Letter: Radical Suggestions To Improve Traffic Flows and Town Centre Footfall

Published on: 6 Oct, 2013
Updated on: 6 Oct, 2013

From Jim Allen

I have just read through the SCC (Surrey County Council) transport report for Guildford Borough.

It seems that the prediction is for more congestion on the A3, whatever and wherever new houses are built, unless some blue sky thinking is applied.

Instead of simply ‘improving junctions’, a sticking plaster at best, why don’t we start planning properly for the future?

For instance, why not consider moving whole junctions, digging tunnels, and putting in a new link road from the A25 to the A3. Such measures could fundamentally change the traffic flow.

Considering Next, Oak Furniture Land and Argos have now located in a free parking area on Ladymead, how about free, herring-bone parking in Guildford High Street, available all day, with a one-hour stop limit? It could operate three days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Or is the idea too controversial?

I think the idea might actually work and increase footfall in the town centre.

Responses to Letter: Radical Suggestions To Improve Traffic Flows and Town Centre Footfall

Bibhas Neogi Reply

October 9, 2013 at 9:49 am

I’ve searched the web for this document on traffic by SCC but couldn’t find any that matches this title. Would Jim Allen kindly give the link to this document please?

A happy balance between parking close to and traffic free shopping area is probably the optimum solution, so reintroducing traffic into High Street is probably not a good idea from a safety point of view.

Additional parking spaces in multi-storey car parks and, if these are not located within convenient walking distance, free shuttle buses (with costs covered by parking charges), may provide an answer. Park & Ride areas may also be considered for multi-level parking as a means of increasing capacity when land procurement is difficult and expensive.
Jim Allen Reply

October 11, 2013 at 12:10 am

The latest town planning documents can be found at:

http://www.guildford.gov.uk/howmanynewhomes

http://guildfordplan.com/2013/10/04/preliminary-transport-assessment/

The point of my suggestion for free parking is to counter Ladymead’s free parking, Charging people to enter and park in the town is precisely why a. I walk into town and b. why when buying larger items I use the internet. Why struggle into dark and dingy smelly car parks when you want a pleasant in town experience? Thousands of towns and villages around the country have cars parking in the centre of town, perfectly safely..

No free parking, no stop to buy (well anything I can’t carry for two miles). Simple.