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Making inroads with traffic troubles

(Letter to the Surrey Advertiser)

Your correspondent Linda Ratnieks (Surrey Advertiser, letters, 9 January) makes the point that we should protect the vulnerable at this time of increased traffic and increase traffic speed. It is not sufficient to put up posts with the figure 30 on and hope for the best.

Only a couple of weeks ago I had to intervene to stop vehicles being parked on the pavement at the Levylsdene junction, Guildford, and forcing a mother with a pram to go into that busy road. The Epsom Road is where people live, not just an extension of the M25, and their priority must have at least the same priority as the vehicles which pass through.

I tried to get S106 funding to get traffic calming facilities along the Epsom Road, but was thwarted when the county council produced some complicated statistics to prove that traffic would be reduced when the DEFRA site is developed.

The petition I instigated for a cross at Levylsdene bus stop, to serve the village hall, girl guides and the Redwood care home, had overwhelming support from local residents, the only limiting factor being my inability to get more. I apologise for to those I did not contact. The good news for the petitioners is that our crossing has been approved by the Transportation Task Group. It will be coming before the local committee on March 11 to establish priorities and if any local residents would like to attend on that day I can let them know the venue.

We must, however, be aware that our crossing is not the only one on the queue and they are all important to local residents. We can all pontificate on such subjects as the South East Plan, but it is my opinion that traffic problems are on the top of most people’s agenda. Congestion, parking, speed, safety are words that I find used. On the Epsom Road, we also have problems at the junction with Horseshoe Lane East because of children crossing to go to schools, also people wishing to cross Trodds Lane to visit St John’s and the adjacent Community Centre. The speed of the traffic in Trodds Lane has to be seen to be believed.

I shall be writing to all those who signed the petition to update them, as I did after the Local Committee meeting in October. We are due to county council elections this year. A suggested question to the candidates could be what priority they think should be given to road safety.

Cllr David Carpenter

"Bombsite Burpham"

It is very disappointing that Aldi have unilaterally gone ahead with demolishing the Green Man pub in Burpham. Whatever the merits or demerits of any subsequent redevelopment, this was not a move that will promote good community relations.

I suspect that Aldi’s decision will have been influenced by the Labour Government’s abolition of empty property rate relief. Since April 2008, commercial premises must pay full business rates after three months of becoming vacant. This change has increased taxes across the country by £1 billion a year. The annual rates bill on the empty Green Man pub was likely to be £38,000 this year, rising to £40,000 from April 2009. Now demolished, it will pay nothing: no property, no rates.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors warned that removing rate relief would lead to “deliberate vandalising of property to avoid rate liability”. The British Property Federation has said that firms are now razing buildings across the land, creating a “Bombsite Britain”. Whilst Aldi must take final responsibility, we also have Gordon Brown to thank for our own “Bombsite Burpham”.

Cllr Sheridan Westlake

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