Residents demand solution to '˜dangerous' Sompting rat run road

Narrow West Street is used as a ‘rat run’ by vehicles to avoid being held up at Lyons Farm traffic lights.

David Powell, a West Street resident, said: “I avoid using my car during various times in my day as trying to pull out from where I park outside of my home is dangerous and quite frankly scary.

“Additionally, there are no pavements for a stretch of West Street, so using this road as a pedestrian is dangerous.

“Road rage and stand offs between drivers is a regular occurrence as people take no notice of the ‘give way to priority traffic’ signs.”

Former Sompting Parish Councillor Chris Servante, of Whitestyles Road, said: “Things get so bad that should an emergency happen in Sompting there is no route in or out for emergency vehicles.”

Councillor Anne Godley, who has been a resident of St Mary’s Close off of West Street since 1971, said the situation had ‘worsened significantly’ recently. She said: “There have been a number of campaigns but the residents don’t seem to be being listened to.”

Councillor George Barton, who called the situation ‘absolutely intolerable’ in a letter published by the Herald, proposes that Church Lane and Dankton Lane are used for emergency services only and the mini roundabout where Church Lane meets West Street be made into a T-junction.

At a meeting on Tuesday, traffic manager for the Adur area, Mike Thomas, agreed to look into the suggestions.

Councillor Barton said: “Residents are in no doubt that this will make a small improvement.”

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: “The problem is caused by sat navs on new mobile phones, which updates motorists with live traffic information. As soon as the A27 backs up it diverts people to West Street – which has traffic calming measures on it.

“The only solution at the moment would be to make West Street one way. However this would force residents of Sompting who wish to travel west to join the A27 every time, which is not a satisfactory answer to the problem.”

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