Proposed transport network improvements

This engagement ran from Monday 29th January to Monday 11th March 2024. The Stage 1 Engagement Report (opens in new window) has been published. Following the feedback received a public consultation (opens in new window) has been launched on feasibility designs for this scheme in Autumn 2024. The original engagement webpage text has been retained below.

We are working to improve the transport network across West Sussex. By making it safer, easier and more convenient to walk, cycle and use public transport, we can help to create more pleasant places in which to live, work and do business.

The West Sussex Transport Plan 2022-2036 (opens in new window) sets out how the County Council intends to address a number of challenges, including climate change, congestion, public health and road safety through improvements to the transport network.

Upgrading the A259 between Chichester and Bognor Regis is identified within this plan as a priority for investment. It is now being developed as part of our Strategic Transport Investment Programme (STIP).

Engagement and consultation

We are now raising awareness on the types of improvements we are considering along the A259 corridor and seeking initial feedback. The comments we receive will help identify key constraints, issues, and opportunities that will be used to develop our designs and enable us to seek future funding opportunities.

Subject to the feedback we receive, we hope to carry out a further consultation later this year, where we would present more detailed plans for the scheme.

We would like to hear your views on our proposals, so please complete the survey and provide your comments on the interactive map.

The initial engagement period will close on Monday 11 March 2024 at 11:55pm.

Why we need a scheme

The A259 between Chichester and Bognor Regis is an important route for access to education, jobs and services but the majority of journeys are currently made by private cars and public transport use is low. This results in congestion, especially during peak times, which makes bus journeys longer and services unreliable.

There are also no continuous pedestrian and cycle facilities along the A259, and the facilities that do exist do not meet the latest design guidance along many sections of the route.

Safety is also a problem, with some junctions along the corridor having a high number of collisions. Some of these have involved pedestrians and cyclists.

These issues limit the attractiveness of public transport, cycling and walking which could be addressed by improvements along the corridor.

The proposals

The emerging scheme is intended to make local bus services more reliable and a more attractive transport choice, and make active travel a more realistic, attractive, and safe option for journeys along the corridor. This could lead to a reduction in short-distance car journeys along the corridor, if more journeys are made by public transport, cycling and walking. The emerging scheme is also expected to improve the junctions for all road users to improve road safety and reduce congestion.

The scheme would provide improvements between the A27/A259 Bognor Rd junction and the A29 Shripney Rd/A259 Charles Purley Way (Felpham Relief Road) junction (and north to Shripney Lane).

The types of improvements that we are considering along the route includes:

• Two-way segregated cycle tracks.
• Smaller sections of shared use (i.e. for walking and cycling) path where space is limited.
• Signal controlled crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Pedestrian and cyclist priority across side road junctions, which could be via raised tables.
• Dedicated bus-only lanes, both northbound and southbound, along some sections of the route.
• Bus gates where buses receive their own traffic signal to give them priority over other traffic.
• Quiet routes that utilise existing low-traffic roads parallel to the A259, which are shared with all road users.
• Junction improvements to improve safety for all users and reduce congestion, including the A259 Bognor Rd/Drayton Lane junction and signalisation of the A259 Chichester Rd/A259 Gladius Way (North Bersted bypass) junction.
• Upgrading bus laybys to include real time passenger information display boards, shelters and better paths to improve accessibility and safety.

The scheme is at an early stage of development and is likely to depend on securing Government grant funding, so it is expected to be several years before construction could commence.

Have your say

We would like to hear your views on these proposed improvements by completing our survey (opens in new window). The engagement period is open until 11:55pm on Monday 11 March 2024.

Your feedback is important to us and will help shape the designs moving forward. Please take this opportunity to let us know what you think, it should only take approximately 10 minutes to complete the survey. We also invite you to provide your comments on the interactive map (opens in new window).

Alternative formats and accessibility

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us via email at LTP@westsussex.gov.uk or by telephone on 01243 642105 and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 642105.

For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.