National Highways has released the latest consultation documents on the controversial Grey Route, and the news for Fontwell and West Walberton is concerning local residents. National Highways own figures show Fontwell Village and Eastergate Lane in particular will experience rat-running, increased traffic flows on narrow roads and all of the associated air pollution this causes – not to mention the increased risk of dangerous collisions as cars weave through country lanes. Traffic on Arundel Road in Fontwell is projected to increase by 60%. The situation in Walberton is not much better with Eastergate Lane seeing a projected increase of 53%. These extra traffic figures will be felt on all the roads in the area including though Barnham. Barnham residents were told the by-pass would take traffic away, but it is now set to increase on already burdened main roads and the village high street.
Steve McAuliffe, the Green Party candidate for the upcoming Arun District by-election says: “The latest National Highways consultation aims to outline how the design has been altered ‘to keep traffic on the A27 and reduce the impacts on The Street [in Walberton]’ but the plans fail impressively. The irony is astonishing: Introduction of measures to reduce traffic in the centre of Walberton has resulted in the conscious degradation of other parts of the Parish. This isn’t a solution to adverse Grey Route traffic impacts, it’s merely shifting the impacts around.”
McAuliffe is an environmental scientist who has used his expertise to assess the devastating ecological and environmental impact that will result from the proposed Grey Route. A significant impact is the damage to wildlife. The new plans attempt to mitigate for the rare bats known to live in the Fontwell area, but it is not possible to do this effectively and the bats face extinction. Yet in the emerging ecological studies for ADC’s Local Plan Review, this area would be given the highest protection due to the presence of the Bechstein bat colony.
The A27 Grey Route is a controversial choice of route with just 7% of consultation respondents supporting it. It is suspected (though up-to-date cost estimates have not been provided) that the cost of the project is now in the region of £1billion – a price tag grossly disproportionate for a best-case scenario journey time improvement of just six minutes.
“And this six-minute saving estimate is spurious,” McAuliffe, a Fontwell resident explains. “When you consider that traffic will then sit in knock-on delays at the Fontwell roundabouts or have to wind its way through rat runs to avoid them.”
Another eye-catching update is that large sections of the proposal are now set to 50mph speed limits.
“The need for a 70mph speed limit was given as a main reason for rejecting the Arundel Alternative or online improvements such as traffic flow smoothing,” says Cllr Isabel Thurston (Green, Barnham). “So it is infuriating that we’re now seeing 50mph speed limits. Surely this indicates alternative suggestions should be reviewed.”
The Chichester & Arun Green Party maintain that the whole project is an absurd response to traffic issues at Arundel. The suggested A27 options simply move traffic problems from Arundel to elsewhere in the area, and the continued prioritisation of new roads across the country threatens the UK’s climate targets.
Other solutions can address the key bottle-necks and traffic volumes in Arundel but these are sadly not being considered. The party calls on National Highways to go back to the drawing board and look at online improvements. Any highway interventions need to focus on making improvements for efficient and affordable public transport, and active travel, not increasing expensive road capacity that drives up traffic and emissions.
Further information
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/a27-arundel-bypass/
https://www.arundelbypass.co.uk/why-the-grey-route-is-not-good-value-for-money