The Offham Road petition had 261 names on 6 September and closes 31 December. East Sussex needs 5,000 signatures for a council debate, 2,500 for officer evidence.

A petition asking East Sussex County Council to put a pedestrian crossing on Offham Road in Lewes had 261 signatures on Saturday 6 September. It closes on 31 December 2026.

It is the only ePetition currently open on the county council’s whole democracy site.

The number matters because the council’s own petition scheme sets thresholds, and 261 is a long way below both of them.

What the petition asks for

The ePetition asks the council to approve and fund a crossing on the A2029 Offham Road, to give school children and families a safe route to and from schools in Lewes. It names an alternative if that is refused: a 30mph limit along the road, radar-activated speed signs and a crossing island.

The organiser asks for a feasibility study and one of the following:

  • a zebra crossing, described as cost-effective and highly visible for a school zone
  • a pelican or puffin crossing, signal controlled, for higher traffic volumes
  • a school crossing patrol at peak times, in addition to infrastructure
  • or the 30mph limit, radar signs and island package

The case it makes is about one specific spot. There is no formal crossing point by the section known as the “piggy steps”, which the petition says school children use regularly. Offham Road is a 40mph road at that point, it bends, and sightlines are restricted for drivers and pedestrians alike. The petition says some families walk longer routes or drive short distances to avoid it.

The thresholds, and why 261 will not reach them

East Sussex publishes a petition scheme setting out what different numbers of signatures trigger.

Offham Road petition signatures against East Sussex County Council's thresholds The petition had 261 signatures on 6 September 2026. East Sussex County Council requires at least 10 signatures for a petition to be submitted, 2,500 for a senior officer to give evidence to a scrutiny committee, and 5,000 for a debate at full council. 261 signatures, against thresholds of 2,500 and 5,000 Source: East Sussex County Council ePetition page and Petition Scheme, checked 6 September 2026. Bars to scale. Signed so far 261 Officer gives evidence 2,500 Debated by full council 5,000 Deadline to sign 31 December 2026 Only people who live, work or study in East Sussex may sign. Graphic by The Lewes Post
The petition is short of both formal thresholds with under four months left.
  • 10 signatures is the minimum for a petition to be submitted at all.
  • 2,500 signatures means a senior council officer must give evidence at a public meeting of the appropriate overview and scrutiny committee, if the petition asks for that.
  • 5,000 signatures means the petition is debated at full council, with the organiser given five minutes to present it.

Only people who live, work or study in East Sussex may sign, and each signatory has to give a name and an address.

The route that does not need a threshold

None of that means a smaller petition goes nowhere. The council’s scheme sets out a second route with no signature bar attached.

A county councillor can present a petition to the Chairman of the County Council immediately before a full council meeting. The Chairman then often refers it to Cabinet or to a Lead Member, the cabinet member with responsibility for that area. Where that happens, one signatory is invited to address the decision-making body about it.

That is the realistic path for a petition of this size, and it runs through a county councillor rather than through the signature count.

The council proposed a crossing here nine years ago

Offham Road has been looked at before, and further into town.

East Sussex Highways consulted on a signal-controlled crossing on Offham Road between 10 July and 4 August 2017. The proposal put it just north of the junction with Prince Edward’s Road, and it came with more than the crossing itself:

  • two new lighting columns carrying the traffic signals, plus new columns on both approaches
  • an uncontrolled crossing at the Offham Road and Wallands Crescent junction, with dropped kerbs and tactile paving
  • both bus stops relocated a short distance
  • the footway on the south side widened and extended from Prince Edward’s Road
  • new road markings and signs

The consultation page says the council would “look to introduce the new pedestrian crossing in early 2018”, subject to the feedback received. No outcome has been published on that page. We could not establish whether the crossing was built, and do not assert either way.

What it means for you

  • You can only sign if you live, work or study in East Sussex, and you need to log in or register on the county council’s site to do it.
  • The deadline is 31 December 2026. After that the petition closes automatically and the organiser is notified.
  • Contacting your county councillor is the step that matters most at this size. The scheme’s presentation route runs through a councillor, not through a signature total.
  • Nothing is scheduled. Offham Road does not appear on East Sussex Highways’ current highway schemes list, which covers the whole county, so no works are programmed there.

For what is actually happening on the district’s roads this fortnight, see our Lewes roadworks and travel page. A separate scheme to get walkers and cyclists out of Lewes safely, northwards along the Ouse, took a step forward last week: the Hamsey Bridge funding decision.

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