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Monday, 06 July 2020 08:39

A very interesting proposal from Surrey County Council!

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The email below has been sent to LOSRA by Nick Healey, the Area Highway Manager for Surrey County Council and makes for an interesting read:

"Following the Government’s recent announcements we have been working with Borough and District Council officer colleagues to identify potential Active Travel schemes across the county.  One project that is being put forwards is in the Lower Sunbury area.  This is an area with significant potential to increase walking and cycling, and which has a history of casualties on all the main roads that run through it.  One factor that residents frequently say is a discouragement to walking and/or cycling is their concerns about safety due to the volume and speed of traffic.  At school run times, Lower Sunbury can become heavily congested, despite the catchment areas for the local schools being relatively small.

"To try to address this we are developing a scheme of tactical road closures and modal filters.  Potential locations for these are marked with a red bar and circle on the attached plan.  Where these fall on a bus route, we would implement a “modal filter” which means that only buses, cyclists and pedestrians would be permitted to pass through.  Where these do not fall on a bus route, we would implement a “tactical closure” which would be a closure to all motorised vehicles – full access would be maintained for cyclists and pedestrians.  The objective of this scheme is to remove all east-west through traffic from the Lower Sunbury area, which means the only traffic entering the area would be residents, or people accessing a specific destination within the area.  By removing through traffic, we would hope to make the area much more attractive for residents to walk and cycle within the area – for example accessing local shops or taking their children to school.

"Please note that at this stage the number and locations of the proposed closures are not set in stone.  For example it has been suggested that an additional closure should be considered either in Pine Wood or Bracken Wood.  The closures are being designed so that they could be changed, adapted and / or removed in response to how people actually use and respond to the scheme.

"Funding has now been made available to deliver this scheme.  We are now  contacting schools and local associations to inform them of the proposed scheme, and also arranging for notices to be put up on site to inform local residents and drivers.  This will give people the opportunity to raise concerns or suggest amendments.

"I would be grateful if you were able to use your networks to push this information out into the local community.  If anyone has any comments the best way to pass them to the Council is by e-mail."

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To see plan and the areas affected, click here

46 comments

  • Comment Link Mike Spooner Monday, 20 July 2020 21:13 posted by Mike Spooner

    I would like to add a serious health and safety risk the public are putting them self in danger. Since the lock down over the last few months the general public have taken in their head at the Sunbury Golf course is wonderful place for a walk. This is not a very smart move as been hit with a golf ball is rather like a bee sting or hit on the head can be a serious live threating health problem!
    Just for the record there are NO adopted public footpaths, right of way and bridle path on the course which all come under Surrey County Council control. SCC have inspected the course and will not adopt any public footpaths on the course, as is considered not safe for the public safety until high fencing is put in place as there are too many blind spots.

  • Comment Link Jake Adams Saturday, 18 July 2020 14:40 posted by Jake Adams

    Here's an idea - why doesn't Kempton build a series of cycle tracks and charge the MAMIL's to pedal round as fast as they like in safety without terrifying pedestrians or holding up cars which actually have a purpose for their journey.
    Failing that,as most of them have more money than sense and obviously too much free time, why don't they all chip in and buy some land as a club and build their own velodrome instead of obstructing those who actually need to be on the roads.

  • Comment Link Michael Sunday, 12 July 2020 14:23 posted by Michael

    The traffic in Lower Sunbury is a law unto itself totally ignored by the Police, who are never seen, and without any input by the council, noise speed and dangerous driving. Then suddenly we get this plan out of the blue without enough detail to see if its good or bad and whether it will work for the locals.  Traffic during lock down was a joy.A better idea may be to start small and build up the restrictions whilst always considering the people who live in the area who need to get about.Great idea to stop through traffic, it's just how you do it that is causing the worry.
    1  A total Lorry ban with maybe width restrictions at each end of Sunbury.
    2  A 20 MPH limit all the way through as they have in Hampton.
    3  Traffic enforcement cameras which will also have the bonus of generating revenue to fund the road changes.The lorry ban and 20 MPH limit to start at Pucks corner and go through the village to Travis Perkins and then 30 MPH outside these restrictions.
    At the moment we have a ludicrous 40 MPH limit in some of Sunbury with the more proactive Kingston implementing a 30 and 20 MPH up to and in Hampton; generating greater safety and a better environment.Give it time to bed in and then see if it needs tweaks.
    Michael

  • Comment Link Elleke Saturday, 11 July 2020 19:06 posted by Elleke

    I should have added to my comment of just now......if you are able to access Sunbury Facebook scroll right down to John Harber’s post and Mark Buckley’s. Mark’s post has the fully detailed response from Surrey CC which includes the comment that they have liaised with Lower Sunbury’s Councillor Tim Evans after which they agreed the proposal in its current form should not go ahead. The reason for this explanation is because there are so many many posts re this subject so I hope this helps.

