Surrey County Council are planning to install traffic calming measures in Headley Road in Grayshott, which were planned as part of the Hindhead Improvements, despite Grayshott residents urging them to wait until the tunnel is open to assess the actual impact of the new A3 tunnel on traffic flows.
Hampshire County Council on the other hand have already listened to the views of local people and agreed to postpone installing traffic calming measures in Crossways Road, which were also planned as part of the improvements, until they can be sure what measures, if any, are needed.
The feeling among residents is that traffic calming post-tunnel may not be required at all and the fear now is that if Surrey go ahead this may adversely influence traffic to use Crossways Road rather than Headley Road to access the A3 interchange at Hazel Grove.
Several Village Groups, frustrated with Surrey's refusal to delay implementation, have recently published an open letter to explain the situation in the hope that it will increase public pressure on Surrey to follow Hampshire's good example in responding to public opinion.
A copy of the letter follows...
Dear sir,
Grayshott views IGNORED by Surrey County Council
Grayshott is a village that is in Hampshire but sits on the border of Surrey, this presents the village with some problems in terms of transport and planning as some of the decisions on these matters may be taken by Surrey but the effects are strongly felt by Grayshott.
The present traffic problems involve the main roads into and out of Grayshott and the effect of the A3 tunnel both when it is in operation and in its final phases of construction. The Highways authorities set aside a fund for local traffic improvements and calming to deal with any traffic changes that may occur when the tunnel is finally open. Part of this funding was to provide traffic calming, should it be necessary, on the two access roads from the old A3 into Grayshott, one of these roads is in Hampshire and one, the Headley Road, has its final half a mile in Surrey.
Grayshott opinion is strongly in favour of waiting until the tunnel opens and then deciding what measures, if any, are needed. For Crossways Road, fully in Hampshire, Grayshott have agreed with the Hampshire authorities that this is the most logical solution. For the Headley Road section in Surrey, the Surrey authorities have decided to go ahead this year implementing traffic pinch points at three positions on the road. Surrey agree that they do not know what traffic changes will occur once the tunnel is open but have made it clear that they are going ahead no matter what the arguments, they claim to have residents in favour of this scheme, but Grayshott residents have had no say in their plans and are most affected by the plans!
At the present time many motorists are bypassing the tunnel works down the Whitmore Vale Road, passing through Grayshott en route to their destinations to and from the south of the tunnel site. This Whitmore Vale Road straddles the border between Hampshire and Surrey and has five blind bends and is very narrow in three sections. This road epitomises the lack of traffic cooperation between the two counties in that, on the Surrey side, they have recently set a 40 mph limit for the road down to about 100 yards from the Hampshire county border, then placed a no speed limit sign for the section up to the 30mph limit sign on entering Grayshott!!!
Should not counties work together on traffic management across their borders on all roads or do Surrey regard such working together as unimportant or too much trouble' With the removal of the Regional Development Agencies we are dependent on the County Councils for coherent strategic planning. This disaggregated hotch potch approach by Surrey which focuses on an entirely artificial boundary hardly bodes well for future cross border strategic planning!
In our current economic situation is it wise to spend money on projects that may not be needed' Or plan to implement works as a solution before the question has been posed' Is this local democracy at work when the village most affected is ignored because it is across a county border'
Signatories to this letter
Grayshott Parish Council
Grayshott Society Committee
Ferris Cowper, District Councillor
Buy in Grayshott group
Grayshott Community Planning group
