Date of meeting: 21 June 2022

A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed at each ordinary meeting of the Council for the hearing of deputations from members of the public. Each deputation may be heard for a maximum of five minutes.

Deputations received:

(1) Deputation: Wilson Avenue

There is serious concern among residents of Wilson Avenue about road safety and overwhelming support for a reduction of the current 40mph speed limit to 30mph with, if possible, speed calming and enforcement measures.

We carried out a survey of the 102 households facing onto the 40mph, roughly mile long stretch between Marlow Road and Warren Road. Out of 75 responses only two supported the continuation of the 40mph limit.

Eight people did not wish to express an opinion but 65 said they definitely wanted a reduction to 30mph with two adamant the reduction should be to 20mph. We did not press for more responses as there are many very elderly people with carers and some houses are let or vacant, possibly second homes.

Council figures accord with the residents’ view of regular and sometimes serious accidents on Wilson Avenue. Most of those surveyed had witnessed accidents, had their front walls crashed into and described accessing their driveways as often being scary because of speeding motorists. At times, residents say, Wilson Avenue is a racetrack with no speed cameras or any effective means of preventing dangerous, fast driving.

Between 2019 and 2021 there were 12 serious accidents resulting in 20 casualties, one fatal. Yet, Sussex Police describe the current limit as ‘appropriate given that there are very few pedestrians wishing to cross’ on what they describe as a ‘semi-rural’ road. The police view also seems contrary to their stated opinion in their annual report that ‘driving at inappropriate and excess speed’ is the foremost cause of death and injury.

Asked about this reasoning, residents strongly disagreed with the Police stance. They pointed out that the eastern ‘rural’ side of the road is in fact mainly the publicly owned Sheepcote Valley with some 15 entrances; the Stanley Deason leisure centre with 3,000 users per month; the new MET Trade and Construction Campus; Brighton College’s sports grounds; Whitehawk FC grounds; the children’s playground in Brighton East Park; the Council Recycling Centre; and some four bus stops.

Falmer Road which has housing to one side and fields on the other has a 30mph limit and a speed camera, several Wilson residents point out.

Wilson Avenue experiences inappropriate and excessive speeding every day and most frequently at weekend nights when the road becomes a racetrack for young drivers. There shouldn’t be further indifference about this. Residents feel it would negligent if the issue of speeding on Wilson Avenue is not addressed and more deaths and injuries will occur.

Supported by:

Lee Swaysland

Sue Swaysland

Liz Symes

Jim Cusack

Dawn McKiernan

Rishma Hashami

Nila Patel

Helen Jones

Len Mullings

Dave Barrett

Henry Butler (Lead Spokesperson)

Cassie Gould