HUNDREDS of people are demanding a McDonald’s close its doors amid concerns its drive-through is causing “gridlock”.
More than 200 people have called on the branch in Eastern Avenue, Shoreham, to shut due to complaints about eager customers causing “heavy delays and unnecessary pollution”.
The McDonald’s restaurant with a popular drive-through option can be found just metres away from a level crossing.
On some occasions, the queues spill out from the car park and into the road, forcing customers to queue with those waiting for the train barriers.
Residents say they have been left having to avoid the area at peak times to avoid the scores of drivers lining up to enter the outlet.
A spokesman for McDonald’s said they are aware of the queues which, they say, are being caused by additional measures to keep customers safe.
The statement comes after more than 200 people signed a petition calling on the outlet to close.
The campaign was started by Connor Mcintyre and can be found on 38Degrees.
Mr Mcintyre said: “(They should) close until they can operate without causing the train gates and surrounding area to become gridlocked.
“It is causing heavy delays and unnecessary pollution.
READ MORE: McDonald's road closed due to large queues in Shoreham
“Traffic is backing up past the skate park and up Eastern Avenue, causing multiple roads to become gridlocked including Dolphin Road, which is industrial and has large lorry movements.
“This is causing delays of more than 30 minutes, forcing locals to go the long way around via Middle Road or Gordon Road just to avoid the queuing traffic for McDonald’s.”
Responding to the petition, a McDonald’s spokesman said: “To help keep our people and our customers safe, we have introduced a number of additional measures and changes to our restaurants, which means it is taking a little longer than usual to serve people at our drive-through.
“We are also bringing in our new digital menu boards this week, and have been working hard to mitigate the impact this may have.
“We are aware some queues have developed, so we apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank our customers for bearing with us during this time.”
Earlier this year, the outlet caused huge delays and bus diversions when opening its drive-through service for the first time after lockdown. Customers had had to go seven weeks without their favourite takeaway.
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