Speeding traffic has been an issue for many years in Portmore Park, and it remains an issue. Is it time for residents to act again?
Traffic calming was introduced after pressure from local residents and from this Association. It helped slow traffic (there were some serious injury accidents here in the 1990’s, but not since). It was followed eventually by a 20mph limit in the Portmore Park Road / Thames Street area.
But too much traffic still speeds through Portmore Park. The signage is poor, with little to tell drivers they are entering a 20 zone. We want 20 zone signage painted on the road surface, where drivers will see it. And a speed-sensitive sign or two would be even better. We have made this clear to our County Councillor.
Is more evidence needed, to get things acted upon? Surrey County Council looks first at the hard evidence of the number of road casualties. PP&DRA wants to get something done to prevent further road casualties. Better signage is not that expensive. Surrey recently repainted the ‘SLOW’ wording on the road surface, when they could have painted a much more effective ‘20 ZONE‘ road marking for much the same money.
In Greater London, introduction of well signed 20 Zones has seen a 40% reduction in road accident injuries to children. Can Surrey County Council learn from this?
PP&DRA would also like to see the North Weybridge 20 Zone extended. For some reason it stops east of Thames Street, so there is currently no 20 limit around St James’s Junior School, in Monument Road and Grotto Road. Surrey CC has said this is because 20 limits must be self-enforcing, yet Monument Road Road has traffic calming with very steep speed humps.
Can we get something achieved on any of these issues? What is the best way forward? We have have been thinking about doing community speed checks, with radar gun to gather evidence, and with bright yellow jackets to make rat run traffic aware. Worth doing?
Leave a Reply