The main road through Rye and Winchelsea – the A259 – is part of the country’s strategic transport network. It is maintained by National Highways, the government’s company which plans, designs, builds, operates and maintains England’s motorways and major A roads.
Rye News will be interviewing someone from the agency in coming weeks, so what would you like us to ask?
Who decides when and where roadworks take place? The A259 was closed overnight for two weeks earlier this month, first in Rye and more recently between Sea Road and Monks Walk in Winchelsea. There was a controversial and lengthy diversion, unless you knew the back roads…
At Rye Town Council’s meeting on September 13, Cllr Keith Glazier said he had had a number of “irate” messages about the closure. WhatsApp and Facebook groups also marked the closure with confusion and anger.
Every day there are complaints on social media about parking on Rye’s South Undercliff and traffic delays. Who is responsible for making sure the road runs smoothly?
Thousands of cars and lorries use the road each day, making it a vital part of Rye’s economy, but how much does it cost to maintain and why are some parts of the A259 prioritised over others?
The A259 is part of the national road network, which carries a third of all traffic and two-thirds of all freight. So what do you want to know?
Send us you questions by leaving a comment below or emailing info@ryenews.org.uk
Image Credits: James Stewart , National Highways .
How about maintaining street signs such as speed limit signs and directional signs so that they remain readable and not obscured by trees and hedges? Also that they are kept in good order i.e. clean. The speed limit sign of 30mph coming into Rye on the A268 from Peasmarsh is so green with mould that is hardly readable. Broken signs seem to remain unrepaired all too often e.g. the Rosemary Lane street sign close to Wakehams farm shop in Fairlight which has been in a state of collapse for several months now. Also in Fairlight the fencing along the stream at the dangerous junction of Stream Lane and Pett Level Road has remained broken with bits fallen into the stream also for months. Perhaps more warning signs are needed here to warn drivers of the narrowing of the road.
That’s East Sussex County Council responsibility, not National Highways – although the point is still pertinent
At long last hopefully Rye town Council along with Keith Glaziers concerns about the illegal parking and all the other problems blighting our town,.Time for real action across our town,starting with RED lines from Shipyard lane to St Margaret’s terrace,on which is the most dangerous part of the A259 through Rye,also a metal barrier infront of the fish shop and flats at Strand Quay, before there is a serious accident there,plus the footpath is in a dangerous condition,due to the illegal parking on it, On the corner of Landgate also needs Red lines to stop the cars parking ,and impeding the buses trying to round the corner, and then there is the harbour, that Keith has said in the past that there is no problem,I beg to differ, trying to cross the junction, being a resident of New Winchelsea, along with residents and visitors. It’s time this serious accident waiting to happen was addressed.
The road signs coming from Rye into Winchelsea on the A259 have been broken for months, even years. It is sat on a metal stand. The one on the other side of the road is just about standing.
What welcome to visitors is this? I agree will Jill, the state of road signs looks like we don’t care about our towns and villages.
Maybe Highways should encourage/organise our towns and villages to clean road signs. I know I would be willing to take part.
The Rye / Winchelsea bypass is way overdue .. by about 50 years.
Might I suggest that readers take a photo of offending, broken or obscured signs and send to Rye News and Councillor Keith Glazer with clear details of the relevant location?
That will really help in identification and hopefully future remedial action !
Although not about A 259,could you ask when the absolutely shocking road between Playden and Wittersham will be resurfaced? It has to be one of the worst roads in Sussex. We do not need anymore patches but a proper resurface
I would like to second Stephen Duffy’s comment as I travel the B2082 often. The part on the south side of the Rother is dangerous – many drivers when possible drive in the middle of the road. As Stephen says it needs resurfacing as the hole filling where it survives has made lumps! It is a mass of holes and lumps which renders it unnavigable!!
