Lewes Forum thread

Is traffic allowed from both directions over the Bridge and past bills etc now...Wasn't it one way before?

No it flippin' isnt!
Best thing to do is just stand in the road.
Why are they mostly BMWs and 4x4s?

Phoenix Causeway roadworks chaos, so lots of people trying it on. Had to go via Barcombe yesterday because the tunnel was at a standstill, too.

there isn't any no entry signs though as you approach.. eg.the red ones with a white stripe through?

PLEEEEAZZZZZZZE dont talk to me about the traffic in Cliffe High St - I live in Cliffe High St and I can look out of my window any day or evening and see cars parking, two way traffic etc - and no one is monitoring it. The traffic monkeys who are supposed to be parking wardens never ever ticket anyone who is driving illegallly down Cliffe.

I worked in Cliffe High Street until recently and my boss tackled the wardens over wrong way driving. Turns out the wardens can only do people for parking wrongly. Driving the wrong way is a matter for the police... all well and good until you see police cars (not on emergency) driving the wrong way too!

Yes, it was much safer when we just had a narrow pavement.
Now you have to keep you eye out for kerb mounting cars that creep up on you, why do they insist on parking on the pavement just to pick up something from Bills (other shops available).

traffic up and down most people are fine will it .
It only for a few days or so. just keep to 20 mph

I'm not fine with it. I've taken to hitting the cars as they go past. Is this wrong?

why its only for a short time lets all get on together

There isn't a no entry sign anymore so it must be ok at the moment.

Standing in their way would be fine until you are nearly run over (as I was) by numpties who think they know better

I drove the RIGHT way down Cliffe high street just after nine pm the other night , first time I had ever done it so was being extra cautious. Within 30 seconds of each two cars raced the WRONG way down the street and had to come to swift halt when they saw me just over Cliffe bridge. They must have been avoiding the roadworks, but it really confused me as I'd always thought it was one-way.

There are no signs stating otherwise so it is legal to drive both ways. If not, then every road in the land should be one way!

There is proper signage at the Morris Road end saying that it no entry to all vehicles except bicycles. It is just that many motorists have forgotten their highway code.

Surely Cliffe High Street is the obvious way to redirect traffic that cannot get into town over Phoenix Causeway. After all, it used to be open to traffic in that direction. Just because it has only been pedestrianised fairly recently it is still a road. If it is good enough for deliveries, or for the people that live down there, then surely for a few days it can be good enough for everyone else as well. All the finger waggers that have conveniently forgotten it used to be a thoroughfare are about as tolerant as the blue meanies it would seem. The only problem would be that for a couple of days the pedestrians would have to walk on the pavement (shock horror), and Bill might have to reduce the number of tables (although I doubt it!)

A big sign on the round about as you come off the main road telling you not to go that way!!!

some bicycles riders need to slow down in the cliffe. One came so close to nocking a old lady over the other day.

re Tom.
Do kids still do bicycle proficency courses these days£ Just wondered because there are a lot of idiotic cyclists about. As a cyclist myself it is very annoying to be lumped in with these morons. Last night we passed a bloke on the ringmer road, no lights and ipod headphones on. Very nearly got himself a Darwin award.

There is a road sign at the entrance to the high street showing a motorbike over a car which translates as 'No motor vehicles'. This has been there since the recent pavement widening. There was no dispensation for drivers to go the wrong way during the Causeway roadworks - just numpty's who thought they knew better.

ken sounds like a right p.c person!

It would be much clearer if they had the tradiitonal no entry sign though. Motor vehicles are allowed in one direction if they are delivering or making collections, so to have it say no motor vehicles when you know they are allowed under some circumstances is misleading and confusing imo.

If they put a no entry sign there, then cyclists would not be able to enter!!! Arrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhh. Read the highway code. It is the correct sign and perfectly clear. Next!

@Stan. Yes kids still do the cycling proficiency, but it's not obligatory.

And for all the Bill bashers joy - I did knock one of their chairs over as I squeezed my car down to the Argos car park !

seems to be more traffic going down and up Cliffe than before it was pedestrianised!

The signage is perfectly correct as Mystic Mog said. There are clear signs at both end saying no motor vehicles except for access. What this means is that you can only drive down there at all if you're stopping down there but you are perfectly entitled to drive down from either end for that very purpose. I was driving from the Snowy to the JHT to pick someone up the other evening and drove up from the bottom end entirely legally, vinidcated by the police car I was following up there who didn't bat an eyelid. Had I not stopped off of course I'm sure he would have pulled me over.

That said, it is ludicrous to divert traffic all the way round the bypass while the other bridge is closed when there's a perfectly good road bridge a mere 100 yards further down the river. I think the cobbling of the road has lulled pedetrians into a dangerous false sense of security, you still need to watch out for cars as it's still a road. What's needed though is a police presence to book people using it as a thoroughfare or speeding.

And I'm laughing at whoever suggested the parking attendants should get involved. How is road traffic law violations in any way part of their job descripton? The clue's in the name really. I suppose you want to kit them out with speed guns and give them powers to inspect suspected defects on your car right? Maybe give them the power of arrest if they see anyone breaking any other laws like parking within sight of a church on a sunday or not practising archery once a week because you know full well that if there was money in it for them they'd enforce those kinds of laws long before they got involved with people going the "wrong" way up what's technically a two-way road.

Absolutely !

Hang on Ed, they are actually called CEOs which stands for Civil Enforcement Officers. I believe this was an initiative of the previous Government in order to allow the CEOs further powers if deemed necessary. Imagine...A thought that sends shudders down ones spine. They need no encouragement whatsoever.

"That said, it is ludicrous to divert traffic all the way round the bypass while the other bridge is closed when there's a perfectly good road bridge a mere 100 yards further down the river"
OK, but when Cliffe High Street was a proper road the precinct wasn't there. Now, nothing much bigger than a Transit can safely negotiate the Railway Lane corner by the Riverside. If you set up a diversion which said, "Anything less than about fifteen foot long ought to be OK going this way" it'd cause total chaos.