We, the undersigned residents and supporters of the growing Hassocks community, urge West Sussex Council to relocate the 30mph boundary entering Hassocks and install pedestrian traffic lights on the northern end of London Road nearby the entrances of Kingsland Gate and Friars Oak housing developments.

With the northward expansion of Hassocks housing perimeter, this section of London Road is a growing safety concern; it sees heavy, fast-moving traffic enter and leave Hassocks, especially during morning and evening rush hours. With two new housing developments—Kingsland Gate and Friars Oak—adding approx. 300 new homes to the area, the number of school children, parents, and cyclists crossing this road each day has grown dramatically.

Despite this, there is no safe, signal-controlled pedestrian crossing at this location and the location of transition to the 30/40mph zone is no longer suitable for the increased pedestrian foot traffic that passes by the new housing estates.

Many children cross this busy road to reach the designated cycle route (route 20) into Hassocks village via Shepherds Walk, but the existing traffic islands are not enough to ensure their safety. The road is narrow, the pavements are tight, and drivers frequently exceed the 30mph speed limit and/or are accelerating to 40mph before the sign is reached.

West Sussex Council does have provisions to install new pedestrian lights where they contribute to the wider goal of increasing resident safety. This requires the creation of a Community Highways Scheme for a new installation which is a competitive process based on proposals received across the whole council area throughout the year. Such proposals are graded on their merit of benefit to the safety and, critically, on the support from local community.

This petition is where we demonstrate the support of the Hassocks community.

The proposal has the support of former Councillor Kirsty Lord. Kirsty noted that large housing developments (typically over 300 plots) are often required to implement such measures on nearby main roads. While Kingsland Gate alone did not meet this threshold, the combined development of Kingsland Gate and Friars Oak housing estates now meets the planning precedent for traffic light installation.

📍 Proposed location of lights: https://w3w.co/defected.frail.engages

✅ Installing traffic lights here would:

• Create a safe crossing point for schoolchildren and families.
• Support the council’s Safe Active Travel to Schools initiative.
• Improve access to the cycle network.
• Connect established footpaths on either side of London road which are seeing increased usage.
• Reduce the risk of serious accidents in a known hazard zone (numerous traffic incidents have occured nearby)
• Take advantage of traffic islands and electrical utility already supplied to this point (making it a cost effective upgrade).

✅ What You Can Do:

• Sign this petition to show the council your support for installation of traffic lights.
• Share it with friends, family, neighbours, and local groups.
• Leave a comment if you have personal experience or views to share—whether in support or against. All feedback matters.

Highway scheme proposals must be recieved by council before the end of July for conisderation in the 2026 planning round, our community needs your support now to make our case, Let’s make Hassocks safer for everyone!

Thank you for you support!