Letter: Please Help Us Make Pirbright Arch Safer

Published on: 29 Jan, 2022
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2022

Pirbright Arch Image Google Street View

From: Sarah Dickin

I wish to make your readers aware of a local campaign, Safe Route Brookwood and Pirbright.

The campaign seeks to make pedestrian access at Pirbright Arch safer. The access pathway forms part of a popular route used by school children, residents, military personnel, parents of babies and toddlers, families and people exploring the local countryside.

Despite being the most direct route for many, connecting schools, local nurseries, local shops, parks, walks, jogging routes, the canal and many beautiful countryside walks, there are currently many safety issues including crossing the road blind on a bend with no visibility of oncoming traffic on both sides and lack of pavement one side.

In order to ensure improvements are made to this dangerous route, we need to show community support for the project; so we would encourage readers to sign the petition which has already received over 680 signatures: http://chng.it/fgF6CWVbpP. They can also share views and experiences of the route via our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SafeRouteBrookwoodPirbright/ or website: https://saferoute.wixsite.com/pirbrightbrookwood/contact which will greatly strengthen the case.

The decision will be made by the Surrey County Council Guildford Joint Committee in March 2022, so the deadline for responses is February 28 2022. Further information can be found at: https://saferoute.wixsite.com/pirbrightbrookwood/the-project.

Responses to Letter: Please Help Us Make Pirbright Arch Safer

Stuart Smith Reply

January 29, 2022 at 3:07 pm

Anyone who has a need to get from Pirbright to Brookwood will have been petrified by the close proximity of the traffic while walking this route. Add to this the complete lack of pedestrian lights to even get to the tunnel footway and you have a truly awful and unsafe experience for everyone.

I hope SCC prioritise safety improvements on this route following their forthcoming meeting.
Martin Elliott Reply

January 31, 2022 at 6:17 am

Why wasn’t this route upgraded after the campaigns/petitions were considered by SCC Council in 2004/2008?

What has changed since then?
- Sarah Dickin Reply
  
  February 4, 2022 at 9:43 am
  
  From what I have been told from people who were part of those campaigns, they led to a raised pavement being added just inside the tunnel. Before that adults and children had to run through the tunnel on the road next to cars, trucks and buses. It’s now a much busier and well-used route; that’s why we are campaigning for the much needed other safety improvements.
Martin Elliott Reply

February 4, 2022 at 4:19 pm

“From what I’ve been told …..”

I easily found documents relating to that campaign and the SCC works on the SCC website. Anybody looking for changes on infrastructure over a century old should gather the recent historical facts, not opinions.
- Sarah Dickin Reply
  
  February 8, 2022 at 10:40 am
  
  Apologies, I can see that from my opening line it has been misperceived. As I am sure you can see from the documents, what I have stated is fact, that a pavement was added.
  
  Further infrastructure improvements that are stated on the current campaign website are as a result of two highway officer visits in addition to much other correspondence.
  
  Having lived by this route for over a decade and using it multiple times a week, as well as working on the campaign from the very start – I have all the facts – recent and historical.
Bibhas Neogi Reply

February 6, 2022 at 1:17 pm

I am not a resident of this area but I know of a similar situation in Guildford where a separate pedestrian underpass has been built next to the road underpass for Stoke Road. A Google scan clearly shows this underpass.

I don’t know who paid for this or whether it was a joint British Rail and county funding. Obviously a technical solution has been proven to exist.

What is preventing from using a similar solution here?