Quiet Lanes in Sussex?

Designating Quiet Lanes

Kent and Norfolk County Councils were the first to designate Quiet Lanes with the help of the Countryside Agency (now part of Natural England) and local CPRE initiatives. The scheme has since been rolled out in many other regions such as Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Surrey, Lancashire, Suffolk , Nottinghamshire, Wiltshire and Essex , but has suffered numerous set-backs.

Although highway authorities were able to designate minor rural roads as Quiet Lanes under the Transport Act 2000, they also had to abide by regulations that had not, so far, been issued by the Government. This made councils reluctant to designate any roads as Quiet Lanes.

With a lack of central government support, some county councils told campaigners that they were waiting for government regulations and guidance before they would pursue Quiet Lanes (e.g. Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Somerset ). Meanwhile, other councils felt unable to fully commit and only introduced pilot schemes which failed or stalled for various reasons (e.g. Cheshire , Hertfordshire, West Sussex ).

The regulations, which local authorities are to abide by when designating Quiet Lanes, were eventually introduced by a Government Circular in August 2006. The regulations give local authorities greater guidance on how to designate and implement Quiet Lanes. CPRE hopes that the new regulations will encourage more authorities to take part in the scheme and, both nationally and locally, remains at the forefront of promoting the designation of new Quiet Lanes.

No Quiet Lanes in Sussex . yet?
At a local level, CPRE Sussex campaigns for 'Safer and Quieter Rural Roads' and fully supports the Quiet Lanes scheme. Unfortunately, the uptake of Quiet Lanes in Sussex - to date - has been poor. This is something that CPRE Sussex would like to see change.

West Sussex
Following the Transport 2000 Act, The West Sussex Rural Transport Plan 2001 identified the need for Quiet Lanes to support the overall rural transport objectives and identified four potential pilot schemes. Only one option was carried forward. This was in the Bury, Barlavington and Bignor area. While this area has seen its roads enhanced in keeping with the Quiet Lanes ethos, the application for Quiet Lanes designation did not go ahead.

The West Sussex Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 states that it will, within its "actions to reduce the number of vulnerable road users seriously injured", evaluate the pilot scheme for Quiet Lanes. It does not commit to any further participation in the scheme.

A West Sussex County Council representative stated that the council has no further budget for Quiet Lanes at present, but it will note and consider each request on its individual merits. They will only consider a road for Quiet Lane designation if there is a public request. Finance, staff resources and the dominance of 'other issues' are considered to be the main factors impeding Quiet Lane designation in West Sussex.

We hope to launch a Quiet Lanes scheme in West Chiltington. Further details to follow.

East Sussex
In East Sussex , a Speed Management Strategy, published in 2003, included policy approaches for the designation of Quiet Lanes in the county. It stated that it would not develop or fund any such projects until the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) had reported on pilot schemes in Norfolk and Kent . If the TRL reports demonstrated tangible benefits, then the County Council stated it would consider progressing Quiet Lane projects.

The TRL reports for the pilots in Norfolk and Kent were published in 2004, but t he East Sussex Local Transport Plan, 2006-2011, still refers back to the 2003 Speed Management Strategy. It states that the policy approaches for the introduction of Quiet Lanes in East Sussex are held within the 2003 document and does not elaborate further.

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