End this danger now

Heavy lorries and vans have been parking on and driving over the narrow footpaths in Lion Street with alarming frequency.

It is causing damage to one of the most historic streets in Rye but more importantly causing a very real danger to pedestrians, be they townsfolk or the many visitors who use Lion Street to gain access to the Gun Garden and St Mary’s Church.

There have already been several near misses and residents, who have launched a campaign, claim, with some justification, that it is only a matter of time before someone is knocked down and killed.

The reality is, as some councillors have pointed out, that the streets of Rye are ill-suited to the large goods vehicles of the 21st century.

Police have done their best to manage the situation but it needs traders and delivery companies to get on board and find a solution that will end this madness, which is taking place on a daily basis .

Imagine Rye having its own printed currency - that could be the future if plans to make Rye a Transition Town come to fruition.

And is not just pie in the sky - the model has worked very well in the county town of Lewes just 30 miles away.

The big challenge facing the transition group though is to get everyone in Rye on board - not just the environmentalists.