Many of us have been notified of the public consultation which is available online at http://www.highways.gov.uk/m25j10 and also via a number of public exhibitions detailed on the website at Cobham and Ripley. Brochures are also available at Woking Library. The consultation closes 6 February 2017.
The main proposals are about two options:
- (called Option 9) a 4 level flyover consisting of the existing roundabout with 2 additional flyovers, each splitting into two, going over the top of the whole existing structure from the A3 in each direction joining up with the M25 again in each direction. The existing roundabout will be primarily used for exiting the M25.
- (called Option 14) a new elongated roundabout, taking the existing roundabout out of use except for pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists. The elongated roundabout would incorporate additional lanes to improve capacity.
In both cases the ‘A3 corridor’ from Painshill Park to Ockham Park Junctions is to have a number of possible local access ‘improvements’. Local Residents should consult the above website or try to get along to one of the public exhibitions.
Andy Grimshaw (Pyrford CDR) and Keith Creswell (Treasurer) both attended the public exhibition on 12th December and the following are Keith’s personal observations.
“Having often been snarled up in the queues on the A3 approaching Junction 10 from the south west, I can certainly appreciate that a good cost benefit case exists for improving this junction from a national route planning perspective. Option9 seems to best provide that solution. It might also reduce the considerable number of accidents that occur approaching the M25 from the south west. However, as so often, the devil is in the detail and the knock-on effects of these proposals. As a driver, a keen local cyclist, and having some respect for our environment, I have the following concerns, mainly as a user of Wisley Lane.
The proposal entails the closure of access to/from the A3 at Wisley Lane and at Elm Lane. This is partly mitigated by the possible provision of a service road either running on the north side of the A3, or the south side, or both. For the south side service road a bridge (or underpass) will give access to Wisley Lane and the RHS. Although a service road would definitely be welcomed from a cyclist’s perspective, no thought appears to have been given into how this links into the Ockham Park roundabout. This roundabout is currently reasonably safe for cyclists, except for the occasional near misses when drivers from Ripley forget to give way! I doubt if it will continue to be so if there are two additional junctions and the possibility of additional traffic both from Wisley and any new town development on Wisley Airfield. Two service roads seem the preferred option both from a car driver and cyclist perception but would involve more encroachment on the RHS, Wisley and Ockham Commons. A safe design is essential to cope with the additional traffic.
Traffic from Wisley heading south will now have to go through Ripley village to join the A3 at Burntcommon, whereas previously they could go up to the M25 roundabout and come back. Not pleasant for our neighbours in Ripley and may have an impact on Newark Lane.
Traffic from Wisley for London will now have to go down to the Ockham Park roundabout, which will mean extra back and forth traffic by the Battlesdon Hill and the RHS trials field, with resulting increase in fuel and noise pollution. Though if the overall scheme works there would be less pollution from the traffic jams – if the traffic travels at less than 55mph!
The proposal to create 4 lanes between Ockham and Painshill on the A3 will just replace the currently risky problem of getting across one lane from Wisley Lane, when continuing to use the A3 towards London, to getting across two lanes from the Ockham Park roundabout slip road, manageable given the extra 600 metres or so, but not easy for the nervous driver.
The proposal to have a dedicated left turn at Painshill onto the Byfleet Road from the south west would help to reduce queuing on the A3 slip road, but would exacerbate the lane-hopping problems for the traffic turning right into Seven Hills Road. With the threat of mitigating this by changing traffic light phasing, one could see the existing queuing along the Byfleet Road approaching the Seven Hills Road junction getting worse, giving us even more problems along the Parvis Road. Surrey CC needs to address the current congestion and ensure the proposals do not further exacerbate the situation.
Overall Option9 maybe be useful but needs a lot more planning to convince me it would be good for us and our neighbours.”
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