Surrey County Council has decided to proceed with plans to install a simplified 'Dutch-style' roundabout at Boxgrove Roundabout in Guildford, and to make some targeted safety improvements along the A25 London Road. The council will not proceed with plans for a segregated cycle lane along London Road between Boxgrove Road and York Road. The decision was made after a period of public consultation, which showed a mixed response to the proposals.

A25 London Road Active Travel Scheme

Surrey County Council had proposed to install a series of active travel improvements along the A25 London Road in Guildford. The proposed scheme was divided into three sections.

Section 3: Boxgrove Roundabout to York Road

The council will not be proceeding with this section of the scheme. This section of the scheme proved controversial during the public consultation, and many local people contacted the council to object to it. Addressing the meeting, Fiona White, speaking on behalf of residents in her division, said

A clear majority of residents in the area that I represent in GU1 endorse the recommendation not to proceed with the plans for Section 3 of London Road between Boxgrove Roundabout and York Road.

Concerns about congestion at York Road

Residents had argued that the loss of a lane approaching the traffic lights at the junction of the A25 London Road with York Road would significantly increase congestion on this stretch of road.

Concerns about increased traffic on residential roads

Local people had also argued that the changes to the road layout would result in increased traffic on quieter residential roads.

The concern that the traffic modelling report accepts as inevitable and without question, the displacement of a significant amount of traffic into quiet residential roads, surely not desirable or beneficial to anyone. -- Fiona White

Concerns about lack of impact assessment on air pollution

Ms White also said that residents were concerned that the council had failed to carry out an assessment of the impact of the scheme on air pollution.

Concerns about the impact on the character of the area

Residents also objected to the number of road tables¹ proposed for this stretch of road, arguing that 14 tables along a 0.8 mile stretch of road would be excessive. They also argued that the loss of parking along Stoke Park would negatively impact people using the park for sport and leisure.

Section 2: Boxgrove Roundabout

The council has decided to proceed with plans to build a simplified 'Dutch-style' roundabout at the junction of the A25 London Road with the A322.

Simplified 'Dutch-style' roundabout

The roundabout will be redesigned to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, with cyclists having priority over vehicles on the approach to the roundabout. However, the design will be simplified from that which was originally proposed in response to feedback received during the consultation process. The leader of the council, Tim Oliver, said that

The design of the roundabout that we consulted on the so-called Dutch style roundabout will be amended. It will be simplified. I think there's been a strong argument from people to say that this country isn't quite there yet in terms of understanding how a Dutch style roundabout would operate.

Benefits of the scheme

Councillor Oliver argued that the scheme would

provide safe crossings around all of the roundabout for pedestrians and for cyclists

and that this would improve safety on this busy and important junction. He also argued that it would link up with other cycle routes in the area.

Section 1: New Inn Lane to Boxgrove Road

Surrey County Council has decided to undertake further work on the design of this section of the scheme.

Design review

This section of the scheme proved controversial, and the council has decided to ask its officers to undertake a further design review. The review will address concerns that have been raised by local residents about the width of the road and whether it is safe for two large vehicles, such as HGVs, to pass each other.

Councillor Oliver addressed these concerns in his remarks:

There have been some genuine concerns raised as to the width of the road and whether it's safe for two HGV vehicles in particular to pass. And of course what we wouldn't want to see happen is that those if there were two large vehicles trying to pass at the same the narrowest point on that road that they encroached on the cycle path.

He reassured the meeting that officers would be

taking on board those objections from a technical perspective and [would] have another look to see whether or not that is a safety concern.

Timeline

The leader of the council said that he hoped that the review would be completed before the council's summer recess.

Other targeted improvements

As well as the work on the main scheme, the council has also committed to undertaking some smaller targeted improvements in the area, including:

• A new crossing on Nightingale Road close to Guildford High School
• A new crossing on London Road between Winter Hill Way and the Guildford Premier Inn

Consultation process

The leader of the council spoke at length about the consultation process and the difficulty of balancing different, and often competing, views. He said that:

public engagement exercises and consultations are designed to help inform council decision-making. They're not referendums, and they're not a binding vote on binary outcomes.

He went on to say that

it is not the job of this council to impose schemes on residents that are not popular or that are not supported.

He stressed that the council had listened to all of the feedback it had received on the proposals and that the revised proposals were a result of that process. However, he stressed that the council had a responsibility to make decisions that were both viable and deliverable, even if this meant making difficult decisions.