Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > A264 East Grinstead - Tunbridge Wells - WARNING

[lizzie]

Now I know some of you (stand up Ian) have discovered MY road, so you should know this:

Yesterday morning en route to work, I came across a camera van parked in the parking area on the outside of the first bend (left hand) after the long straight once you get out of East Grinstead heading for Tunbridge Wells on the A264. It seemed such a stupid place to put one I just assumed he'd stopped for a cuppa, but he was still there when I headed home 10 hours later and he's still there this morning (maybe he's broken down!).

It's a national speed limit road and he's parked on the outside of the bend, without a view down the previous straight. For those who know the road well, the bend can easily and safely be taken at a speed somewhat in excess of the limit, except that it's quite a busy road and the vast majority of cars will be doing significantly less, so you'd need a clear run. If you don't know the road, the bend is well signposted and you'd be daft to be doing much more than 60. I'd be very surprised if more than 1 in 50 vehicles were doing greater than 60 + 10% + 2 mph (as confirmed by the camera man at Brands on Sunday).

Now this is a dangerous road and there are lots of accidents, though there seem to have been fewer than usual over the last year or so (I've commuted along here for eight years now). The vast majority of the injury accidents/deaths happen either opposite the Holtye Golf Club clubhouse or at the staggered junction to Cowden a couple of miles further on, invariably because some myopic cretin has pulled out from the side roads in front of someone on the A264. The other main factor is the appalling state of the roads, although some of the worst bits have been patched over the last few weeks. Speed does not generally seem to be a cause although obviously it makes the result worse. It is, however, a famous biker road in this part of the world. I still can't see any reason for where the camera van is positioned though, particularly as the stated aim is to reduce pedestrian injuries and I don't think I have ever seen a pedestrian in the area.

Anyway, I had a look at the Sussex camera van website apparently announcing the positioning of their van and - surprise, surprise - no mention of it being there yesterday or today.

So - take care out there