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November 19, 2024 View on council website Watch video of meeting
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Summary

The Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee voted by 7 to 4 to refer the decision not to proceed with the A3100 Burpham to Boxgrove Roundabout Active Travel Scheme back to the Cabinet for reconsideration. The Select Committee felt that the decision should be reconsidered because the original decision was not fully supported by the evidence presented and because it did not take into account alternative options, active travel's contribution to health and well-being, and the council's commitment to achieving net zero by 2050.

A3100 Burpham to Boxgrove Roundabout Active Travel Scheme

Surrey County Council's Cabinet recently voted not to proceed with the A3100 Burpham to Boxgrove Roundabout Active Travel Scheme, despite a recommendation by council officers that it should proceed. The scheme was called in for review by Councillor Lance Spencer. Councillor Spencer was unable to attend the meeting and Councillor Paul Follows acted as his substitute.

Councillor Follows argued that the Cabinet had failed to properly consider the evidence presented to it by Council officers and by Arup, who were commissioned to produce an independent report.

The basic thrust of this call-in is a defence of that essential concept [of robust, evidence-based decision-making], and I do not intend to advocate for or against the scheme on its merits or demerits, and I will confine my arguments to the decision-making process and evidence as a result.

Councillor Follows also argued that the scheme should be seen in the context of Surrey County Council's wider Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4), which sets out the council's ambition to promote sustainable transport. 1

Several members of the Select Committee expressed concern that the Cabinet was setting a dangerous precedent by overturning the recommendations of its own officers, especially on technical matters such as highway safety.

And it's unusual for a report such as the Arup report to be, the recommendations of that report should be rejected.

The key concern raised during the meeting was that a section of the scheme between Burpham and Boxgrove Road Roundabout would involve a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists, which several members of the Cabinet felt was unsafe.

Councillor Matt Furness, the Cabinet Member for Highways, defended the Cabinet's decision, arguing that it was based on genuine concerns about the safety of the shared-use path. He argued that the narrow width of the road at that location meant that HGVs would have very little clearance when passing each other, posing a risk to users of the shared-use path:

...the two HGVs with the wing mirrors out would require six metres of road and I think I'm right in saying at this point the road is only six and a half metres wide.

Councillor Furness also cited concerns raised by Sight for Surrey and the Surrey Coalition for Disabled People, both of whom opposed the scheme.

Several members of the Select Committee, including the Chair, expressed surprise that they were being asked to scrutinise the scheme, given that they had not been consulted on it prior to the Cabinet meeting.

I knew nothing much about this scheme before this call-in occurred. I don't think it came to this committee before.

The Select Committee ultimately voted to refer the decision back to the Cabinet for reconsideration. The Select Committee provided the Cabinet with four reasons for doing so:

  1. The conclusions of the Arup report were supportive of the scheme.
  2. The concerns raised by the Cabinet had not been supported by equivalent technical evidence.
  3. Alternative options to address safety concerns had not been assessed by the Cabinet.
  4. Active travel contributes to improved health and wellbeing and will help the council achieve its aim of net zero by 2050.

  1. LTP4 is Surrey County Council's fourth Local Transport Plan. It sets out a range of policies relating to transport in the county.