Letter: London Road – Some Concerns About the Consultation

Published on: 16 Oct, 2023
Updated on: 16 Oct, 2023

From: Niels Laub

Architect

See other articles on the proposed changes to London Road here.

It is now nearly four weeks into the consultation process for the Active Travel Scheme proposed for the London Road in Guildford and I have four concerns:

The absence of letters of notice
It has become clear that a significant number of people have yet to receive a notice of the consultation period and the drop-in events. In my view, it is important that all the people who use the London Road on a daily basis, or rely on the London Road for their business, customers and deliveries, should be given adequate notice of this public consultation, the drop in events and the existence of the questionnaire.

Misleading statements in the letter of notice
I think Surrey County Council should correct the following four statements in their letter giving notice:

1. It states: “We have been working with the community, stakeholders, and equality groups to develop materials which explain the full scheme and a survey to help us better understand people’s views.”

This is misleading as it could easily give the impression that local stakeholders have had an input into the design and the questionnaire. But the stakeholders were not content with the questions and have had no input into the design or its presentation.

2. It states: “We are no longer proposing road closures during the day and have committed to keeping the road free of closures or traffic lights during the day.”

This is misleading in that it does not provide any details of the considerable traffic constraints that will occur during the day for approximately 18 months.

3. It states: “In addition, we are no longer proposing to narrow the width of the road to six metres. Instead, the road will remain the same width as it is currently.”

This is incorrect and highly misleading. This statement should be removed, and the drawings displayed at the drop-in events should be fully dimensioned to show the widths of carriageways and pavements in the restricted areas of the London Road.

4. It states: “Surrey has the highest number of cycling casualties in the UK and we want to help address this by providing safer cycling spaces across the county.”

This is also highly misleading as it refers to the whole of Surrey and not London Road which has a relatively good safety record. This statement is particularly galling bearing in mind that the Dutch-style roundabout in Cambridge has seen an increase in accidents since its installation.

The material displayed at the drop-in events
Surrey County Council ought to amend the material displayed at the drop-in events. The drawings should include dimensions on all areas of the scheme including the narrow, restricted areas.

The new traffic light-controlled pedestrian crossings should be made more obvious and the drawings increased in size and made more readable. The animations give a misleading impression and should either show more realistic levels of traffic of simply be removed.

I also believe the Surrey County Council should be open and clear about those elements of the proposals which are not fully compliant with Local Transport Note 1/20 Cycle Infrastructure Design.

The Questionnaire
In my opinion, the questionnaire is biased and tends to encourage only favourable responses. For example, it is asked: “How important to you is it that the updated proposals for the scheme contribute to increased safety for pedestrians and cyclists?” – obviously it is important.

The questionnaire should be cancelled and recast to include questions that have been properly agreed with the Stakeholder Group that provide an opportunity for the public to voice more detailed concerns about the scheme.

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