More Radical Solutions Are Required to Address Guildford’s Traffic Problems

Published on: 2 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 2 Jul, 2019

From Bibhas Neogi

In response to: Cars Are Not the Answer for Guildford Town Centre

Guildford’s traffic problem arises from the fact that there are no viable north-south and east-west routes that bypass the town centre. More Park & Ride sites, suitably located, would ease town traffic.

Improvement and widening of the A3 by the Department for Transport had been postponed twice and not much is known about the current scheme that Highways England is developing. Apart from “improving” a couple of off-slip lanes that would only marginally improve the A3 traffic, they would do nothing to ease town centre traffic.

Through traffic needs to be reduced and this could only be done by creating better alternative routes. Guildford Vision Group’s ideas were attractive to an extent but Solum Regeneration scheme for the railway station blocks their east-west route.

A tunnel connecting the A281 from Shalford with the A25 Parkway (and a spur to Artington the A3100 at the southern end) would remove some of the through traffic. A route from Leas Road near Arriva bus depot to Guildford Park Road car park site, going over Jewson’s Yard in Walnut Tree close, would take the east-west traffic out of the gyratory. This circumvents Solum’s blocking of the proposed GVG route. These ideas are explained with sketches on my website.

More Park & Ride facilities would ease the problem of shortage of parking within the town centre but these need to be located on sites that are easily accessible unlike, for example, the Onslow Park & Ride.

Of course, construction of new routes requires government funding but unfortunately, the councils do not appear to have any such vision. Unless they actively promote such routes and bid for funding of these, Guildford’s sorry state of congestion and its polluted environment will increase, especially with the amount of new housing expected under the Local Plan.