Chichester action group to tackle 'loud vehicles driving at excessive speeds'

Chichester City Council agreed to proposals for a new action group, which will tackle ‘excessively loud engine noise’.

It was a motion brought forward by Richard Plowman during a planning and conservation committee meeting on Wednesday, September 29.

Chairman Mr Plowman said a group had previously been set up to deal with noise issues within the north of the district.

However, it was felt that this group was ‘now too large’ and that a separate group to deal particularly with the south would now need to be set up.

The meeting heard that there has been a ‘great deal of anti-social behaviour’ by drivers — a problem ‘exacerbated by the pandemic’.

Mr Plowman said: "Members of the new working group would include the police, West Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council, as well as members of the public and city councillors.

"Many of us became aware of the noise issues and anti-social behaviour during the pandemic with loud vehicles driving at excessive speeds down the motorway often during the early hours of the morning and even car parks being misused.

"Noise causes pollution in its own right which can affect our wellbeing and health."

Councillor Martyn Bell, who had been involved with the district-wide group, fully supported the proposed initiative. He also highlighted the importance of working with the other parishes.

Councillor Scicluna, a representative of south ward, noted how serious the situation now was and supported the proposal.

Mr Bell and fellow councillors Pauline Gaskin, Sarah Sharp, and Sarah Quail expressed interest in joining the group.

Speeding tractors a cause for concern

The speed of tractors in the city is also of concern to many residents, according to councillor Plowman.

During his two-year stint as Mayor of Chichester, Mr Plowman held a summit with National Farmers’ Union (NFU) representatives and local farmers.

He said: “Tractors have to obey the highway code and if speeding would be liable to the same laws as other road members so there is a role for the police in these matters.

“Unfortunately the tractors and trailers have little alternative than to use the current routes through the city to get to the main depot in East Ashling often with a narrow window to get the crops in when harvested.

“The farmers did agree to ensure all drivers, particularly sub contractors, were trained and made familiar with areas where they could be danger to the public such as along St Paul’s Road and stopping at the One Stop store.

“The problem is our road infrastructure, particularly the A27, is inadequate for the traffic using them. We have had no new roads for at least 30 years.”