I enclose 4 representation forms in respect of various representations that I have on your Policy BEX9, The Spindlewood Drive site. This site is also the subject of a current Planning Application with Reference RR/2017/1705/P.

My fourth representation concerns the creation of a rat run by having access off both Barnhorn road and Spindlewood Drive. I have attached an aerial photograph showing the short cut I am concerned about.

The land development off Spindlewood Drive is intended to have direct access off both the A259 Barnhorn road and will in effect have a connection to the B2182 Cooden Sea road via Maple Walk and Clavering Walk/ Maple Avenue. Accesses off both Barnhorn road and Spindlewood Drive will create a short-cut through the development and on to Maple Walk and Maple Avenue for traffic moving between Barnhorn road and Cooden Beach /West Bexhill areas. The short-cut will be about 260 metres shorter than the main road via Little Common roundabout and Cooden Sea road. Given the congestion on Barnhorn road at the approach to Little Common roundabout the temptation for traffic to use the short cut would be irresistible. This short-cut is likely to draw more than 1000 vehicles per day on to the residential roads of Spindlewood Drive, Maple Walk, Maple Avenue and Clavering Walk. Maple Walk and Maple Avenue are both un-adopted privately maintained roads. In the case of Maple Walk a significant length is no more 3.2 metres wide and completely impossible for two vehicles to pass without one giving way to another by pulling into a side turning or access way. Pedestrians also have to walk in the road in this narrow section - there are no footways or grass verges and increased traffic movements will obviously be very dangerous for them.

Despite proposals for speed limits through the housing area the rat run would be quicker for traffic than the classified road network route for most of the working day because of congestion on Barnhorn road and in Little Common village centre. The proposal is therefore severely detrimental to the amenity of a large area of existing housing.

ESCC GET have said in their response to the application that they would require the developer to install a 20mph one through the estate backed up by speed control measures and that would be sufficient to deter rat-runners. Recent experience with a rat-run of very similar length, avoiding a congested junction in Saint Leonards only 6 Kilometres away does NOT confirm this view. Despite installation of a chicane and a total of 11 speed humps (some quite severe) on the St Leonards rat-run, it continued to be used for prolonged peak periods by significant numbers of cars and vans for many years until the congestion at A259 Bexhill road /Harley Shute road junction was relieved by the Bexhill-Hastings link road. This rat run in Bulverhythe was 870 metres long, narrow and included several side turnings. For comparison the rat-run through the Spindlewood development would be 800 metres long even with the proposed slightly convoluted routeing.

Even with a delay for the right turn at the Barnhorne entrance, an average of less than 17.5mph on the estate roads and additional time to negotiate the various turns the rat-run would still be very attractive relative to the queuing time on Barnhorn road at Little Common roundabout for much of the working day. The rat-run would have drivers between 45 seconds to 1 minute. An advantage that would attract many.

The existence of the rat run would make the situation at the Barnhorn road junction even more dangerous more or less throughout the working day because of the additional use of the right turn by rat-running traffic to avoid congestion at Little Common roundabout. Traffic queues on the Barnhorn road approach to the Little Common roundabout routinely extend back to within sight of the farm turn-off and often further. The creation of the rat run and the increased use of the right turning lane in the ghost island on Barnhorn road are both highly undesirable side effects of this development.

G Lawson representation No 4 on creation of a short cut 'Rat-run' between Barnhorn road and Cooden Sea road

Creation of a short cut (rat run)

The short- cut shown in red, saving up to 210 metres on main road route in the southbound direction shown in white (the saving is distance is a little less in the northbound direction because of the elongated roundabout).

(photo attached, can be viewed here: http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=31270)

With two accesses to the development from both A259 Barnhorn road and Spindlewood drive there is the possibility for people to take the short cut from west to South and vice versa. After the peak hour the westbound flow on Barnhorn road is reduced and therefore there will be more gaps in the westbound traffic and a greater possibility for traffic to get across and take the short-cut. Given the congestion on Barnhorn road at the approach to Little Common roundabout the temptation for traffic to use the short cut would be irresistible. This short-cut is likely to draw in the region of 1000 - 1500 vehicles per day on to the residential roads of Spindlewood Drive, Maple Walk, Maple Avenue and Clavering Walk as shown in the aerial photo shot above.

The short-cut through the development would bring increased traffic on to Maple Walk and Maple Avenue for traffic moving between Barnhorn road and Cooden Beach/West Bexhill areas. The short-cut (rat run) is shown in red in the diagram above. The short-cut will be some 210 metres shorter than the main road via Little Common roundabout and Cooden Sea road. Given the congestion on Barnhorn road at the approach to Little Common roundabout the temptation for traffic to use the short cut would be irresistible. This short-cut is likely to draw in more than 1000 vehicles per day and possibly as much as 1500 vehicles per day on to the residential roads of Spindlewood Drive, Maple Walk, Maple Avenue and Clavering Walk. Maple Walk and Maple Avenue are both un-adopted privately maintained roads.

Maple Walk

In the case of Maple Walk a significant length is no more 3.2 metres wide and for two vehicles to pass one has to give way to another by pulling off the roadway across a side access. But it would be just possible for a flow of up to 200 vehicles per hour to use this narrow section.

The following four photographs illustrate the problems this would cause. The effect for pedestrians, pedestrians with push chairs and impaired mobility scooters conflicting with rat running traffic could be disastrous. Pedestrians who are not infrequent in this stretch, have to walk in the road in this narrow section of Maple Walk- there are no footways or grass verges and increased traffic movements will obviously be very dangerous for them. Rother District Council should not be encouraging this. I object to this substantial and potentially dangerous increased traffic use of Maple Walk.

Photo 1. Maple Walk between Antrona Close and Hazelwood Close. A small car in the very narrow part 150 meters length without footpath and total road width of 3.2 meters only. There is no room for two vehicles to pass.

(photo attached, can be viewed here: http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=31271)

Photo 2. Maple Walk. There are no footways or verges so pedestrians are forced into the road in narrow section on the short-cut
(photo attached, can be viewed here: http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=31272)

Photo 3. Impaired mobility scooter and guide dog on the narrow section of Maple Walk
(photo attached, can be viewed here: http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=31273

Photo 4. Pedestrians with a child in a push chair negotiate the narrow section with caution
(photo attached, can be viewed here: http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=31274)

Photo 5. Very narrow 180 metre length of Maple Walk. Opposing traffic has to pull off the road at an access.
(photo attached, can be viewed here: http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=31275)