You may be wondering why it’s all gone a bit quiet. Well it hasn’t.
The Stakeholder group of interested local parties, including G-BUG, has met twice, and will meet two further times by end July. The Group’s purpose is to help design the public consultation package that will give you your chance to express your opinions on the updated proposals for London Road Active Travel Scheme.
Following a request from the Stakeholder group, new outline plans for all stages of the scheme have been provided by Surrey County Council (SCC). These plans show uninterrupted cycle and pedestrian pathways from Aldi in Burpham to the Harbour Hotel in Guildford town centre. The plans include a “Dutch Sytle” roundabout at Boxgrove where cyclists and pedestrians will have priority. G-BUG have submitted comment on these plans for further consideration by the SCC project team. At the same time it appears that the vehicle carriageway will be wider than earlier plans, addressing an original source of opposition by residents associations.
Public consultation will take place around September for 4-8 weeks. Funding is not yet identified, but assuming it is, first construction could be in Summer 2024, after school exams. During construction, the London Road will not now have one lane completely closed down, addressing another original local concern.
You may ask why when so many original local concerns have been addressed, do some parties in the stakeholder group continue their local negative press comment on the scheme? For example now expressing concern where cycle and pedestrian paths merge, ignoring the fact that this happens right now at least four times between Burpham and Boxgrove, in wholly inadequate ways.
Our advice is to keep an open mind. The plans are still to be finalised, and they will go to public consultation. You will then get your chance, as local people with families likely to benefit from the scheme, to express your opinion on it. We will update you then on how to get involved.