  • Comment Link Elleke Saturday, 11 July 2020 18:00 posted by Elleke

    To all those who made comments; if you are able too please go on Sunbury Facebook where you will see that a big campaign took place alongside your actions. All together this proved to be successful as Surrey CC thankfully took note of everyones comments and quote ‘they are going back to the drawing board‘. However please look out for when we receive any adapted plans in the future.

  • Comment Link Muriel Bankhead Saturday, 11 July 2020 14:36 posted by Muriel Bankhead

    Sunbury-on-Thames is one of the safest places imaginable from a social distancing point of view, so there is no need to block east-west traffic.
    Doing so will trap residents in their homes, and shut most of them out of the village of Sunbury, unable to receive visitors or travel easily for everyday purposes. The roadblocks will divide Sunbury-on-Thames into three tiers:
    1. The people living on the west side of the village cannot travel north or east (the river Thames is the southern border) so they cannot reach Sunbury station, the doctors, dentists, shops, pharmacy, post office, pubs, the schools, leisure centre or the church in Sunbury or travel to Hampton Court Bridge or Kingston without travelling through Upper Halliford, along the heavily congested A244, then the A308 Staines Road West to Sunbury Cross.
    2. People living in the central zone can benefit from the village facilities and the station, but they cannot travel west to Walton bridge, the garden centre and café, the local tip or Sunbury cemetery. They would be obliged to travel north to Sunbury Cross, take the congested A308 then the A244 instead. Neither can they travel east to Hampton Court bridge or Kingston except using the A308 Staines Road East.
    3. People living on the east side of Sunbury are prevented from reaching the Sunbury station, the doctors, dentists, shops, pharmacy, post office, pubs, schools, leisure centre or church in central Sunbury nor can they reach the garden centre and café, Sunbury cemetery, the tip or Walton bridge. They will all be forced to travel north on unsuitable residential roads to the A308 Staines Road East. The Lower Sunbury Road will effectively be closed, unable to provide any relief to the heavily congested Staines Road East.
    What will happen to Sunbury village? Can the businesses survive without two thirds of the residents’ custom? Sunbury will no longer be family-friendly, or suitable for the elderly. It won’t be ideal for commuters. So who will be left?
    Astonishingly, Surrey County Council have conducted no consultation, and while residents are furious, they not being given any say in the demise of Sunbury on Thames.

  • Comment Link Michael Rigby Saturday, 11 July 2020 13:55 posted by Michael Rigby

    There appears to be an urgent need for clarification here.
    On initial reading I placed a lot of emphasis on the reference to "through traffic" and was not unduly concerned. Surely the significant sentence is:
    "The objective of this scheme is to remove all east-west through traffic from the Lower Sunbury area, which means the only traffic entering the area would be residents, or people accessing a specific destination within the area".
    I took this to mean that residents would not be restricted. It clearly isn't beyond the realms of man to arrange this because they talk of buses (and, presumably, emergency vehicles) being exempted.
    The fact that so many others have interpreted it differently has begun to worry me. With only a few days in which to comment I'd be grateful for some clarification. Could LOSRA please expand?

  • Comment Link Simon Saturday, 11 July 2020 13:20 posted by Simon

    In addition to forcing residents to make tortuous detours it will further increase the traffic on the already highly congested A308 and Sunbury Cross roundabout, and there is still the ongoing threat of a huge development at Kempton Park which would, if allowed, make this even worse. The Lower Sunbury Road has been turned into a cycling race-track at weekends which this proposal would make even more of an issue thus posing an even greater risk to the pedestrians who were using it too.

  • Comment Link Michael Thorpe Friday, 10 July 2020 14:37 posted by Michael Thorpe

    We need to drown them in communcations otherwise they will think nobody is bothered. They cant ignore us and will have to reply

    Everbody firstly needs to write to highways@surreycc.gov.uk and put forward their views
    Secondly somebody needs to set a petition up on Surrey Council Website https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/have-your-say
    There is also an e petition to sign
    Then we need to plague the local concillors with e mails
    Miss Alison Griffiths
    Division: Sunbury Common & Ashford Common
    I hold a surgery every Wednesday 12.00-1.30pm.
    St Saviours Churches Free Community Lunch.
    Vicarage Road,
    Sunbury.
    TW16 7BY
    alison.griffiths@surreycc.gov.uk

    Mr Tim Evans
    Division: Lower Sunbury and Halliford
    tim.evans@surreycc.gov.uk
    and finally mail our MP
    www.https://www.writetothem.com/

  • Comment Link Sheena Duncan Friday, 10 July 2020 10:47 posted by Sheena Duncan

    Elizabeth Gardens is already a rat run. why make it worse. Parents and children use this road to and f rom BeauClerc School. Would it not more sense to designate the whole of Lower Sunbury a 20 mph area..