Cyclists urge upgrades to 'dangerous' A27 cycle path

Cyclists who use a "sketchy" cycle lane alongside the A27 are calling for improvements.

They said the shared cycle and pedestrian path between Falmer and Lewes, East Sussex, is dangerous because of high-speed traffic, the lane's narrow width, and overgrowing vegetation.

They are calling for National Highways to widen the 2.4-mile-long (3.8km) path and build a new one away from the A27 in certain sections.

National Highways said it does not own any of the land next to the pathway, and changing the topography would also present a significant engineering challenge.

"It's getting a bit sketchy; in the winter you're heading into the car headlights, and you feel vulnerable. It's incredibly narrow," painter-decorator Paul Kench, who cycles to Lewes every day for work, said.

The 54-year-old added: "One of the flaws is there's two bits of tarmac on the path that have merged into one which is dangerous when it's wet."

Brenda Pollack, from Brighton, told BBC Radio Sussex that she tried to avoid the cycle path when she can.

The 62-year-old said: "It's really scary; it's noisy and not maintained properly. You have twigs and branches in your face."

Chris Todd, from campaign group Transport Action Network, said: "There's no protection from traffic if it comes off [the road]. It's unpleasant and unsafe."

MP for Lewes James MacCleary said the cycling infrastructure "is not keeping up with the needs" of people and urged National Highways to tackle overgrowth and build a partition away from traffic.

One section of the cycle lane is away from the road on a country road that runs parallel to the A27, but most of the path runs directly next to the road.

National Highways finished a nine-mile (13km) shared-use path on a different part of the A27 between Firle and Polegate in June 2023.

A spokesperson said: "Safety is our top priority, and we created a new segregated pathway in 2020 to move cyclists and horse riders away from the carriageway. We continue to work closely with partners, including Sussex Police to monitor safety on this route."

Concerns were also raised about cyclists having to cross two slip roads at the petrol station on the eastbound side of the carriageway.

There have been works to the slip roads to make them longer due to upgrades to the petrol station and a Greggs bakery.

National Highways claimed there was not enough space to divert the cycle route, and the developers do not own the fields at the rear of the site.

South Downs National Park Authority, the area's planning authority, said it fully recognises the concerns of cyclists using the current infrastructure.

A spokesperson said it shares the aspiration to improve the shared-use path, but the planning application to improve the petrol station was "an application related to the redevelopment of the existing service station site and associated slip-road works, rather than a strategic redesign of the wider A27 active travel corridor".

The spokesperson added: "We have previously raised concerns about the active travel provision along the A27 corridor in our consultation responses to National Highways and we will continue to seek improvements along this important route."

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