FAQs

The A259 between Chichester, Bognor Regis and A29 Shripney Lane 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. 

Facilities that exist for walking and cycling along the corridor do not meet latest design guidance in many sections of the route, while bus stop facilities are limited in places. 

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

The scheme aims to improve road safety and reduce congestion. The scheme also aims 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, if more journeys are made by public transport, cycling and walking.

An initial six-week engagement exercise took place between January and March 2024, when views were sought on the principles of improvements along the corridor. WSCC carried out high-level engagement with members of the public, District and Parish Councils and other interested parties, including walking and cycling interest groups, transport operators and accessibility groups. 61% of respondents (245 out of 405 responses) expressed support or strong support for the scheme proposals, compared to 27% of respondents (110 out of 405) responses who opposed or strongly opposed the proposals. Please refer to the Stage 1 Engagement Report (opens in new window) for more detail.

At this early stage of design, a detailed cost estimate has not yet been produced. However, we expect the scheme cost to be in line with similar schemes being delivered around the country.

An external funding stream would be used to help deliver the proposals. It is currently expected that the scheme would be funded using developer contributions and central Government grants that are intended for public transport and active travel schemes, alongside County Council funding. In order to access central Government grants, it will be necessary to demonstrate in a business case that the scheme is deliverable and would provide good value for money.

If insufficient funding is available to construct the whole scheme, then it may be the case that a priority area needs to be identified for delivery. A question is included within the consultation survey about which areas of the scheme are considered to be most important, and this information will be used to inform next steps for the scheme.

Widening roads without also providing improvements to public transport, walking and cycling facilities will encourage more people to drive. The West Sussex Transport Plan 2022-2036 (opens in new window) identified the need for improvements to highways, public transport and active travel facilities to tackle congestion.  

The proposals include the provision of bus lanes and bus gates on approaches to key junctions on the corridor, as well as improvements to bus stops. This aims to make bus journey times more competitive and more reliable, and make bus travel a more attractive alternative to the car for some journeys, helping to reduce congestion.

By providing improved facilities for cycling that is off the carriageway, we also aim to encourage more people to cycle between Chichester and Bognor Regis, particularly those people that are less confident cyclists.

The proposals would provide connections towards a number of key destinations within Chichester and Bognor Regis, including education, employment, retail and leisure destinations such as Rowan Way. The scheme would therefore make it easier for people to use public transport, walk and cycle to these and other destinations between Chichester and Bognor Regis, rather than using their vehicles.

Aside from the measures to improve the attractiveness of public transport, walking and cycling, the scheme includes road safety improvements including the restriction of lightly used right-turn movements on the corridor, as well as signalising the A259 Chichester Rd/A259 Gladius Way (North Bersted Bypass) junctions to improve traffic flow, and revising lane arrangements at the A259 Bognor Rd/Drayton Lane roundabout to improve safety. 

The County Council is also working with National Highways and the local planning authorities in Chichester and Arun to bring forward separate improvements at the A27/A259 Bognor Rd junction to mitigate the impact of planned development using developer funding.

Improvements to the A27 at Chichester are a priority identified in the West Sussex Transport Plan 2022-2036 (opens in new window). In spring 2023, the Government deferred a major scheme to improve the A27 at Chichester to a future Roads Investment Strategy. The earliest that this could now take place is in the 2030-35 period, so in the short-term small-scale improvements are being developed with the local planning authorities in Chichester and Arun to mitigate the impacts of development.

The designs that are being developed will be designed in accordance with the latest cycle infrastructure design (LTN 1/20) (opens in new window) guidance.

Yes, existing access to driveways will be maintained via dropped kerbs.

The proposals include bus lanes and bus gates using traffic signals for buses at key junctions along the corridor, in particular on the northbound A259 towards the A27 Bognor Road roundabout, and on approaches to the A259 Chichester Road/A259 Gladius Way and A29 Shripney Rd/A259 Charles Purley Way (Felpham Relief Road) junctions. Improvements to bus stops, including shelters, lighting, real time bus information displays and footway improvements are also being considered.

A key function of the scheme will be to ensure that any proposals developed will where possible link to existing facilities or use existing facilities to ensure continuity throughout the A259 corridor. Specifically the scheme is expected to link to and utilise existing cycling and pedestrian path infrastructure between the A259/B2259 Gladius Way/Chichester Road junction and the North Bersted Street/Rowan Way junction.

Parts of the A29 Shripney Road experienced flooding events during recent years. WSCC have undertaken comprehensive drainage infrastructure maintenance and assessment in the area which has identified that there is currently no issue with the highways drainage infrastructure, and that flooding issues here are related to the capacity of the Aldingbourne Rife. The Council will continue to work with the Environment Agency who are responsible for the management of the Rife to seek improvements in this area.

The Council are currently updating the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (opens in new window) for the County, which will be out to public consultation in the new year.

An external funding stream would be used to deliver these consultation proposals. The scheme would therefore be funded from funds that cannot be used for road maintenance.

Information about the County Council’s approach to addressing road maintenance issues is available on the Better Roads (opens in new window) website.

Following the close of the consultation, all responses will be analysed and used to help us decide the next steps for the scheme. If the scheme is taken forward, it will be necessary to develop a business case and undertake design, further consultation and all relevant statutory processes. We will publish a consultation report in due course to present the results of the analysis and show how the feedback has been considered.

The next steps for the scheme will be informed by the outcomes of this consultation. Further design and consultation would be needed before any schemes could be constructed. 

Construction would be subject to a business case, all relevant statutory processes (e.g. planning) and securing central Government funding for scheme delivery. It is therefore not possible to confirm a delivery timescale at this stage. However, it is likely to be several years before any construction could commence.

There is the potential for localised impacts of the scheme for example on grass verges, vegetation and wildlife from the proposals as a result of any highway widening and lighting proposals. These impacts will be assessed in further detail at the next design stage, through a detailed environmental assessment including ecological impact assessment This is particularly relevant as the scheme is within an area identified as a potential strategic wildlife corridor.

We have a commitment to ensure that all major schemes consider ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’, so any impacts on biodiversity will need to be accompanied by compensatory biodiversity improvements that result in an overall measurable improvement in biodiversity elsewhere locally.

Before any construction on the scheme starts, a Construction Management Plan will be developed to minimise the impact on the local community as much as possible. This will detail any temporary road closures, along with changes to access for pedestrians and cyclists as well as diversion routes.

You can either email any comments or questions to the team at LTP@westsussex.gov.uk or you can telephone 01243 642105. If you are deaf and have the NGT app installed on your PC, laptop, or mobile phone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 642105.