Report to:	Lead Member for Transport and Environment
Date of meeting:	20 October 2025
By:	Director of Communities, Economy and Transport
Title:	Petition: Installation of a pedestrian crossing and a 20mph speed limit in Lewes Road, Newhaven
Purpose:	To consider a petition to install a pedestrian crossing and a 20mph speed limit between Lawes Avenue and Robinson Road, in Lewes Road, Newhaven.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The Lead Member is recommended to advise petitioners that:

(1) A potential scheme to install a pedestrian crossing and implement a 20mph speed limit with associated traffic calming in Lewes Road between Lawes Avenue and Robinson Road will be assessed for possible inclusion in the Capital Programme for Local Transport Improvements for 2026/27 and that petitioners will be advised of the outcome of this assessment when the results become available in early November 2025; and

(2) Petitioners may wish to consider setting up a Community Speedwatch Group for the area to carry out occasional speed checks.

1 Background Information

1.1. At the County Council meeting on 8 July 2025, a petition was presented to the Chairman by Councillor MacCleary on behalf of concerned residents of Newhaven. The residents are requesting a pedestrian crossing and the implementation of a 20mph speed limit in Lewes Road, between Lawes Avenue and Robinson Road.

1.2. Standing Orders provide that where the Chair considers it appropriate, petitioners are considered by the relevant Committee or Lead Member and a spokesperson for the petitioners is invited to address the Committee. The Chairman has referred this petition to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment. A copy of the petition is available in the Members’ Room.

1.3 Lewes Road, from its junction with the A259 northwards to a point north of Valley Road, is subject to a 30mph speed limit as indicated by the system of street lighting. The road is a bus route with several bus stops present along the road. There is a section of raised footway protected by pedestrian guard railing on the eastern side of Lewes Road between Nos. 93 and 131 Lewes Road. A location plan is attached as Appendix 1.

1.4 The County Council has submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case for the A259 South Coast Corridor Major Road Network Package to the DfT and is awaiting a decision on the outcome of this. However, for clarity, it should be noted that there are no measures proposed on the C7 Lewes Road as part of this package.

1.5 Crash data supplied by Sussex Police shows that there has been one serious and 3 slight personal injury crashes in Lewes Road between Lawes Avenue and Robinson Road for the most recent 3-year period up to 31 July 2025. None of these crashes cited excessive speed as a contributory factor, however, one of the crashes involved a pedestrian. A crash data plan can be found at Appendix 2.

1.6 A speed survey was undertaken in Lewes Road for the period 4th to 13th September 2025. The survey indicated that the average speed of drivers is 27mph for northbound traffic and 24mph for southbound traffic. The speed survey can be found at Appendix 3.

2 Supporting Information

2.1. East Sussex County Council supports 20mph speed limits where appropriate. Policy PS05/02 which is based on the national guidance provided by the Department for Transport, recommends that a 20mph speed limit can be considered in town centres, residential areas and in the vicinity of schools, with average traffic speeds of 24mph or below. PS05/02 is attached as Appendix 4.

2.2 The mean speed is used to determine the most appropriate speed limit for a road as the average speed of traffic reflects the speed that most drivers consider to be appropriate to travel based on their assessment of the character of road and environment. In officers’ experience, lowering a speed limit with traffic signs and road markings alone, only reduces the average speed of traffic by about 1 or 2mph, and only when the reason for the limit is obvious to drivers. As the average speed for northbound traffic in Lewes Road exceeds 24mph engineering measures, such as traffic calming, would be necessary to reduce vehicle speeds for a 20mph limit to be implemented.

2.3 The County Council has a limited amount of funding to develop local transport improvements and needs to ensure that resources are allocated to those schemes which will be of the greatest benefit to local communities. The fourth East Sussex Local Transport Plan (LTP4) was adopted on 8 October 2024, resulting in the need to update the Council’s scheme assessment process to reflect the priorities set out in LTP4. The assessment process for requests was approved by the Lead Member fore Transport and Environment at her decision-making meeting on 8 September 2025.

2.4 Officers are currently finalising the high-level assessment of all requests received between 8 October 2024 and 31 August 2025. This process will conclude in early November 2025, and those requests that meet with the benchmark score will be taken forward to detailed appraisal. In early November 2025 officers will advise petitioners if a potential scheme to install a pedestrian crossing and implement a 20mph speed limit with associated traffic calming in Lewes Road between Lawes Avenue and Robinson Road, has been progressed to detailed appraisal. It is important to note that progression to detailed appraisal does not guarantee inclusion in a future Capital Programme for Local Transport Improvements.

2.5 Petitioners are advised that a Community Speedwatch group could be formed which would allow concerned residents to carry out speed checks, which can then be relayed to Sussex Police. Where Community Speedwatch groups record vehicles exceeding the speed limit regularly, this can assist the Road Policing Unit and Neighbourhood Policing teams in deciding where to target their resources. The Road Safety Team also hold regular meetings with Sussex Police and concerns over vehicle speeds on Lewes Road will be raised with them at the next meeting.

3 Conclusion and Reasons for Recommendations

3.1 The Council has considered the petition calling on the County Council to install a pedestrian crossing and a 20mph speed limit between Lawes Avenue and Robinson Road, in Lewes Road, Newhaven. It is therefore recommended that the Lead Member advises the petitioners that a scheme to construct a pedestrian crossing and implement a 20mph speed limit with associated traffic calming in Lewes Road is being assessed for possible inclusion for funding within the Capital Programme for Local Transport Improvements. As outlined in paragraph 2.4, the petitioners will be advised of the outcome of this assessment in early November.

3.2 Petitioners should also be informed that they may wish to consider setting up a Community Speedwatch group for the area to carry out occasional speed checks. Further details are available online or you can contact the District Speedwatch Administrator at csw@sussex.pnn.police.uk or http://www.communityspeedwatch.co.uk/

RUPERT CLUBB

Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Contact Officer: Clare Akehurst
Tel. No. 01323 463402
Email: clare.akehurst@eastsussex.gov.uk

LOCAL MEMBERS

Councillor James MacCleary

Councillor Sarah Osborne

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS

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