Whenever the weather is kind enough, many thousands of both tourists and residents head for Hastings seafront and, in particular, the Rock-A-Nore area. Not only does this attractive locale host many small businesses reliant on tourist trade but also the Jerwood Gallery, stunning beaches, close proximity to the picturesque Old Town - but also one of the town's main car parks. 

Invariably this car park rapidly fills to capacity resulting in instant gridlock along Rock-A-Nore Road from midday onward - due to the total absence of any traffic control effectively preventing further vehicles entering the area. The problem is exacerbated by the traffic light sequence at the junction of Rock-A-Nore Road and The Bourne, which allows only a handful of vehicles to exit onto the main road during a given sequence. It can take over an hour of "stop-start" driving to travel the effective "loop" to enter the car park only to then have to immediately exit as it is full!

Not only is this extremely frustrating for the occupants of vehicles caught in this risible situation (including dogs, baking) but what message does this send to tourists upon whose custom many Hastings businesses rely? "Fancy going to Hastings next weekend? What, and get stuck in all that traffic? No thanks - let's go to Rye/Bexhill/Eastbourne instead!" There are other, far more serious, considerations too.  

Aside from the vast number of visitors visiting the museums, the Jerwood Gallery, the Blue Reef sea-life centre, the funicular railway, or dining in the plethora of restaurants and cafes, there are many more - thousands in high season - simply enjoying the beaches in the vicinity. If there was any form of accident or emergency (consider a heart-attack, a drowning, a fire, even a cliff collapse) then the emergency services would find it nigh on impossible to reach the scene of the emergency with the gridlock that prevails - and all the sirens and flashing blue lights in the world will not make one iota of difference in being able to gain access to the furthest-most point of Rock-A-Nore.

East Sussex County Council needs to implement expedient measures NOW, before high season, to address these serious issues. Attendants should be engaged to properly manage the flow of traffic as an interim measure (paid for from the proceeds of the car park revenue perhaps) and the traffic light sequence should be amended while a longer-term solution is effected - the most obvious remedial action being to build a roundabout at the junction of Rock-A-Nore Road and The Bourne. 

There are so many reasons this ridiculous situation should be given priority attention to and, in signing this petition, you are expressing your frustration with East Sussex County Council and demanding they take remedial action immediately. No series of self-serving committee meetings dragging on for months and suchlike but immediate measures such as those suggested.