Letter: I Applaud Cllr Furniss for Pushing London Road Cycle Scheme Forward

Published on: 30 Jun, 2023
Updated on: 30 Jun, 2023

London Road Meeting in January 2023.

From Mark Stamp

In response to Letter: Still Some Concerns on Planned Consultation for London Road Cycle Scheme

Transport policy in this country for the last 70 years has been skewed in favour of motorists to the detriment of all of our health both in terms of physical fitness but also air pollution.

Has Cllr Davidson looked at the effects of air pollution on schools such as George Abbot and Guildford High from parents idling their engines at pick-up and drop-off times?

There needs to be a re-adjustment in favour of active and public transport and making people feel safe using them. Those in power need to take decisions that are unpopular and I applaud Cllr Furniss for trying to push this scheme forward.

Guildford Borough Council’s climate change and air pollution plans involves launching a cycle hire scheme in the near future with a small part of the intention being to put pressure on Surrey County Council to improve the cycling infrastructure in Guildford, so hopefully we see more schemes like this around Guildford over the next few years.

It is unfortunate that opposition to this scheme gets so much support from elected officials when they have comprehensively failed to deal with the woefully inadequate bus services in Guildford which have been impacting less vocal residents for years.

Responses to Letter: I Applaud Cllr Furniss for Pushing London Road Cycle Scheme Forward

John Perkins Reply

June 30, 2023 at 8:36 am

Transport policy in this country has been skewed in favour of motorists because that is what most people wanted.
Jim Allen Reply

June 30, 2023 at 9:21 am

Same old same old. “People need to feel safe on public transport”, “pollution”, and fitness!

People don’t use public transport because it doesn’t go from where you are and where they need to be and is more expensive than a car, cost of public transport needs reducing and re-routing.

Pollution is the inverse of the ability of traffic restrictions to hold it up, it has in reality reduced considerably since the 1960s. Check the figures.

Fitness is around the number of hours worked to pay the mortgage, not a lack of willingness to exercise.

The London Road scheme is controversial for multiple reasons.

The roads are due to be dug up in Burpham for the new sewers, and electrical cabling for Gosden Hill development, the new road layout and Park & Ride will gridlock Burpham, thus will increase pollution and the cycle path will add to the problem. Guildford Borough Council have seperate plans to install a sustainable movement corridor SMC6 along London Road, yet to be consulted upon, requires bus priority lanes along its lenght.

It is not as presumed by many commentators a local road, but the entrance exit to Guildford from the M25, thus traffic numbers often quoted don’t take into account distances travelled. The road is also part of the food supply route to and from two food stores.

It is a wonderful desk top exercise of theoretical road widths, capacity, and psychology, based on a top down unlistening dictatorship, attempting a devide and rule of concerned groups. Rather than a rational technical assessment, there is a fundamental failing to look at the wider picture and future events and other plans.
Barry Williams Reply

June 30, 2023 at 9:28 am

Well said Mark Stamp. We do need more cycle and walking routes, including more foot bridges across the River Wey to improve east-west connectivity and help take away a dependency on the car. In addition, we need to see results from SCC’s Bus Service Improvement Programme at a local Guildford Borough level that are also cost effective for the passenger.

SCC can help provide these improvements but, as the good folk of Burpham will argue, our county officers and councillors need to up their game in putting their message across to Joe Public.
Frank Emery Reply

June 30, 2023 at 10:41 am

The same councillor who pushed for Walnut Tree Close to be one way. We all know how that’s worked out.

More traffic congestion causing more pollution.
Fiona Davidson Reply

June 30, 2023 at 5:34 pm

I would like to clarify to Mark Stamp that my principal concern is to ensure that residents and others who are most impacted by the London Road scheme are properly consulted, in line with SCC’s stated priorities of openness and engagement in decision-making.

I would also like to point out that I am very supportive of improving public transport. Indeed, when Guildford’s Air Quality Action Plan came before the GBC/SCC Joint Committee in October last year I was the only person who queried why the measure deemed by the consultants to have most impact (it was number one on the list of measures recommended), a new bus-based park and ride, had been omitted from the measures to be taken forward. I asked that this measure should be re-considered for inclusion in the action plan.

I can also confirm that I organised an air quality check outside Guildford High School at the beginning of 2022, because of resident concerns. The results were within what the UK government considers acceptable range, but it is admittedly a low bar.

Mr Stamp may be aware that Cllr Furniss is the Cabinet member responsible for transport at SCC. Perhaps it would be worth asking him why public transport in Guildford is so woeful?

Fiona Davidson is the R4GV county councillor for Guildford South East.
Frank Emery Reply

July 1, 2023 at 10:19 am

Is this the same Cllr Furniss who championed the one way system for Walnut Tree Close? Look what happened there, more congestion and more pollution. If he enjoys walking in clean environments he should go walk in the countryside!