I agree wholeheartedly Clare and Stephen. This road is a complete disgrace, third world style, which I have reported to no avail on several occasions. Winchelsea now has wonderful road surfaces and I am sure their’s were never as bad as this stretch, but as usual, Rye seems to be low on the list for attention. Urgent action must be taken. I’d also like to see double yellow lines along the South Undercliff where bottlenecks occur regularly which could be disastrous for emergency vehicles.
I would like to ask National Highways the same question that was asked at a packed public meeting many years ago held in the Rye Rugby Club concerning speeding traffic on the A259 road “NEW ROAD” Rye.
This public meeting was attended by Keith Glazier plus a few councillors including the National Highways, the reason for this well attended meeting was because residents are fed up with speeding traffic in what is supposed to be a 30 mph zone.
We were told that National Highways records show that there have only been a small number off major accidents recorded on this stretch of road and until there numbers increase there is very little we can do, I thought prevention was better than cure!
Because of the volume and speed of these vehicles it’s now time for some kind of traffic calming measures to be implemented just like the ones that have been installed throughout other villages on the A259 road.
Ditto for Military Road. The manner in which cars and motorcycles come roaring in from Appledore, particularly on sunny weekend mornings, can be terrifying.
I absolutely agree with Stephen Duffy – this stretch of road is an obstacle course and extremely dangerous.It seems it is the last forgotten ‘outpost’ before the border with Kent and in a perpetual state of disrepair.Surely, it would be more cost effective to repair this battered and neglected section of road properly in one go rather than one hole at a time?
Fingers crossed you may get a positive response to questions put to national Highways. But don’t hold your breath waiting for any action. National Highways is an out of control quango that saw fit to spend £7m changing it’s name from Highways England, a few years after spending millions changing it from Highways Agency (to Highways England). It wouldn’t surprise that if all the complaint letters written about the ongoing pollution, parking and safety issues concerning the A259 at South Undercliff were piled up on the Salts, then Rye Bonfire Boys wouldn’t have to source pallets they’d have a ready made mountain of paper to set afire. Apologies for the pessimism, but I’m an optimist with experience.
The whole of the A259 around Rye is substandard, unfit for purpose and dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike. Yes, it is routinely afflicted by speeding, road and pavement parking, and pavement driving because the road is too narrow in places and rather than stop and pull over vehicles are driven along the pavement, sometimes at speed and where pedestrians are present. As a result the kerb is broken and barely perceptible in places. The road is also impossible to cross safely between the Strand roundabout and Skinners Corner. Some houses open directly onto the road and the occupants have to step into speeding traffic just to leave their homes. In places the pavement is too narrow and damaged. Yes, it is the Wild West, but apart from this everything is fine.
The Department of Transport published a document in July 1991 with a statement of the secretary of state’s decision on the preferred route for a Rye bypass. The document contains the following phrases regarding the A259 around Rye:
“The A259 trunk road forms the eastern section of the important route between the ports of Dover and Folkestone to the east and, via the A27/M27, Portsmouth and Southampton in the west…this strategic route will only increase in importance after the Channel Tunnel is opened…the existing route is constrained by poor standards. Through Rye and Winchelsea the trunk road is single carriageway with many substandard bends and steep gradients. Removing traffic from the towns would not only benefit road users but greatly improve conditions for local residents and the many tourists attracted to the area.” Elsewhere it states. “The Secretary of State is satisfied that improvement of the existing route is needed and that future traffic requirements justify the provision of a dual carriageway road from west of Winchelsea to Harbour Road, Rye. The remainder of the Rye Bypass to the east would be single carriageway.”
These phrases come from the 1991 document which followed the glossy brochure of July 1987 with the map showing the Secretary of State’s proposals. These documents acknowledge the need for action in the highest echelons of government.
So what question would I ask the Highways England representative? In South Undercliff we have a narrow, winding Victorian residential street doubling as a regional international highway. How can it safely be both at the same time? In other words, how can you make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear?
