Appendix A. Summary of Comments and Objections Worthing: Broadwater Road Pedestrian Crossing. Objections to the Proposal

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1 Appendix A Summary of Comments and Objections Worthing: Broadwater Road Pedestrian Crossing Objections to the Proposal Comments Resident of Georgia Avenue: The crossing will cause major disruption to the whole of Broadwater and cause problems in Queen Street at its junction with Georgia Avenue. A footbridge is the only answer to problems that have been caused by the school being built in the wrong place. Resident of Broadwater Road: installing the crossing will mean that there is no break in the traffic outside his house, preventing him from being able to access his own driveway. There is presently a crossing 100 metres north of the proposed crossing so installing another is unnecessary. Resident of Sompting Avenue: There is a crossing to the north at Sompting Avenue and previously one to the south of the proposed location but this was removed some years ago. Reinstating this crossing to the south would be simpler and cause less traffic disruption. Engineer s Response The impact of the crossing on Broadwater Road and Queen Street at its junction with Georgia Avenue was fully considered by West Sussex County Council at the Planning Application stage. Through this process the Council concluded that locating the crossing at the current location would have no significant or adverse effect on Broadwater Road and Queen Street at its junction with Geogia Avenue. As a result, the school was granted Planning Consent with the signalised crossing at its current location on 8/10/14. There is insufficient highway land along Broadwater Road in the proximity to the school to provide a footbridge. The crossing phase of the signalised junction will offer a greater number of breaks in the traffic to allow residents along Broadwater Road to access their driveways. Traffic assessments and the impact of the proposed crossing were carried out during the planning stage and some increases are indicated to the queue length and overall delays, however these increases are minor and are outweighed by the safety benefits of the crossing to the school pupils. The existing signalised crossings along Broadwater Road are located approximately 190m north and 300m south of the proposed school access. The proposed signalised crossing will provide school children with a safer crossing place than asking them to cross on the existing crossings or indiscriminately in the vicinity of the school. Reinstating the pedestrian crossing just south of Sompting Avenue would not adequately serve the school as it would be 161m north of the proposed school access. The crossing would also be approximately 40m south of an existing signalised pedestrian crossing, which is not in accordance with national guidance on

2 Local residents have not been adequately informed of the proposal and at present there is no formal permission for the school to be using the Manor Sports ground. The school transport plan for the original planning application does not mention the park or the need for the crossing. This is development by stealth as arrangements are being kept from the public. Funding for the crossing should be met by the school as it is a private operation and the crossing will be no benefit to residents. The crossing should only be installed once traffic studies and a full transport plan are submitted. Resident of Broadwater: putting another crossing between Sompting Avenue and Northcourt Road will cause traffic chaos, especially at rush hour. Any narrowing of the road will cause traffic to slow even more and the location proposed is too close to Queen street on one side and Georgia Avenue on the other. Students should cross at the traffic lights at Sompting Avenue, which have a pedestrian crossing phase. The Design of Pedestrian Crossings. The school has planning permission. The issues being raised by the respondent have therefore been considered in detail by the Planning Authority at an earlier stage in the planning process. The Page 3 of the First Non-Motorised User (NMU) Audit Report, issued 23/01/2014 states the following design objective with regard to the school using the Manor Sports Ground: To provide a safe and convenient controlled crossing facility on Broadwater Road for use by pupils on their journey to and from school and by sports groups during the school day visiting the Manor Sports Ground. The crossing on Sompting Avenue is 190m away from the school access and away from the desire line for school pupils. Also, the spacing between the proposed and existing signalised crossings (north and south) is 20m from Queens Street and is in accordance with national guidance on The Design of Pedestrian Crossings. Although the crossing will cause some disruption to traffic flows, on balance, the benefits provided to the school pupils outweighs the disbenefits to traffic. with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. Resident of King Edward Avenue: Crossing will be dangerous as this is a very busy road with large vehicles, particularly car transporters and vehicles accessing the Ivy Arch trading estate. Narrowing the road will cause congestion and problems into Broadwater. Application is being pushed through even though application for the school has not been approved yet. Resident of Goldsmith Road: Proposed crossing could not be in a more dangerous The existing signalised crossings along Broadwater Road are located approximately 190m north and 300m south of the proposed school access. Installing a new signalised crossing in between the existing provides safe and convenient access to the school access for the pupils. Although the central island is being widened to carter for the expected numbers of children using the crossing, the through lanes will not have a significant impact on traffic. The proposed lane widths are in accordance with national standards for lane widths at signalised crossings. The school has a planning permission granted on 8 th October The 8th percentile vehicle speeds were measured to be 31.5 mph northbound. This is

