Hastings car park '˜chaos': '˜No easy solution' says county council

Rock-a-Nore car park photographed in August 2017

On Saturday afternoon (March 31), hundreds of motorists were unable to leave the car park for more than two hours due to the number of vehicles entering and leaving.

Some urged East Sussex County Council to consider changes to the traffic lights at the junction between the A259 and Rock-a-Nore Road which currently gives priority to vehicles travelling on the A259 and can cause queuing traffic in Rock-a-Nore Road during busy times.

A spokesman for the county council said: “We were made aware of issues with traffic at this junction, caused by large numbers of people using this car park over the Easter weekend.

“Our highways team did make some adjustments to the phasing of the traffic lights which helped to ease the congestion for people coming in and out of Rock-a-Nore Road.

“This car park is positioned close to many of the most popular tourist attractions in Hastings, meaning it’s always busy at peak times, and has only one way in and out, therefore there is no easy solution to this problem.

“In considering any traffic measures we have to take into account not only facilitating easy access into and exit from the car park, but also the need to allow safe crossing for pedestrians and to avoid creating more delays and congestion on the main A259.

“We will continue to work with our colleagues at Hastings Borough Council to look at options for long-term measures to address these issues.”