The Safer C7 Project

The Safer C7 Project

  • The Aims

    The purpose of the Safer C7 Project is to make this rural road in the South Downs National Park safer for all users.

    We want to bring about driver behaviour and vehicle speeds which are appropriate for the location and nature of the road. This would enable all road users, including cyclists, equestrians and pedestrians, to enjoy the special qualities of this part of the National Park and, at the same time, improve the quality of life for people living and working near this road while helping to invigorate the local economy of the lower Ouse Valley.

  • The Method

    We intend to commission a traffic calming strategy for the C7, based on the principles and exemplars in the South Downs National Park study, Roads in the South Downs; Enhancing the safety and quality of roads and places in the National Park, (June 2015).

  • Project Leadership

    The Safer C7 Project is a collaborative community project led by volunteers. It became a constituted entity in 2022.

    A Management Committee for the project is comprised of project officers and other members of a small Project Delivery Team, made up of residents from the Lower Ouse Parishes and a representative from Northease Manor School.

    Oversight of the project is provided by an Advisory Group consisting of the Chairs of the parishes of Kingston, Iford, Rodmell, Southease and Piddinghoe. Advice and support for the project is being provided by a number of ‘Affiliates’; ESCC councillors for the Ouse Valley West and Newhaven and Bishopstone, the LDC councillor for Kingston ward, the leader of Lewes District Council, a Lewes Town councillor, a representative from the South Downs National Park Authority (the board chair), and a representative from Northease Manor School.

    The project was originated by a group known as POLO - the Parishes of the Lower Ouse; Kingston, Swanborough and Iford, Rodmell, Southease and Piddinghoe. POLO was established in 2000 as a means for these parishes to co-operate on matters of common interest. POLO consists of nominated representatives of the parish councils/meetings, our local Lewes District and ESCC councillors, and representatives of other local groups, such as a representative of Kingston Road and Cranedown Residents Association, and the Egrets Way Trust. Although POLO receives reports and gives advice on the project, it is not itself a formal entity, and could not therefore take on a formal role in the constitution of the project.

  • The Plan

    To make the C7 safe for all users we will:

    Obtain support for the project from stakeholders including local parishes, district and county councillors, the South Downs National Park Authority, the East Sussex County Council Highways Authority and our MP. We will also seek the views of others who want to use the C7 to access the national park safely, such as walking, cycling and equestrian groups.

    Measure and document local support for a Safer C7. This will include an updated survey of people who live and work along the C7, gathering evidence of their concerns about the current nature of the road and the impact that it has on their quality of life.

    Generate funding for the cost of the survey through charitable grant applications, local council contributions and crowd funding.

    Commission an appropriately qualified and experienced specialist traffic consultant.
    Their brief will be to identify the opportunities for implementing traffic calming measures which will have the greatest impact on the safety of the C7, and to produce a costed design plan intended to reduce speed, address safety issues, and enhance the rural nature of the road.

    Implement the scheme. We will use the design specification produced by the consultant as the basis for obtaining the funding required for the implementation of the recommended scheme.

The Project so far…

 

We have been moving forward with the plan for delivery over the last few months, refining the Project, talking with people and most importantly surveying residents who live, work and use the C7

Survey

A survey was completed in July 2021 and all residents of the communities who live on the C7 were invited to participate

Questions and Answers

Our extensive community engagement has generated a set of queries that are consistent across the communities. We thought it would be helpful to list them out for you, with our answers - press the button below to access them…….(and please feel free to provide comment to us with any additional thoughts)

Engagement

We are talking to a lot of people and organisations from the South Downs National Park through to East Sussex County Council, as well as community groups and businesses. The aim is to ensure that this community led Project is recognised for the value it brings

Project Documentation

The Project benefits from being delivered through a constituted body, meaning that there is governance and oversight of decisions and actions. We also have a number of interested stakeholders who have kindly offered to be representatives of one of our teams. More detail in the button below…..

Highways consultant appointed

 

We are pleased to announce that The Safer C7 Project has appointed the specialist urban design, engineering, and transport planning company, PJA, to undertake the next phase of the C7 project, following a competitive tendering process.

Their brief it to assess the C7 Lewes-Newhaven Road, taking account of the separate study ongoing in Kingston; produce recommendations that will reduce the safety risks for all the users of these rural roads; develop a phased strategy for implementation of the agreed improvements; and produce a detailed costed plan for the initial phase.

The project will be led from PJA’s London office, by project managers who are familiar with our local area. All senior members of the PJA team have previously worked in local authorities and understand the processes for scheme approval and implementation.

PJA are committed to active engagement with our community and other stakeholders. They will use local views as an input to their assessments and to the resulting plan as it emerges.

The C7 Delivery Team would like to thank everyone whose support for the project has brought us to this point. Work with PJA will start in January, and completion of the first phase is due in April.

Results we have had

 

Whilst the Safer C7 Project continues to raise funds we have also reported other successes on improving the safety and usability of the road.  These include;

  • Successful engagement with the traffic police to remove HGV’s from the road – this is on going and has particularly focused on skip lorries

  • Engagement with companies operating out of Newhaven to ensure that drivers are aware of the 7.5t weight restriction of the road – many have responded constructively and asked that they be kept informed of any drivers illegally using the road

  • Litter pick along the road incorporating all the Parishes

Monitoring accidents on the C7

 

The Sussex Safer Road Partnership produce a map of accidents as they are reported across Sussex. They are graded fatal, serious and slight.

Click the button below, zoom in on the map, select the date range you ar interested in.

We have also been monitoring accidents ourselves, press the button below to see how many accidents local residents have reported through to us (and then compare the results with the Safer Roads site)