3 location, the road is a race track in both directions and users of the crossing will be in real danger from traffic being released at them in 3 directions from the nearby traffic lights. Traffic speeds on this length of road are much higher than the posted 30 mph speed limit and there is no police enforcement to control speeds. Therefore objects to the crossing on grounds of safety due to the unsafe speed of traffic. Additionally parents dropping off children on Broadwater Road, which is also bound to cause safety issues at the crossing location. These problems will increase as the school intake increases, and are caused by the school being in the wrong place, causing inconvenience to the public & users of the Manor Ground, also difficulties to residents of Queen Street. Resident of Broadwater Street West: Road lanes will be too narrow for safety, the footpaths will be too narrow and the pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the crossing too short to provide safe passage of users. The design has inadequate railings for sagely and the crossing is too close to a junction. These issues were raised by professional safety assessors during the planning process and have not been addressed in the current proposal. Resident of Broadwater: The crossing is not needed as there are already a number of traffic lights pedestrians can use to safely cross the road. If a crossing is needed to cope with increased numbers of pedestrians needing to cross then the proposed design is inadequate. Previous reports into the crossing said it does not meet design standards. The crossing would considerably narrow the footway, making them narrower than design standards allow. The crossing is superfluous and the application is missing or ignoring the applicable design standards and should be rejected. Resident of Worthing: Does not accept a puffin crossing is adequate to maintain child safety. There will be a number of children marginally in excess of the posted 30mph speed limit. The signalised pedestrian crossing has been the subject of a road safety audit and no concerns were raised about its location. A drop off and pickup area is to be provided within the curtilage of the school. It is understood that the Schools travel plan would also discourage drop off along Broadwater Road. with national guidance, namely the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. Footway widths along Broadwater Road will not be altered as part of the proposals and remain 2.4m wide. The pedestrian guardrails and the central island were considered during the planning stage and subjected to a road safety audit. Initially, a straight crossing movement was proposed but after careful consideration, a staggered crossing was agreed no concerns were raised on the staggered crossing. Signalised crossings along Broadwater Road are available approximately 191m north and 300m south of the proposed access but these are considered to be too far away from the desire line, and likely to result in indiscriminate and unsafe crossings by the pupils. Footway widths along Broadwater Road will not be altered as part of the proposals and remain 2.4m wide. with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. The signalised crossing has been considered at planning, design and safety audit stages and has been accepted as being appropriate

