ROADS AND TRANSPORT

Executive Summary

The Parish has seen a substantial increase in traffic in recent years, accentuating a number of road hazards. The major safety issues, arising from this review, are summarised below.

• Safety on the A24 has been improved through speed controls, the installation of central barriers, closure of gaps in the central reservation, and the addition of a bridge near North Farm. The abuse of the remaining gap at Glaseby Lane needs consideration of measures to prevent illegal right turns by northbound traffic
• Washington Village totally lacks speed limits or traffic-calming measures of any kind, despite being a popular rat-run
• There is difficulty in joining the A24 from Rock Road, not to mention the hazards on Rock Road itself and the need for improved speed controls. The junctions with Newhouse Lane, Merrywood Lane and Hampers Lane are of particular concern
• There is a need for safe crossings for residents, visitors, school children, campsite users, walkers, equestrians and employees of Wiston Business Park at the following three locations:
  • Washington Garage, on the A283
  • Washington Cottages, on the A283
  • Spring Gardens, across to the southbound bus-stop on the A24
• There is also a notable lack of footpath and bridleway systems for safe movement between the different parts of the Parish.

Other transport and safety issues are dealt with in the body of the text.

2. ROADS AND TRANSPORT

2.1 INTRODUCTION

For many centuries Washington has been served well by roads and trackways. The most prominent is the Prehistoric track along the ridge of the South Downs. There is also the route of a Roman road where Tudor Village, Gorse Bank Close, Rock Road and Spring Gardens now stand. Newhouse Lane / Park Lane to Warminghurst is a Mediaeval sunken lane. Many of the bridleways link farms, houses and hamlets and were used by shepherds when moving sheep across the County.

The modern Parish of Washington is now divided into quarters. East-west by the A24 and north-south by the A283. Both these roads carry a lot of heavy fast traffic, onto and over which residents have to travel. Since the boundary changes in May 2003, the number of residents in the Parish has increased substantially and new housing developments at the nearby village of Ashington have also contributed to the increase in traffic. With the majority of the population of the Parish living west of the A24, considerable difficulties are experienced in linking the two parts of the Parish.

To the south the construction of the bridge over the A24 near North Farm / Windlesham School has greatly improved the safety and access for visitors and residents. The closure of the central reservations along the A24, although speeding up the traffic, has reduced recognised dangerous crossings. The Old London Road through Washington Village is still used as a fast cut-through from the A283 for the traffic joining the A24 southbound.

Rock Road is notoriously dangerous as there is no acceleration lane northbound onto the A24 and pedestrians crossing to catch buses or get to the village have a difficult and dangerous road to negotiate. Rock Road is narrow with many blind bends, hidden drives on both sides and virtually no pavements.

In the Heath Common Ward, "The Lanes" are private roads with a 20-mph or less speed limit. The residents continue to keep the character of this unique area by stringent control on access and speed.

On the other hand, residents are near to major roads to nearby towns for work, school, leisure and airports. 94% of residents have at least one car per household and so contribute to the volume of traffic. From the Parish Appraisal Report, it is clear respondents find the A24 (50%) and the A283 (59%) a significant problem. Speed of traffic is the main concern and the lack of a good safe footpath system to link the various parts of the Parish is also identified.

2.2 SUMMARY

The topics for consideration in this part of the Parish Plan are:

1. Roads
2. Footpaths, Bridleways and Pavements
3. Parking
4. Bus Shelters and Post Boxes
5. Fly Tipping and Abandoned Cars
6. Public and Voluntary Transport

Data from the Parish Appraisal have been used, together with local knowledge, consultation at Village Day, maps, integrated bus timetables and information from the voluntary services. WSCC Highways Department has been most helpful in answering our questionnaire and we thank them and the other agencies for their assistance.

WSCC Local Transport Plan for West Sussex July 2003 has six key objectives. Most of the areas of improvement identified for Washington fall into four of these categories.

1. Safety
2. Widening of Travel Choice
3. Environmental Enhancement
4. Accessibility to Facilities and Services

2.3 ROADS

Blind junction Hampers Lane/Merrywood Lane with Rock Road as seen from the Newhouse Lane junction

At the present time national speed limits apply throughout the Parish, except in the private roads in Heath Common. WSCC are in the process (autumn 2003) of carrying out a speed survey in the Parish and hopefully this will lead to speed restrictions. However, it should be borne in mind that if there were to be any significant housing development, such as at RMC site or in Luckings Yard, the problems on the road infrastructure would increase.

The proposed National Park will also have an impact on the Parish roads. An increase in visitor and service traffic will create more pressure that will need to be accommodated on these busy roads.

