West Sussex County Council has been offered up to £1m to continue making safety improvements on the A285.|
The Department for Transport wants to help the County Council make the 12-mile stretch of road, between Petworth and Chichester, safer.
It is inviting the County Council to bid for a grant – worth up to £1m – for a package of measures to complement previous safety changes.
Latest figures show recent improvements to the A285 are having a positive impact on the road’s safety record.
Between 2013 and 2015 the number of fatal or serious accidents per year dropped from 10 to one – although in 2016 this figure rose to six.
Despite this, the Road Safety Foundation described the A285 in a report this week as ‘the most persistently high risk road in Britain’.
However the data used is 18 months out of date and does not take into account the improvements the County Council has made since then.
County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Bob Lanzer, said: “The A285 has been a priority for us for many years and we have invested in a high number of safety schemes along the route in question.
“These all help or warn drivers when they approach the more dangerous locations on that stretch of road, and have made a difference in the number of accidents reported.
“We welcome the offer of a grant made by the Department for Transport this week and we will work closely with them in the new year to decide how best to use it.”
Road Safety Minister Andrew Jones said: “Britain has some of the safest roads in the world.
“This report highlights where we can, and must, do better and we are investing in making them safer.
“We are spending £1.5 billion up to 2020 to make our roads safer and directing a further £1 million on improving the A285.”
Improvements made to the A285 since 2011 include:
• sections of high-specification road surfaces;
• road widening;
• lowering speed limits;
• flashing warning signs;
• improved static signs;
• changing the ‘no over-taking zone’ at the Duncton straight to a double white line system;
• •new signs to highlight the bends south of Seaford College; and
• works to emphasise the New Road Junction.
