Who has right of way?

Mon 16 Oct 2023, 18:48

The convention of a yield to vehicles coming up an incline was simply to give way to those climbing the hill so they didn't have to stop and then do a " hill start". Which quickly wore out clutch plates and with old-style engines power/weight ratio might not be so easy to break inertia. Thus wisdom, in the South Downs, was imprinted by my Driving Instructor decades ago!

Mon 16 Oct 2023, 17:15

Stop sign are a good idea, would also like to see a stop signs at the top of Dyers Hill and the bottom of Nine Acres to avoid the same traffic issues experienced in Thames Street.

Mon 16 Oct 2023, 14:50

Yes, having said cars should stop at the "STOP" signs on Park Street to check for on coming cars I realised afterwards (when walking past) that they are now no longer painted on the road! Lack of observation on my part. Restoring the painted signs on the road may help but "STOP" signs at eye level (at the bottom and the top of Park Street) might be more effective? 

A formal priority system should definitely be avoided in my opinion as it would encourage speeding on this very narrow road. As James points out, the ambiguity does act as a speed calming measure (even if some drivers do not themselves remain calm when forced to reverse...)

Mon 16 Oct 2023, 14:26 (last edited on Mon 16 Oct 2023, 14:32)

That is what used to be at the top of Park Street - a solid white line and STOP written in large on the carriageway. The second GIVE WAY line at the bottom of Park Street is a newer innovation. I think STOP may have offended the bus drivers rather like your sensible suggestion of herringbone parking - when the Town Council didn't support it in the 1990s

Mon 16 Oct 2023, 13:07

Town Council traffic committee will consider this when we meet the County Council to discuss traffic calming. (Today's meeting was postponed owing to illness.)

There seems to be an unspoken rule that drivers at the top of the hill give way to those coming up it. Perhaps a hangover from the now-disappeared STOP line?

It strikes me that for drivers who are familiar with this route, we all slow/stop and look down to the bottom to see if we need to wait, and the ambiguity over what might be coming in the other direction acts as a form of traffic calming.

Given the increased traffic to local hostelries, this habit may need to be reinforced with some paint on the carriageway.

Mon 16 Oct 2023, 12:04

There was a "STOP" line at the Church Street end until about 20 years ago or so which disappeared after some resurfacing? 

Sat 14 Oct 2023, 13:18

I think a lot of the problem is that there is no indication at either end how long the give way section is (about160m).  It is difficult to see the opposing give way markings in the road from either end. I expect a lot of people coming from Church St who are unfamiliar with the area assume the give way section only applies to the narrows up to Priory Lane junction and not as far as Clarendon Court.  At least, I hope that is the explanation for the number of cars and bicycles that come through the narrows whilst I am driving up the Clarendon Court to Priory Lane section.

Sat 14 Oct 2023, 08:12

Absolutely Stephen. I don’t cycle down there as much as I used to, but so many times I’ve had cars and vans assuming they can pass a bike on that narrow stretch.  Props to the double deckers that come down there who are always slow and considerate of pedestrians on the narrow pavement.

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 19:43 (last edited on Fri 13 Oct 2023, 20:14)

We should also remember to wear light colours and have lights working now the darker nights are with us if we are on two feet or two wheels or 4 legs :) Take responsibility for our own safety. Apologies, I've tried to remove this post unsuccessfully. 

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 18:03

..and don't forget a bicycle is a vehicle, so given the less-than-single width of the road you should let the cyclist clear the section of road as if it were a car

Here's an extract from the Highway code, with a reference to horses as a bonus

..leaving at least 1.5 metres (5 feet) when overtaking people cycling at speeds of up to 30mph, and giving them more space when overtaking at higher speeds. Passing people riding horses or driving horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and allowing at least 2 metres (6.5 feet) of space

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 17:54

Surely the rule is simple?

The double dotted lines at the top and bottom of Park St mean "Don't cross these lines if someone's already driving towards you". And this applies to everyone - to people about to cross the dotted lines, and to people parked - who all ought to remain static until whatever traffic's driving up or down Park St has cleared the street. 

What's really puzzling isn't what the rule is: it's why, over the past year, there's been such an explosion in people thinking they can cross the dotted lines with impunity.

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 16:49

Neither direction on Park Street has priority. As Chris says, always best to stop and check whether a vehicle is coming before proceeding beyond the stop signs otherwise you may need to reverse which can be problematic. This is the case for both the top of Park Street and the bottom. 

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 16:48

Thanks for responding Christopher. Its such a narrow stretch of road when you take into consideration the cars parked alongside its sometimes difficult to decipher who should wait and who should go! Seems like practicing patience from both ends of the road is the only solution. 

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 16:20

There are stop/give way signs at the top and bottom of Park street. I always slow down and stop from both directions, thus saving myself the hassle of getting entangled in traffic coming the other way. A few don’t stop and look before proceeding and get themselves in a right mess with oncoming traffic and spend much more time reversing, than if they had stopped and looked first. 

Fri 13 Oct 2023, 15:29

Curious which direction has right of way driving from the St Marys church down towards the pre school (think this is Grammar School Hill rd?) as the cars park on the right hand side but the road markings seem to suggest that side has priority. Can anyone clarify? I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to reverse on the bend in the road at the church for oncoming vehicles.