Calls for 20mph limit on road after girl hit by car

George Carden
BBC News, Newhaven
George Carden/BBC Sylvia Porritt standing next to Lewes Road which has a row of parked cars and terraced houses behind her. She is wearing a silver top and has glassesGeorge Carden/BBC
Residents such as Sylvia Porritt are calling for a speed limit reduction and crossing point in Lewes Road, Newhaven, after a girl was hit by a car on Monday

Residents have called for a 20mph speed limit and pedestrian crossing on an East Sussex road where a four-year-old girl was hit by a car.

A petition calling for improved safety measures on Lewes Road, Newhaven, launched after the child was injured on Monday, has more than 400 signatures.

She was taken by air ambulance to King's College Hospital in London where she remains.

East Sussex County Council wished the girl a speedy recovery and said it will consider the petition when it is received.

James MacCleary, MP for Lewes, said at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday that the girl was recovering well in hospital but that residents living in the area have been "warning how unsafe these roads are" around Seaford and Newhaven.

Sylvia Porritt, who has lived on the 30mph road for 40 years, said: "It's very busy, especially in rush hour times it's a nightmare. There's nowhere to cross.

"There's been a few accidents on this road. It's just a race track, it's not safe for children or the elderly."

George Carden/BBC The bottom end of Lewes Road which has parked cars and houses on each side. It's at the bottom of a fairly steep hill with a blind crest at the top where you can't always see oncoming trafficGeorge Carden/BBC
The bottom end of Lewes Road next to Robinson Road

Carol White, another resident, said the road was used as a "cut through instead of the A26".

"I was walking to my allotment on Sunday and a car was doing 70mph in a 50mph [road] leading into the town," she said. "No-one stops to let pedestrians cross."

Mark Bunker, who has lived in the road for two years, said: "It's a very busy road, it's fast.

"There's a blind spot at the top which is a high risk [area] for an incident.

"There was a really sad incident the other day. If there was a measure that could be looked at to reduce the speed, I think that would be a good idea."

MacCleary asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer if he would intervene to unblock the funding needed to make the A259 and surrounding areas safer.

The PM gave his "sympathies" to the family and the girl.

He added that he had heard "a lot about this road" [the A259] and knew "it needs addressing".

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