To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47.
Minutes:
Four member questions were received, which are attached with the responses as Annex B to these minutes.
Question 1 - Mrs Watson
How many cyclist only accidents have take place on the Zig Zag Road between Mickleham and Box Hill since 1 January 2012?
Can KEEP CLEAR be painted on the A25 at the junction with Milton Court Lane leading to Hanover Court to enable vehicles to access Milton Court Lane when eastbound traffic is queuing on the A25 into Dorking?
Was an evaluation of the STAR project carried out and if so what were its findings?
Has a safety audit been carried out on the shared cycle path on the pavement on the east side of the A24 north of the Deepdene roundabout to Dorking railway station and if so what were its findings?
I have twice reported to Surrey lighting services that the streetlight at the junction of the A25 with Balchins Lane in Westcott is permanently lit and both times my request has been acknowledged but not acted upon. Please could you arrange for this streetlight only to be lit when it is dark?
Mrs Watson was surprised that Keep Clear markings were not going to be painted and asked the highways team to reconsider this.
The Area Highways Manager suggested a site meeting with the traffic safety team to look into the issue.
Mrs Watson raised that the committee report looking into the STAR project, deemed the project a success and could a blanket 40mph be implemented south of Dorking.
The Area Highways Manager will go back to the traffic and road safety team to look into this. At present there is not the funding for the scheme. The Local Committee decides on speed limits; however a blanket speed limit will need further guidance.
Mrs Watson was surprised that a safety audit had not be undertaken on the A24, and requested a safety audit be carried out now.
The Area Highways Officer confirmed an audit could be undertaken.
Question 2 - Councillor Haque
Approximately two to three years ago heavily overgrown hedges and foliage were cut back at Fetcham Lodge in the Street in Fetcham, which helped make the pavement free of all obstructions, caused by overgrown trees and hedges. Pedestrians and School Mums are now able to walk freely. Unfortunately the stumps and roots of those trees were left underneath the pavement, which are now causing further problems by causing large cracks in the pavement. May I therefore request that the Highway Authority extracts those stumps from underneath the pavement? Once this has been done hopefully this will stop further maintenance of the re growth of the trees and foliage within the site.
Rising speeding traffic is causing a great deal of concern amongst many residents in the District. Kennel Lane and The Ridgeway in Fetcham are no exception; residents of both of these areas in Fetcham are living in constant anxiety due to the rising speed. I believe there are chicanes being installed at Ridgeway Fetcham. Unfortunately it is not addressing the underlying problem of speeding and in many instances there have been near misses because of people driving at each other without stopping. Is there anything can be done to bring the speeding traffic under control?
Cllr Haque was happy that the foliage damage to the footpath would be looked into, requested that a long term resolution for this work and timescales be provided.
The Area Highways Manager confirmed this is a long standing issue and that they will try to level out the footpath, though this will require local funding.
Cllr Haque confirmed that speed was an issue regularly raised by resident and that this needs to be addressed.
The divisional member raised concerns that Surrey Police were not enforcing speed limits.
The Community Partnership and Committee Officer confirmed that the informal meeting of the committee on the 5th November will cover local committee highway budgets for 2015-2017 and that the Neighbourhood Insp will also attend with the lead officer for road enforcement.
The divisional member for Ashtead suggested that the issue of road enforcement could also be raised at the East Community Safety Partnership.
Question 3 - Councillor Dickson
Last September I asked what could be done on the corner of Dene Road/Rectory Lane to prevent an accident on the very tight blind bend, when crossing into Crampshaw Lane. The listed wall on the corner has been knocked down at least twice since I asked the question and nothing (as far as I can see) has been done to increase safety for drivers.
This morning (26 August) I yet again had a very near miss crossing
into Crampshaw Lane. Three other people
at the event I was attending had a similar experience. Something
must be done and soon. What do you intend to do to make this bend
safe and when?
Cllr Dickson was not present but the divisional member confirmed this has become more of an issue since the mirror on a local property has been removed. He acknowledged that officers have looked to improve this road layout. It was also stated that collision referred to occurred a while ago.
Question 4 - Mr Cooksey
In August 2013 I submitted a request that the Yorkstone paving stones destroyed by various contractors in Dorking High Street and 'temporarily' replaced by tarmac but never subsequently reinstated, should be replaced in the original material and was given an assurance that this would happen. That assurance was repeated in answer to written questions at the Local Committee in December 2013, again in March 2014 and again in June 2014. However no action has yet been taken. Could I be informed when this work will be undertaken?
The Contractors dealing with the flooding issues at the Deepdene Roundabout left the site in February 2014. At the March 2014 meeting I was informed that this was because of an urgent requirement to carry out work in Tandridge but that they would return to deal with the work on the western side of the roundabout where flooding is a serious problem when the emergency work had been completed. I was also assured that the funding for this project had been ring fenced. I understand that there has been exploratory work but I have been given no information about when work to resolve the problem will be undertaken. Could I be informed when this work will take place?
It is almost 4 weeks after the RideLondon cycle race took place and yet there are still signs advertising the road closures littering our streets. This is not an uncommon problem and signs advertising temporary closures and giving other information are often left uncollected for weeks. Why is it more difficult to collect signs and other materials at the end of a project than to erect them before the project takes place?
Mr Cooksey highlighted he was given an assurance that the tarmac on Dorking High Street was going to be solved in December 2013, yet still nothing has happened. He requested this be progressed.
Mr Cooksey also raised that the funding for the Deepdene roundabout was ringfenced and no further work has been undertaken and it has now been a while since the flooding emergency has ended.
Mr Cooksey also raised concerns about the removal of signage after works.
The Highways Group Manager confirmed that the delay with Deepdene roundabout is due to getting the streetworks permit. There has been a delay due to the number of works going on in Dorking at the moment. He also said that the removal of signage needs to be improved, and they are about to implement a new process to improve this.
The Area Highways Manager confirmed there was some spare York Stone at the Beare Green depot for this work. To expedite this work it would be best to look at using members allocation funding.