Planning Applications

ASHRA's Response - Road Safety

Road Safety

Over 500 school children cross the junction at the western end of Ash Lodge Drive every day. If any additional intersection/junction is put in place, the dangers to them will be increased dramatically. Contrary to what Stuart Michael Associates stated in their Transport Assessment, in the latter half of 2012, two serious accidents involving children occurred in Manor Road, one at the junction with Ash Lodge Drive, having resulted in school children being treated in hospital for serious injuries. Adding another potential 800 cars per day to this junction could be catastrophic.

The letter from the Head of Ash Manor School to all parents, when a young boy was knocked down at the junction of Manor Road and Ash Lodge Drive in September 2012 and two air ambulances were scrambled, said "I would like to take this opportunity to remind all students to take care when crossing the roads around the school, which we know are very busy". Barton Willmore state that "it is concluded that, given the small amount of additional traffic which could potentially use the local highway network as a direct consequence of the proposed development, it is unlikely that road safety conditions will deteriorate. Barton Willmore obviously don't take school children into account.

In addition, any traffic exiting the new development via the proposed South Lane junction and wishing to travel towards Aldershot, accessing the A31 or the A331, would naturally travel down Grange Road to Ash Street. However, because Ash Street is congested from 07:00hrs to 08:30hrs, all of the traffic will turn left  before it reaches Grange Road, travel down Southlands Road and along Ash Lodge Drive. Ash Lodge Drive is, as already mentioned, a "rat-run" for traffic trying to avoid the gridlock in Ash Street, and this development will probably increase it three or four fold. It should be noted that this exact route (Southlands Road - Ash Lodge Drive) is the one taken by hundreds of school children every morning walking to school.

According to the NPPF plans should take account of whether safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all people. This is obviously not the case, and the first fatality at one of these junctions will no doubt be blamed on Guildford Borough Council.