The long and winding road

As the second phase of Ashtead's traffic calming scheme is being put in place, Ashtead at Harvest looks into the controversy and defends the public servants who try to make our roads safe.

Dodging the issue in Craddocks Avenue

Why oh why do people complain about traffic calming measures? When 4,000 leaflets were distributed to consult local residents in October 1993, 70% of those who bothered to write back said they wanted traffic calming. The main reason for Surrey County Council suggesting the work in the first place was the poor accident record in Craddocks and Barnett Wood Lane (the latter having one of the very worst records in the whole county).

So as Ashtead at Harvest goes to press the second phase of road 'tables' (i.e. extended humps) are being laid - 17 in Barnett Wood Lane and 8 in Woodfield Lane.

Drivers, especially those who live over the railway line, cannot be expected to truly welcome the inconvenience of either the scheme or the roadworks needed to create it. But if we could voluntarily keep our speed down then we wouldn't need the tables.

If you have any questions or comments about the traffic calming scheme, you can telephone the County Council's Stuart Eastmond on 0181 541 7724.

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