Identified Areas of Concern

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Identified Actions

Points a, b, c, d, h, i, k, l and m urgently need the application of speed limits

In addition:

Point b needs the provision of safe crossings for school children, residents, camp site visitors, walkers and the less mobile

Point d needs a long northbound acceleration lane onto the A24

Point e needs improvement to the slip roads that are inadequate for the increased traffic

Point f needs a footbridge over the A24 (already identified by WSCC, depending upon funding becoming available)

Point g needs lighting upgrade to improve safety and avoid light pollution in accordance with Government Policy on Dark Skies

Point h also needs traffic calming measures and a weight limit

Point i needs the closure of the junction from the A24 northbound through the village via The Bostal to all traffic except for emergency access

Point j needs an illuminated bollard to improve safety and the closure of the slip road from Steyning to the south east of The Triangle (see also Point h)

Point k also needs the imposition of a speed limit, a weight limit and a width restriction

Point l needs speed restriction and possibly reduced width areas or a one-way system via Muttons Lane. This medieval sunken road is very narrow with a dangerous exit onto Rock Road where the view to the right is severely obstructed by a rise in the road

Point m needs investigating so as to improve restricted visibility. At this time WSCC together with concerned residents and the Parish Council are looking at various schemes to improve safety at this junction

Point n needs emphasis on the private nature of The Lanes by the use of approved signing eg Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994 No. 699

WSCC and other authorities are already aware of all these concerns, but sustained pressure by the Parish Council and Residents Associations will be needed to ensure their resolution.

2.4 FOOTPATHS, BRIDLEWAYS AND PAVEMENTS

Equestrian view of the A283

As well as vehicle traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians and walkers need to be catered for in the Parish. It is clear from the Appraisal Report that the network of footpaths and bridleways are well used and on the whole, well maintained. Blocked and over-grown paths are dealt with by the Sussex Downs Conservation Board, Parish Council, National Trust or WSCC. However the majority of concerns are about footways (pavements) alongside roads.

In particular the A283 east and west and Rock Road are both seen as carrying far too much traffic for safe walking, cycling and horse riding.

A link path suitable for the above groups is urgently needed from the village to the South Downs Way and from the village towards Steyning.

Contact numbers for reporting problems on footpaths and bridleways are to found in the Appendix section at the end of this document.

Identified Areas of Concern

a) Rock Road 
b) A283 West 
c) A283 East
d) A24 Underpass
e) Washington Bostal
f) London Road the well-used pavement from The Street to Washington Garage

Identified Actions

Point a needs the extension of the pavement from Bracken Lane as well as a speed limit

Point b needs the upgrading and maintenance of the pavement to Storrington (already identified by WSCC if developer funding becomes available)

Point c needs the provision of a bridleway from the Village to link with the bridleway at Locks Farm that leads to the Downs and Steyning

Point d needs better signing to the underpass that links both parts of the Parish and provides a safe crossing of the A24

Point e needs a new bridleway. The Jubilee Way is proposed (discussions started in 2003) to link the South Downs Way with the Village by creating a bridleway to complete the safe alternative route across the A24

Point f needs complete refurbishment. At the time of the production of this document WSCC are planning to upgrade the section as far as Frankland Mead

With safety in mind, a, b, e and f in this section have priority and are being progressed.

Although WSCC have no current plans for a cycle way or bridleway along the A283 from Storrington to Steyning, continued pressure should be applied on WSCC. With the inauguration of the National Park, it may be that another authority can be lobbied.

2.5 PARKING

As well as moving traffic, some problems associated with parked vehicles have been identified. There are car parks in Georges Lane (National Trust), Village Hall, London Road (Recreation Ground) and Frieslands (South Downs Way). There is also a small area outside the church, the Frankland Arms car park and roadside parking opposite the pub. These are well used and go some way to providing parking for visitors and residents. However, some areas of the Village are very congested, especially at weekends and school drop-off and pick-up times. With the arrival of the proposed National Park, extra car parks will almost certainly be needed.

Identified Areas of Concern

a) Frankland Arms inadequate parking spaces opposite
b) Gateway to the Village
c) The Triangle
d) Village Hall

Identified Actions

Point a needs improvements to the parking layout which would have the dual effect of a traffic calming measure by narrowing the road and the regulation of parking at busy times

Point b needs a more aesthetic area in front of the Recreation Ground with better street furniture and an improved parking area

Point c needs drivers who park on the old A283 to stop using the wooded area as a toilet. A weight restriction on Village roads, educational signs and other measures are needed to alleviate this problem

Point d needs investigation so as to provide more parking spaces, especially for peak periods

It is hoped that all of these points can be addressed satisfactorily by working with the Parish Council, Horsham District Council and WSCC.

