LETTER: Why not link up with trunk road?

The concept of the East-West trunk road from Kent to Devon largely following the current A27 has been much supported by the likes of Highways England and predecessors as vital to the economy of the south east in general.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Nov 2016, 19:00 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 18:19 BST

Business, trade, tourism and the substantial population of the area generally but especially in the coastal zone linking the ports ,ferries, coastal resorts and county towns would all benefit from this trunk road being as complete as possible.

There are in our area two good clear sections already of this trunk road (although it is seldom referred to as such ) to the East and West of Chichester.

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Travelling west from the Fishbourne (Tesco) roundabout there is a clear run with easy access to Portsmouth, Southampton and on towards Bournemouth and the West Country beyond.

Similarly, consider the eastward journey having thankfully cleared the final (fifth) roundabout at Portfield (Sainsburys) one has a clear run towards Arundel, Worthing, Littlehampton and on towards Brighton to continue on the most splendid Brighton Bypass into East Sussex.

Very heavy traffic converges to the south of the city on the so called Chichester Bypass, more properly Ring Road or Service Road, and the congestion is horrific as we all know.

Forty-two percent of this traffic is passing through (Highways England figures).

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One glance at a decent map will show that the two east and west sections described above should naturally be joined by a Northern Bypass running east to west to the north of Chichester.

It is totally surprising that the Folkestone/Honiton

trunk road and the Chichester bypass negotiations have not been seen before as being intrinsically linked.

This is not therefore just a Chichester issue, or even just a Sussex matter but concerns the whole of the South East of England and is of national importance and as such should be considered by central government and funded by them accordingly.

Certainly this is of national importance but hugely important to local residents, obviously in Chichester and the surrounding villages and towns. They now have the chance to support a call to have a Northern A27 Bypass matter discussed in Parliament. Visit www. petition parliament.uk/petitions 165748

Mark Neave

Summer Place

Runcton

Related topics:BusinessA27KentDevonHighways EnglandEast Sussex