ePetition details
Average Speed Camera installation along Dorking Road Tadworth and Walton on the Hill
Average Speed Cameras along the Dorking Road.
The TWRA Committee are making representations to the Surrey
County Council Reigate and Banstead Local Committee in
November.
This Petition to the Reigate and Banstead Local Committee relates
to an overwhelming wish from representatives of the local community
and businesses to implement an Average Speed Camera Process for the
length of Dorking Road, B2032, from Tadworth Roundabout to the M25
Bridge. A total length of 1 mile/1.6 km.
We are not asking for a reduction in the speed limit.
Current situation and history:
The road is currently restricted to 40 mph, which is
consistently ignored by many drivers.
It used to have an old style GATSO camera situated by the Motorway
bridge, (which was removed a few years ago), and this faced north.
Occasional visits at strange times, by the Surrey Police
‘Camera Van’, (8am on a weekday morning), when traffic
is nose to tail and often crawling along that part of the road,
approaching a roundabout and bus stop also at this site, but only
observing vehicles travelling south, have little impact on speeds
elsewhere.
neither made, or indeed make, any difference to vehicles anywhere
else along the road.
There are two ‘Vehicle Activated Speed’ VAS Signs at
the approach to the junction of Mill Road. Both are filthy and
rarely seem to work.
These appear far too close to the junction and being set at 40mph,
make no difference to traffic speed, even when not blocked by
foliage from trees.
There doesn’t appear to be any other form of deterrent or enforcement takes place along this road.
Reliance on Collision statistics in my experience (Policing,
Vice Chair DriveSmart, Former County Councillor, local knowledge,
etc) can be quite misleading as few collisions get reported to
Police in the current climate and certainly ‘near
misses’ are impossible to collate.
That said, there have been several serious injury/life changing,
even fatal collisions over the years on this road.
The use of Average Speed Cameras in Surrey began with the nearby A217, and has been a great success, not only cutting speeds but reducing casualties and has almost overwhelming support from local people, not to mention law-abiding drivers who perceived little other form of deterrent.
With the ever-increasing volume of traffic on the M25, and
closures, etc, becoming more frequent, drivers follow Sat-Nav
instructions and circumvent Junction 8 by using local roads, from
J9, which includes Dorking Road. These drivers are unfamiliar with
the topography and surroundings of the area, and many of these
vehicles are large HGV’s.
Even without the M25 ‘avoiders’, the road is a
‘rat-run’ for drivers from the A25 to the A217 towards
London, and reverse.
Walton Heath Golf Club investigated the potential for a bridge or tunnel previously.
Neither were supported by Surrey County Council and the costs would have been prohibitive, but at the times they undertook a Traffic Management Survey, they AVERAGE mean speed of vehicles was 47 mph!
The geography and local users:
Dorking Road is categorised a ‘B’ road, but like many in Surrey carries a substantial amount of traffic, and certainly far more than the average ‘B’ Road elsewhere. This obviously varies by hour and day, but it is noticeable that weekends and holiday periods vehicles are travelling at far higher speeds than the current limit.
The road itself is a single carriageway road, with very limited street lighting at each end.
It is almost all tree-lined with a narrow footpath alongside for
much of its length. This footpath is increasingly used by walkers
with and without children, joggers, and some cyclists.
However, the footpath is poorly maintained and unsuitable for
majority of cyclists, people with mobility issues, and pushchairs.
It is also within less than 1 metre of the carriageway for the most
part.
The road is a ‘Switchback’ for about a third of its length, with almost no ‘sight-line’ f
Started by: Jeffrey Harris (Tadworth and Walton Residents Association)
This ePetition ran from 23/08/2021 to 30/03/2022 and has now finished.
172 people signed this ePetition.