How will the surrounding residential roads be protected from heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and other additional traffic?
The project team is reviewing the options to reuse and reopen the goods yard access road as the permanent solution. At this current time, the project team cannot be certain if this option is achievable.
If the existing access road is viable, a permanent access road via York Road and Bradfield Close will no longer be needed.
To allow the scheme’s road widening and replacement bridge works, a temporary access road will be required via York Road and Bradfield Close.
York Road and Wych Hill Lane mitigation
It is proposed to promote an ‘access only’ 7.5 tonne lorry ban over the following sections of road:
- York Road from Wych Hill Lane – to the west of the junction with Bradfield Close
- Mount Hermon Road
- Montgomery Road
This ban would restrict general access movements of large commercial vehicles on these routes, allowing access only for those vehicles which need to deliver within a section covered by the restriction.
On this basis, with the aggregates yard access located just outside these named areas, HGVs could only use the initial section of York Road to access the site from the A320.
Any proposed restriction would need to follow the normal traffic order public consultation process before the order can be enforced.
Heathside Road, Heathside Crescent and White Rose Lane mitigation
The proposed highway reconfiguration works affecting Heathside Road, Heathside Cresent and White Rose Lane relate to the general Victoria Arch widening scheme and not specifically the investigations to relocate/reuse the goods yard access road.
For highway safety reasons, vehicles wishing to turn right out of Heathside Road on to Guildford Road will not be able to do so. Maintaining a right-turn option would require an additional signal controlled junction which, in close proximity to the other signals along this stretch of road, would impact capacity on the A320. Traffic will be rerouted up to Heathside Crescent to use a new junction on the A320 at the Victoria Arch.
Currently during peak periods, Heathside Crescent and Station Approach experience long queues as vehicles try to join the A320. With the introduction of a new signal controlled junction at Victoria Road and Guildford Road, the queueing of traffic approaching from the northeast will be removed.
Although the right turn from Heathside Road will be closed by the scheme, the scheme’s modelling expects traffic volumes through the White Rose Lane and Heathside Road junction to remain similar to existing levels.
These layout updates have been consulted on and assessed by Surrey County Council highways and safety teams, and they are considered the safest layout for all road users.
Questions submitted by members of the public
A significant number of questions have been received from members of the public during our engagement work, which remains ongoing. The summary question and answer outlined above aims to provide responses to the main points and topics raised by local residents.
- What impact will it have on the traffic on York Road, including accessibility to, and getting out of the road at junctions, which is already a nightmare at times.
- The area around the entrance to Bradfield Close (where the temporary road is being installed) is busy with people and children walking to the station, especially at peak times. What protections and safety measures are being installed to protect pedestrians from the 300+ trucks coming through?
- With high pedestrian usage of pavements in the affected area and especially with crossing at York Road already being difficult for pedestrians due to poor visibility and particularly dangerous for the vulnerable, how can you ensure vehicles are restricted to safely using the planned access route, when they already use other roads and have been evidenced to crossroads illegally and clip pavements?
- In view of the certain traffic congestion levels with the proposed relocation of Days Aggregate access road to York Road/Bradfield Close, how will the Council ensure emergency vehicles can have easy access to Waverley Court and New Central - given that on Friday 26.11.21 the fire service struggled down York Road and blocked Bradfield Close whilst dealing with an incident
- How would lorry movements be restricted to a short section of York Road and Bradfield close?
- I am looking at buying a property mid-way up York Road. Can you confirm that under the proposal for the new access into the aggregates yard, that lorries will only use the highway at the bottom end of the road, by the town, and that the lorries will not be using the main York Road leading up to Wych Hill.
- Wych Hill Lane has become a major thoroughfare as a result of the current closures of Victoria Way. What steps are being taken to ensure that Wych Hill Lane remains a minor road, during and after the proposed works?
- How will the project team ensure that roads such as York Road and Mount Hermon Road do not become rat runs during the works?
- How will drivers from Heathside Road area access the town centre? Can they still turn right to go under Victoria Arch?
- If access out of and into Heathside Road is going to be left turn only, how is the current road infrastructure going to cope with traffic wanting to get from Heathside Road to the north side of town? The only option seems to be to go up White Rose Lane and try and merge onto the one-way system of Heathside Crescent and try and get round that way. White Rose Lane and Heathside Crescent will not cope with the volume of traffic (and the long wait to merge onto Heathside Crescent which is already ridiculous at peak hours). If Hillview Road is anticipated to be used more, you will need to widen the road/get rid of the parked cars. Please let me know how this issue will be ameliorated.
- How would you ensure safety of so many trucks passing through roads where there are small kids and old people and avoid them being injured? If it goes through our residential road, we will want to limit it and it must be guaranteed and time bound.
- Why 'improve' the junction at Victoria Arch by closing the aggregates yard access road and then move problems associated with that access road (safety, traffic flow interruptions) to the unimproved A320/York Road junction (where the A320 will still be single carriageway)?
- If it is turn left only out of Heathside Road, how will Heathside Road, White Rose Lane and Heathside Crescent cope with traffic going that way to get under Victoria Arch. It will be gridlock especially with merge onto Heathside Crescent. Plus very dangerous for numerous pedestrians and cyclists that use that route.
- What provision will be made for traffic from Heathside Road and the Community Hospital needing to turn right at the Guildford Road (ie under the Arch) and conversely needing to access the Community Hospital from a southerly direction? (The White Rose Lane junction is incredibly dangerous and that road too narrow).