Eastbourne Residents Raise 'Rat-Run' Fears On The Village

Concerns about speeding traffic on a residential road in Eastbourne’s Meads area have been heard by East Sussex County Council.

A petition calling for traffic calming measures on The Village, near the Meads Village Allotments, was presented to the council’s lead member for transport, Cllr Claire Dowling,

on January 19.

Local councillor Brett Wright said residents are worried about drivers using the road as a cut-through from Beachy Head Road to Meads Street, with vans and cars travelling quickly around blind bends and along narrow pavements.

He described the situation as “nerve-wracking,” particularly for elderly residents who have reported near misses.

However, council officers said the road does not meet the criteria for intervention.

Police data shows no personal injury collisions there in the past three years, and the layout of parked cars was considered to act as a natural traffic-calming measure.

Instead, residents are being encouraged to consider a community speed watch scheme and to report dangerous driving through Sussex Police’s Operation Crackdown.

Cllr Dowling also asked officers to explore whether advisory signs could be introduced to help deter speeding.