2.6 BUS SHELTERS AND POST BOXES

In general, the Parish is well served with bus shelters. The Parish Council continues to maintain these and to monitor the situation. It has recently provided a new shelter at Hampers Lane in response to local demand.

The Parish has a number of post boxes, two of which have issues of road safety for stopping vehicles or restriction of visibility.

Identified Areas of Concern

a) A283 westbound opposite Washington Cottages bus stop
b) Hampers Lane / Rock Road post box 
c) Windy Ridge / Rock Road post box

Identified Actions

Point a needs the provision of a new bus shelter, however the main area of concern is gaining a safe crossing point ( see 2.3 b)

Point b needs to be better sited with a small lay-by to allow cars and the Post Office van to pull off the road. This post box site has long been identified as an extra hazard at this dangerous location

Point c needs to be provided with a proper lay-by

These three concerns are currently being investigated and it is hoped that the problems associated with each one will soon be resolved.

2.7 FLY TIPPING AND ABANDONED CARS

Fly Tipping, Park Lane

Fly tipping and abandoned cars adjacent to the highway are persistent problems in certain areas of the Parish.

There would seem to be no obvious answer to this apart from vigilance and camera surveillance. Horsham District Council and the Police work actively to remove reported items quickly and the telephone numbers to call are in the Appendix at the end of this document.

Identified Areas of Concern

a) The Old London Road
b) The Bostal road verge and SDW car park
c) Sandhill Lane
d) The Triangle and redundant section of the old A283
e) Roadside verges

Identified Actions

Vigilance is the action here and the reporting of fly tipping continued (see Appendix). Nothing attracts rubbish like rubbish!

2.8 PUBLIC AND VOLUNTARY TRANSPORT

It is not surprising in todays society that the majority of homes in the Parish have access to at least one car. The Appraisal Report (completed by 63% of households) shows that 402 (94%) households have access to a car, 194 (50%) households have two cars, 44 (11%) have three and 23 (6%) have four or more.

For working adults, 41% travel outside the Horsham/Worthing area, 26% work within the Horsham/Worthing area and 33% work locally. The large proportion of residents willing to travel considerable distances to their place of work is an indication of the good road links. Crawley and the airports at Gatwick and Heathrow provide a variety of employments for Washington residents

40% of school children are taken to and from school by private car and 27% by school bus.

It therefore follows that public and voluntary transport together cater for a comparatively small proportion of the Parish population. However it is vital that this network is maintained.

For public buses WSCC and HDC produce an integrated timetable for the buses run by different companies. In Washington, buses:

No. 1 (Midhurst-Storrington-Worthing)

No. 23 (Horsham-Southwater-Worthing)

are the most popular.

Compass Travel bus number 100 runs across the county from Pulborough to Burgess Hill via a number of villages.

68% of the 67 Appraisal respondents use buses for shopping, 28% for visits to the doctor, 22% for dentists appointments, 13% for travel to work, 8% for travel to school and 43% use the public system for leisure travel. Passenger numbers maybe small but these services are crucial to the individuals concerned.

Two other agencies provide transport in the Parish. The first are the Community minibuses from Storrington and Steyning. Both these groups have a regular service picking up at various places, together with a varied programme of day or half-day excursions. These, according to the co-ordinators, are well patronised by Washington residents who enjoy the social and friendly contact that these organisations bring together with the convenience of a door-to-door service for shopping.

The second voluntary service is Dial-a Ride. At the time that this plan was produced (Spring 2004) a Storrington branch was in the process of being set up. This will provide a service for customers who need wheel chair transport that the community minibus does not offer.

Contact numbers for these organisations can be found in the Appendix at the end of this document.

Identified Areas of Concern

a) A24 Spring Gardens and the A283 at Washington Roundabout access to bus stops 
b) Integrated bus timetables and transport maps for public and voluntary services

Identified Actions

Point a needs safe crossing points. There are considerable problems for residents using the public transport system (see 2.3 b, 2.3 f and 2.6 a). Access to the bus stop at Spring Gardens is problematic, but WSCC do not see the likelihood of there being a footbridge over the A24 in the foreseeable future. However, this is an important issue and will need continuing pressure.

Point b The excellent timetables and maps need to be better promoted and made more generally available. With good publicity and support, it is hoped that the transport schemes serving Washington will continue. The Parish Newsletter will be used to further publicise the available transport network.