Backlash mounts as Broadbridge Heath bypass chaos continues

More anger has been vented by road users over the closure of a major route between Broadbridge Heath and Horsham.
The Broadbridge Heath bypass has been closed causing traffic chaosThe Broadbridge Heath bypass has been closed causing traffic chaos
The Broadbridge Heath bypass has been closed causing traffic chaos

Part of the A281 Broadbridge Heath bypass has been shut as contractors work to downgrade the road between the Tesco roundabout and the Newbridge roundabout.

The works will mean motorists will no longer be able to travel directly through the stretch and instead will have to travel between the roundabouts via Billingshurst Road or the newly created A264 at Wickhurst Green.

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Hours after the closure motorists expressed their fury over long delays and traffic chaos.

Speaking to the County Times today (May 10) one woman who regularly uses The Bridge leisure centre said she was being put off using thee centre after being stuck in queues of traffic in Tesco car park for more than half-an-hour.

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She said: “I am not going to come anywhere near Tesco whilst this is going on. I don’t think it has been thought out at all.

“You can not treat people like this. People have busy lives and they are stuck in a car park not moving. It’s so ridiculous.”

She called for more signage to be put up in the area to warn people of the closure.

Broadbridge Heath resident Neil Robertson described the scheme as a waste of money which was ‘ruining everybody’s lives’.

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He said: “We all said it would be a nightmare and indeed it is.

“(There’s a) Huge increase of traffic on BillingsHurst Road as people don’t bother reading or don’t believe the road closed signs.

“This will cause pollution too, we need pollution check on BillingsHurst Road, children are going to die from it let alone the traffic.

“This must be stopped or reversed.”

John Piechoczek, from Slinfold, said: “(The) closure of the old Broadbridge Heath bypass is insane.

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“The old roundabout where the A281 and A264 join always used to be a major bottleneck causing long daily traffic jams. This was due to high volume of traffic from Horsham direction towards Guildford crossing a high volume of traffic travelling from Billingshurst towards Horsham.

“This change introduces exactly the same problem, only worse because the new housing will further increase traffic volumes.

“As a cyclist I see little point to the “improvements” either. There are already two routes that cross from Broadbridge Heath to the new development and for anyone to get any real benefit from going around they would need to arrive from one of the extremely dangerous main roads with no provision for cyclists at all.”

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