Baker on my local TV last year as Transport Minister presiding over the announcement to upgrade the final stretch of the A11 from London to Norwich, another single carriageway stretch of trunk road that was, if anything, better than the A27. I suspect it really hurt him inside to make that announcement.
 




Billy the Fish

Technocrat
Oct 18, 2005
17,508
Haywards Heath
As someone who does approx 25k miles a year for work I have to say that I see more and more crazy overtaking maneuvers than ever. On roads I drive quite regularly I've seen near misses on the A272, balcome road (some **** was inches from a head on with me once), A281 between horsham and guildford and the B2139 between storrington and Amberley.

It always amazes me how much risk people are prepared to take by driving on the wrong side of the road near a blind corner, brow of a hill or concealed exits. It's not the boy racer types either, it's more often people in big BMWs or Audis.

I do overtake if someone is poodling along at 40 when the road doesn't warrent going that slow, but only if it's clear ahead and I know the road.
 


MissGull

New member
Apr 1, 2013
1,994
I would never overtake on that stretch. Seen people overtaking three car lengths, or even lorry lengths. Mad.
 


Timbo

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
4,302
Hassocks
It's not the police doing those checks. It is uniformed VOSA officers.

Quite often police there as well. Especially if they have customs, the work and pension people, excise people checking diesel, etc.

People will drive badly, nothing will ever change that so saying people should just drive better is an absolutely ridiculous attitude which will continue costing peoples lives. The whole stretch needs improvements to make it harder for bad drivers to cause accidents.

Safe to say its unlikely to ever happen, to busy throwing money at the M25 to have any left. (2 years worth of work to put in a new barrier and central reservation between 5 & 7!)
 








Seagull over Canaryland

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2011
3,549
Norfolk
Its not necessarily the speed that's the problem its the stupid overtaking

Exactly, it is mainly drivers failing to drive within the road and traffic conditions.

Local drivers have little excuse given that the A27 is so notorious, anyone taking a chance on the Middle Farm - Selmeston stretch is being reckless. Even drivers unfamiliar with that stretch who know what they are doing should recognise it is a stupid place to speed and / or overtake.
 






MissGull

New member
Apr 1, 2013
1,994
That blind bend that takes a corner and narrows just after Middle Farm is the most lethal section. The speed limit does decrease but is more often than not ignored.
 


Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
Does one overtake at 30 or 40 limits? If people can't be trusted on that stretch of road, I'd be inclined to treat everyone as an idiot to save the odd life or two.

As has been previously posted, the speed limit varies on that stretch of the road, & unobservant drivers don't stick to the limit. I've seen overtaking in 30 limits.
 


Seagull over Canaryland

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2011
3,549
Norfolk
Does one overtake at 30 or 40 limits? If people can't be trusted on that stretch of road, I'd be inclined to treat everyone as an idiot to save the odd life or two.

I agree and sadly that is exactly the sort of attitude that is necessary to adopt on that stretch, even so history shows it will not leave you immune from the idiot driver coming the other way, so many cause head on collisions. It is just one of those stretches of road you will have to respect until such time it ever gets the upgrade it needs.
 




Barrel of Fun

Abort, retry, fail
As has been previously posted, the speed limit varies on that stretch of the road, & unobservant drivers don't stick to the limit. I've seen overtaking in 30 limits.

I know it varies on the road. I use it frequently. I'm suggesting the limit is brought down to a constant and cameras are added, to stop selfish ****ers ruining/attempting to ruin the lives of many people.
 


melias shoes

Well-known member
Oct 14, 2010
4,830
That blind bend that takes a corner and narrows just after Middle Farm is the most lethal section. The speed limit does decrease but is more often than not ignored.

Agree. I was involved in an accident there earlier this year. I was stationery and a landrover ploughed into the back of the car behind me which then shunted into me. People in the car behind had to be cut out and were badly injured. Apart from a sore neck for a few Weeks I was ok . Car had bad rear end damage but that is repairable. Bloody shook me up I can tell you. It was the bend that comes over the top down towards middle farm.
 


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