It's only been 7 years since I started my campaign to get the junction at Grotto Road and Thames Street improved, but I have just noticed a new post on Councillor Andrew Davis' website which has cheered me up no end. A footpath on both sides of the road is a possibility! http://www.andrewdavis.me.uk/2016/04/grotto-road/ Watch this space! Now.... if we could only get the speed limit down to 20mph and some speed humps on the roads in this area, our children would be a lot safer!
There is no pavement at the north side of Grotto Road at this junction which is regularly used by children walking to and from school at St James and St Georges and St Charles Borromeo primary schools, and visiting the corner shop.
Even with no parked cars, visibility is poor turning into the road from Thames Street, and pedestrians are regularly confronted with near misses there. It is only a matter of time before somebody is seriously injured or killed.
Parents at school drop off times seriously worsen the problem by parking all the way along the green at the corner of Grotto Road, right up to the junction, thereby making the road too narrow for traffic to navigate, let alone pedestrians.
They appear oblivious to the Highway Code and ignore the white lines that have been painted nearby to try and prevent parking on corners. To add insult to injury the recently introduced 20mph speed limit ends at the entrance into this road.
The corner needs a complete footpath, double yellow lines all along the green and opposite the shop, and strict enforcement of same.
I initially reported the problem to Surrey County Council on the website Fix My Street.com however I didn't receive any response. I then contacted our local Councillor Miles Macleod who has raised the problem at this junction with the council at previous Surrey County Council Meetings with little success.
My next step was to set up an online petition with Pledgebank.com to see whether other local residents agreed with me, and I was overwhelmed by the support that I received with very little publicity. I collected 69 signatures from local residents protesting about this junction and many expressed disappointment that this long standing problem has still not been resolved.
Having received so much support, I submitted a question to the Surrey County Council Committee in Elmbridge meeting on the 27th of July, focusing initially on the provision of double yellow lines at the junction, however their response was not very helpful. Their response to my supplementary question was a bit more positive, I will post both below with some photos.
