Campaigners call for safer cycling and walking routes in Guildford - and end Surrey's record as the UK’s worst for cycling

The Guildford Bike Users Group (GBUG) wants Surrey County Council to go through with plans to improve walking and cycling routes – known as active travel scheme – between Burpham and the town centre.

Among the group is a young girl who said she was almost hit by a car when it came “zooming past her”.

Their website asks “is active travel, the planet and Juliette’s life important? If so, Surrey County Council should go ahead with the proposed and government funded improvements along London Road”.

Last year the county council launched a proposal for the Burpham to Guildford Active Travel Scheme along the busy London Road.

According to the council’s promotional material: “Active travel routes are designed to give people high quality alternatives to car travel that are less harmful to the environment and to help make it safer for people walking or cycling.”

They can also improve traffic for more vulnerable people and those who rely on cars by giving those capable of cycling a viable option to do so.

This reduces the number of cars on the road and frees space on the public highways.

With the consultation now closed the Guildford Bike User’s Group (GBUG) has written an open letter to Surrey County Council’s leader and chief executive calling on them to honour the public’s support of the scheme.

They say results show 50 per cent of respondents agree and support the scheme while about 30 per cent are against, with 20 per cent neither agreeing or disagreeing.

Additionally, GBUG claims the project has the support of nearby schools, emergency services, and other community groups.

The letter read: “Local support for the scheme, following the engagement process, is clearly significant and overwhelming.

“Disappointingly despite this majority support, we have heard a rumour that the Surrey County Council Cabinet may still not be supporting the scheme.

“Please confirm this is not the case?

“If this happens we strongly demand to know what has happened to the democratic process here and while we understand that the Survey was non-statutory we would expect it’s overwhelmingly conclusive results to be published, accepted and implemented.

“We would also point out that if Surrey does drop the London Road scheme it negates all the adopted green strategies it has itself developed and signed up to recently.”

According to the council it is still in the process of reviewing the responses and will make a decision later this month.

GBUG has also released a short video on the busy London Road and Boxgrove Road junction.

In it Juliette says: “I was crossing a road and a car came zooming past and almost hit me.”

Her father Sam Neatrour, who drives as well as cycles, said: “As a concerned parent, the roads in Guildford and Surrey just aren’t safe.

“Narrow pavements, and totally ruled by motor cars at the expense of anybody who wants to use it, bike or pedestrian.

“My daughter Juliette went to cross the road, even though I was with her someone zoomed past us by ten centimetres and almost smashed into her.

“Cars are so much bigger and infrastructure is needed to give other users a fighting chance.”

He cited areas in London that have benefited from improved cycling infrastructure such as Walthamstow and Surbiton as examples Surrey should follow.

Surrey County Council declined to comment any further on the campaign group’s claims saying that it would wait until after any formal decisions were made.

Speaking at the launch of the consultation in September though was Matt Furniss, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and economy.

He said: “The views of our residents are important to us, and this is why we chose to pause the introduction of this scheme to allow more time to engage with a wider group of people.

“We have also developed new arrangements to significantly minimise disruption while the scheme is being built, which would see road closures only occurring at night.

“Surrey has the highest number of cyclist casualties in the UK and is the fifth highest for pedestrian casualties in Great Britain – we have a responsibility to help address this by providing safe routes and crossing facilities to town centres and other locations such as schools.

“With 41 per cent of Surrey’s carbon emissions coming from transport, we are also committed to doing all we can to make Guildford and the whole of Surrey a cleaner, greener place to live and travel.

“I encourage residents and others who travel in these areas to take the opportunity to have their say.”