The Station Approach area in Rye is an accident waiting to happen the Town Council was told on Monday - and action should be taken now before it actually does happen.
Action, the council was told, was often not taken by the highways authorities nationally (the Department of Transport) or locally (East Sussex County Council - ESCC) until accidents and injuries began to mount up.
But the town's Highways Forum wants action as the new extension to Jempson's supermarket (shown above) blocks drivers' views round the corner to the bus stops.
Traditionally many people have crossed the road just around the corner from the bus stops to reach the former Post Office (now inside Jempson's), and the kerb has been lowered both sides of the road to help pedestrians.
However the view of that crossing point (as the picture above shows) is now blocked and Deputy Mayor Cllr Mike Boyd said the inherent dangers on that corner had now got much worse. Former Mayor Cllr Bernardine Fiddimore said action was needed now to avoid the corner "going up the priority list because of an accident". Cars tend to accelerate away from the pedestrian crossing by the main Jempson's entrance, and after the slow stretch of road around the level crossing and Ferry Road, but may be unaware of the bus stops. One solution used elsewhere on similar blind corners might be a very large mirror on the traffic island by the station car park (pictured above in the centre of the picture and, right, in close up) which is now used for a parking charges sign. Drivers could then "see" around the potentially dangerous corner.
Photos: John Minter