Yes Christopher we all remember the various routes proposed for a Rye bypass in 1987,some of the routes proposed were ridiculous,like following the railway line through the town, and also the proposals to demolish houses in new Winchelsea road, the obvious route from East Guldeford to keep the bypass across the harbour by tunnel,or bridge to blockhouse corner,and then following the road around Winchelsea was turned down,thank to a rare Beatle suddenly found in the Camber castle field,and of course the Nimbys,and now the whole town has to suffer through noise and pollution, most of us will not see a much needed bypass in our lifetime, but it will happen one day, hopefully for the future generations of our town
Excellent questions and excerpts from documents over thirty years old, stemming from a Secretary of State no less. Action taken—–none. Like I say, don’t hold your breath.
I would also like to add another question to my previous letter concerning speeding traffic in NEW ROAD when are you going to maintain the street lighting, I reported that there was a light not working plus another light that is continuously on.
This was reported on 12th September case ref/no STR009327. I received a email stating there highways steward HAS inspected this site and repairs will be carried out within the next 10 days.
Come on East Sussex Highways you can do better than that.
Good news for Winchelsea, it now has a new by pass.
Heavy vehicles travelling west on the A259 to Rye will henceforth turn right at the Strand roundabout, take the B2089 through Udimore to Broad Oak, turn left on the A28 through Brede and Westfield to the A21, negotiate the convoluted junction toward the Queensway and join the A259 in Bexhill, thus avoiding Ore and The Ridge, or the Seafront.
Heavies travelling eastbound on that route will probably go through Landgate, taking the pressure off South Undercliff, but increasing problems elsewhere.
In relation to traffic calming, a traffic island was built on the A28 just north of Brede Village Hall. After a short time the two bollards and the pole with a sign on it were collided with and removed, leaving a low brick island in the middle of the road. It took ESCC Highways more than a year to replace them. They lasted only 13 days before the same thing happened again. That was several months ago. Since then I have been told by ESCC they will be replaced in 10 days, 28 days, or perhaps infinity.
As with the previous occasion, I have now contacted our local M. P. in the hope that he can move heaven and earth to get the signs replaced before the end of this year.
If traffic signs are necessary why for road safety, if they are damaged are they not replaced the following day, and if dirty, why are they not cleaned?
As a South Undercliff resident for 37 years I agree with every comment so far posted and would like to mention a few other issues. One of the main problems has been brought about by, not only a vast increase in traffic but the increase in the size and weight of modern vehicles HGV’s have got longer and heavier and private cars have got bigger and now some electric vehicles weighing up to 2 and a half tonnes the issue of oncoming vehicles passing is forcing more and more vehicles to use the pavements as part of the road. This is causing damage to the footpath, South Undercliff pavement is a continuous trip hazard. There is also a large increase in the number of mobile home transporters which have also got larger. Many of these no longer use escort vehicles.
It only takes 1 ilegally parked car to cause chaos.On the subject of parking there is constant unlawful parking off road with cars causing obstructions with pavement parking and parked facing oncoming traffic. There is no enforcement of these offences.
As a resident of South Undercliff for 46 years I agree with everything written above. Only last week a large vehicle damaged the roof of the cottages at 6 and 8 South Undercliff because of a car parked illegally i.e. after 8am. A single yellow line should mean no parking between 8am and 6pm. As mentioned, the commercial vehicles have got longer, wider and heavier over the years and the road is no longer suitable for such vehicles. The state of the pavements is appalling, with many loose kerb stones. The width of the pavement is on 31″
which means it is difficult for people to pass each other – stepping into the road is not an option!!!
Rye would be a much more pleasant place to visit if there was a road that bypassed the town so only those people wanting to visit Rye would have access to Rye roads.
Re: Questions to National Highways
I would just like to point out that if a major road is blocked for road works, for instance the A259 at Winchelsea, EVERY turning into that road between Hastings and Rye needs to have a sign saying ROAD CLOSED AT WINCHELSEA. THERE WAS NO SIGN at the top of Dumb Womans Lane nor Float Lane, at the junction of Butchers Lane and the A259, nor the junction Dogs Hill Road and Sea Road, nor at Pett Level, nor in Guestling, nor in Icklesham, nor in Westfield.