Bury Parish Council played host to several VIPs on Friday in a meeting arranged to discuss anti-social road behaviour on Bury Hill, most notably by speeding and noisy bikers. The big guns were out in force, with Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner in attendance, along with her dedicated anti-social road behaviour officer Habib Rahman, as well as Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katie Bourne and our MP, Andrew Griffith. After some roadside discussions, the meeting at Bury Green was also attended by several Bury Parish Councillors, as well as residents concerned about the anti-social road use problem.
Cllr Paul Whyles, who has led on the issue for BPC, gave a resume of the situation, thanking Sussex Police for the quieter weekends that have resulted from Operation Downsway providing police presence and camera vans and voiced BPC’s regret that their application for average speed cameras had been turned down by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership. He said that a long-term, sustainable solution remained BPC’s objective, despite the SSRP refusal.
Chief Constable Shiner and Chief Inspector Rahman both voiced their ongoing commitment to tackling the problem, principally through Operation Downsway, but also by working collaboratively with the community on seeking other measures that can be taken to help lessen speed and noise.
Andrew Griffith urged the community via BPC, to work on a package of measures to lessen speeding on the A29, including village gates, raised flower beds, rumble strips, a pelican crossing and other pinch points to make the road seem less like a speeding strip and more like a part of a community. Some of these measures have already been discussed by BPC and further discussions will now take place, both at parish council level and within the community.
