Agenda item

To receive any petitions  or letters of representation, in accordance with Standing Order 65.

A letter has been received from the Ottershaw Society, concerning the speed of cars travelling through the village.

A letter of representation had been received from the Ottershaw Society, concerning the speed of through traffic in the village including along Brox Road. A written response to the issues raised was tabled at the meeting (see below), and Mr Roger Pashley who attended for the Ottershaw Society said that residents remained concerned by a speed of 36mph recorded as the average speed. He noted that speed limits of 20mph in built-up areas were quite common in other parts of the UK, but not in Surrey. He undertook to circulate and discuss the response with the Ottershaw Society committee.

Response from the Local Committee to concerns expressed in a letter from the Ottershaw Society, November 2015

Guildford Road (between the Otter Roundabout and Christ Church)

Surrey County Council and Surrey Police have a partnership called Drive SMART which aims to tackle concerns over speeding and anti-social driving. As part of the initiative local speed management plans have been developed for each District and Borough. These plans identify the sites with the worst speeding problems so they can be targeted for appropriate action.

In response to concerns previously expressed about vehicle speeds, Guildford Road was assessed in 2014 for inclusion in the Runnymede Speed Management Plan.  As part of this assessment Officers from the County Council and Surrey Police reviewed traffic survey data (recorded over a 7 day period in July 2014) for Guildford Road and also considered the safety record for the location.  Having done so the following points were noted:

·         an average vehicle speed of 36mph was recorded by the speed survey which indicates a relatively good level of driver compliance with the 40mph speed limit and suggests that the existing speed limit is set at an appropriate level.

·         the safety record for the location is relatively good for a road that carries such a large volume of traffic (and would not justify the installation of a safety enforcement camera which are reserved for the very worst collision hotspots where there has been a continuing history of collisions and where speeds have been measured and found to be excessive).

·         2 vehicle activated signs have previously been installed in this section of Guildford Road (one for each direction of travel) to help encourage lower vehicle speeds.

Based on the above observations it was decided that the location should not be added to the speed management plan. As such, there are currently no proposals to target the location for additional speed reducing measures or to consider reducing the existing speed limit.

Brox Road (Murray Road to Slade Road)

Surrey County Council does not have any data about vehicle speeds in this section of Brox Road.  However, vehicle speeds would be expected to be relatively low due to the nature of the road (the on-street parking, presence of bus stops and high levels of general activity will all help restrain vehicle speeds).  This section of road also has a good safety record with only one personal injury collision having occurred in the last 3 years.

As such, the introduction of a 20mph speed limit is unlikely to have any significant impact on vehicles speeds and therefore on road safety.  However, Surrey Police will be asked to undertake a traffic survey in this section of road to ensure that speeds are not excessive for the location. 

Affinity Water will shortly be carrying out water main replacement works along Brox Road (which will require temporary closure of the road).  As such, the survey will be carried out once these works have been completed.

Brox Road (Slade Road to A320 Guildford Road)

In response to concerns previously expressed about vehicle speeds in this section of Brox Road, it was assessed for inclusion in the Runnymede Speed Management plan in 2012.  However, compared to many other locations in the Borough it was found to have both a good safety record and a good level of compliance with the speed limit.

The Committee is pleased to note that the latest accident data shows that the good safety record has been maintained with only one personal injury collision occurring in the last 3 years (and this involved a driver avoiding a fox).  However, a further speed survey will be undertaken to ensure that there is also still a good level of compliance with the speed limit.  Again, this survey will be carried out once Affinity Water have completed their works.