A resident emailed to ask me my views on a ‘Forest Row bypass’ so they are below. A lot of talk and speculation has been made about a ‘bypass’ over the past 35 years and I would urge people to really question what they hear – there is some scaremongering.
Traffic volumes and speeds are a more immediate issue. The traffic calming in Hartfield Road may have had some positive effect (what would it have been like if it wasn’t there?) but in general people seem to drive more and faster each year. Like many things I suspect here we will have to be the change we wish to see in the world, so if you want to see less traffic and slower traffic then we each need to start by examining our own travel and the goods we use (and therefore the lorries we encourage onto the roads). Governments can do some things, District Councils can do little about this, but we can each of us, every one, have some small positive impact.
Speeding is even more of an issue in ‘rural areas’ beyond the reach of the village 30 mph signs. Conservatives are fighting hard nationally to reduce the national 60 mph limit that applies in so many of our village outer reaches, that deter people from walking and cycling outside their homes and make the roads generally more dangerous.
My views on a Forest Row bypass. In a nutshell any bypass option is very expensive and highly unlikely and likely to create different traffic problems – and we should therefore continue to push for fewer homes in East Grinstead unless the traffic issue can be resolved (and I don’t think it can by a bypass type route though it may be helped by different attitudes to car driving, price of fuel, dramatically different larger scale road/ development plans in adjacent areas).My view is that there is no viable route for a ‘bypass’ for
East Grinstead. If there is then I have yet to see it. Any route that would also include Forest Row is way too costly and the land is too tricky – both topologically and because of various assignations such as SSSI etc. Therefore, if any kind of road is to be built you are left with whatever option East Grinstead pushes for which currently would be the Worth Way tunnel (now rejected) or else
- A route that joined the A22 on the Brambletye bends (ghastly, likely dangerous and possibly impossible due to steepness of land)
- A route that cut into
East Sussex land and rejoined the A22 just before the pedestrian crossing by Tablehurst farm entrance.
East Sussex to date have said that they cannot support such a route as it would funnel traffic straight into the north end of Forest Row. I agree with this view.
Fundingwise, I belive that unless there were to be some significant input from Central Government then nothing beyond the access roads around and through the new houses would be within the gift of any developer so any ‘bypass’ or relief road’ is a non starter in any event. Option 1 would be the one any district councillor (or ESCC councillor) would have least influence over as it could be built entirely on WSCC land – in practice I think the outcry would be so great that they wouldn’t be able to built it. Option 2 I will continue to oppose as there is an enormous disbenefit to Forest Row.As a councillor I have little direct influence but I have and will continue to speak up at whatever road meetings occur (as I have done to date as a councillor, from this same standpoint for the past 4 years). Most of what we can do as a Wealden DC is frankly reactive though I have spoken at length with our MP, and various ESCC councillors (including the council leader) and officers about this to date.
