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Report to:
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Lead Member for
Transport and Environment
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Date of
meeting:
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19 January
2026
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By:
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Director of
Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title:
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Petition:
Introduction of
traffic calming measures along The Village,
Eastbourne
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Purpose:
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To consider a petition
calling on the County Council to install a traffic calming system
in The Village, Eastbourne.
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RECOMMENDATIONS: The
Lead Member is recommended to advise petitioners that:
(1)
a potential scheme to install a traffic calming system around
The Village, Eastbourne including on Matlock Road and Colstocks
Road, has been assessed through the
approved prioritisation process but has not met the necessary
benchmark score to be considered for detailed appraisal and
possible inclusion for funding within the Capital Programme;
and
(2)
petitioners may
wish to consider setting up a Community Speed Watch Group for the
area to carry out occasional speed checks.
1
Background Information
1.1.
At the County Council meeting on 24 September 2025, a petition was
presented to the Chairman by Councillor Brett Wright on behalf of
concerned residents of The Village, Eastbourne. The residents are
requesting the introduction of traffic calming measures around The
Village, Eastbourne including on Matlock Road and Coltstocks
Road.
1.2.
Standing Orders provide that where the Chairman considers it
appropriate, petitions 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.
2
Supporting Information
2.1
The Village is subject to a 30mph speed limit as indicated by the
system of street lighting. The western and southern arms of The
Village are not public highway and therefore not being considered
as part of this report. A location plan is
attached as Appendix 1.
2.2
Crash data supplied by Sussex Police shows that there have been no
personal injury crashes in The Village, Eastbourne for the most
recent 3-year period up to 30 September 2025.
2.3
The Village has residential parking bays on alternating sides along
the length of the road. This system provides an unofficial traffic
calming system as road users need to slow down to navigate around
them. Site images are attached as Appendix 2.
2.4
The County Council has a limited amount of funding available to
develop local transport improvements and needs to ensure that
resource are allocated to those schemes which will be of greatest
benefit to our local communities. To help prioritise the
number of requests received for improvements, an assessment process
has been developed to determine which schemes should be funded
through the Local Transport Improvement programme.
2.5
The request for traffic calming
measures to be introduced around The Village, Eastbourne has been
assessed through the approved prioritisation process
but has not met the necessary
benchmark score to be considered for
inclusion in the East Sussex County Council annual Capital
Programme for Local Transport Improvements for
2026/27. The request will however remain on the list of
schemes for potential progression should other funding sources
become available in the future.
2.6
Following the residents’ concerns
about excessive speeding of vehicles using the road as a route to
avoid traffic on Meads Street, residents may wish to report
speeding and anti-social driving behaviour to the Police via the
Operation Crackdown website. In some cases, the Police can
use the information provided to prosecute drivers, however, in the
case of speeding, the reports received can assist the Road Policing
Unit and Neighbourhood Policing teams in deciding where to target
their resources.
2.7
A Community Speed Watch group could be formed which would allow
concerned residents to carry out speed checks, which can then be
shared with Sussex Police. Where the reported speeds
frequently exceed 30mph, this aids Sussex Police in targeting their
enforcement efforts in the surrounding area.
2.8
The Road Safety team hold regular meetings with Sussex Police and
in light of the residents’ concerns raised within their
petition, officers will pass this information directly onto Sussex
Police on the residents’ behalf.
3 Conclusion and Reasons for
Recommendations
3
3.1
The County Council has considered a petition calling on the Council
for traffic calming measures around The Village and the request has
been assessed through the
approved prioritisation process. It is therefore recommended that
the petitioners are advised that a scheme to introduce traffic
calming measures around The Village, Eastbourne, including on
Matlock Road and Colstocks Road has been assessed through the
approved prioritisation process but has not met the necessary
benchmark score to be considered for detailed appraisal and
possible inclusion for funding within the Capital Programme.
3.2 Community Speed
Watch groups work closely with Sussex Police to enforce speed
limits across the county. It is therefore recommended that
petitioners are advised that they may wish to consider setting
up a Community Speed Watch group which will enable them to carry
out occasional speed checks. Contact details for the Community
Speed Watch coordinator can be provided to the Lead Petitioner upon
request.
Director of Communities, Economy
and Transport
Contact Officer:
Warwick Hadley
Tel. No. 0345 6080193
Email: Warwick.Hadley@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL
MEMBERS
Councillor Brett
Wright
BACKGROUND
DOCUMENTS
None