4 needing to use the crossing throughout the day and allowing them to cross safely will considerably delay traffic on the A24. It would be better to build a bridge or tunnel. Resident of Queen Street: Crossing is too close to the junction of Queen Street and does not meet design standards. Railings are insufficient to protect pedestrians and the pavements are too narrow. Crossing is not really needed at this location as there are other safer and better designed crossings nearby. Double crossing design has not been modelled for this location and no information is available about road narrowing or traffic flow. Central island of the crossing is insufficient to accommodate the numbers likely to use it and with large lorries and busses passing by this will be very dangerous. Plan appears to have been rushed through without proper consideration of safety issues and needs to be reconsidered. and providing a safe crossing for the school pupils and the public. There is insufficient highway land along Broadwater Road in proximity to the School to provide a footbridge or a tunnel. The proximity of the signalised crossing to Queen Street is in accordance with LTN 2/95 The Design of Pedestrian Crossings. The pedestrian guardrails and the central island were considered during the planning stage and subjected to a road safety audit. Initially, a straight crossing movement was proposed but after careful consideration, a staggered crossing was agreed no concerns were raised on the staggered crossing. with Geometric Design Features, TD 50/04, DMRB. Support for the Proposal Comments Resident of Broadwater Street West: Supports the proposal Resident of Congreve Road: Son attends Bohunt School and has to cross roads for PE lessons. Crossing should have been in place before school opened. Resident of King Edward Avenue: Supports Crossing but would have preferred a footbridge, which would be safer for students. Resident of Evlyn Road: Crossing has been needed for a long time, the existing crossing at Sompting Road is not pedestrian friendly, with cars often running red lights or stopping at a point that blocks the crossing. Installing the crossing will surely have no more impact than the crossings on the A27 near the new 6 th Form College and will improve safety for local pedestrians, as well as improving safety at the Queens Street junction by slowing traffic and allowing people to move in and out of the junction. Resident of Navarino Road: Crossing will benefit the whole area not just the school. Broadwater Road is difficult to cross and cars often tend to speed. Crossing will help calm the flow of traffic and make the Queen Street junction safer. Resident of Valley Gardens: Supports the proposed crossing Resident of Adversane Road: Crossing will improve safety for children and the general public. It will also enable cars to get out of Queens Street more easily, especially when turning to head south along Broadwater Road. Resident of Wigmore Road: safety for children is more important than any traffic delay caused by the crossing.

5 Resident of Forest Road: Supports crossing, it should be installed ASAP. Resident of Queen Street: Supports the crossing but feels a bridge would be better as this would prevent danger due to either pedestrians or drivers not obeying the lights properly. Resident of Loxwood Avenue: Supports the proposed crossing Resident of Pavilion Road: Crossing is essential for safety for school and college students coming and going to the Manor ground. Crossing will benefit the public and the school during PE lessons and after-school clubs. It would be sad to miss the opportunity to make the road safer now and end up with someone being injured trying to cross the road. Resident of Southfield Road: Crossing will provide much needed safe passage for all residents in the Broadwater area. It is essential Bohunt School has an easy and safe way to access the sportsfield. Existing crossing points are inadequate for the number of people who need to cross the A24. Resident of Broadwater: Has witnessed 3 incidents this year where children crossing Broadwater Road have had near misses with traffic. The existing crossing at Sompting Avenue only has very limited space in the central traffic island so at school times high demand prevents safe use. The phasing of the lights there gives insufficient pedestrian priority across the northbound lane. With the opening of the new school there is clearly need for a safer crossing point, particularly as children will be accessing the Manor Sports ground. Hoes WSCC will give priority to safety over impatient drivers who will bemoan the slightest perceived delay. Resident of Rowlands Road: Children and other pedestrians need a safe convenient place to cross the road. Presently there are only 2 year groups at Bohunt but the number of pupils needing a safe crossing will increase tremendously. Do they have to wait until a pupil or pedestrian is hurt before the crossing is put in? The school must have all the facilities it needs and easy access to a field is very important. Resident of Dominion Road: The crossing is essential to ensure safety of pupils at Bohunt. Crossing will also benefit residents accessing the Manor sports ground and nearby facilities. Without the crossing pupils would still crops the road at this point but be significantly at risk due to the volume of traffic. Sending them up to Sompting Avenue would cause traffic disruption if more people crossed at the junction. Planning committee had previously recommended a bridge at this location but as the cost of this is prohibitive a crossing is the most suitable alternative. Resident of Heene Road: Broadwater Road does not have enough crossing provision so the new crossing is necessary. Safe crossing provision for pedestrians should be given priority above any inconvenience to road users.