Parking Issues

Lots of road issues tonight, mainly on the subject of parking and cars driving too fast. This is in an area on the edge of current parking restrictions in Horsell. Whilst I don't like the idea of Horsell becoming one giant Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) something has to be done in certain roads.

Unlike our Conservative colleagues, who go ahead and make changes to the areas without asking or even telling residents, we Lib Dems like to consult first. Time to get out in the next few weeks and ask residents if they would like some parking restrictions. The option for a 9.30am to 11.30am parking restriction seems to work well for some roads. It removes all day commuter parking.

Residents may remember the dreadful situation in Arthur's Bridge Road a few years ago. Commuters and LA Fitness users parked all along the road and on every junction. Visibility for drivers, cyclists and pedstrians was terrible. The local Lib Dem team consulted residents on appropriate restrictions, including double yellow lines on junctions. We can all travel along and across the road now without fear.

Conservative Concerns

I hear news that the Conservatives in Woking are not happy with Lib Dem literature. A key issue for them seems to be us pointing out that Woking was the third choice for their candidate. It's absolutely true. He tried for Ann Widdecombe's old seat in Maidstone back in January 2008, and failed. Then he went up to Lancashire, trying for another safe seat, later the same year. He failed. Finally he settled on Woking in October last year and became parliamentary candidate. I make that three tries for a seat.

He had of course stood a number of years ago in a seat in Oldham, the area where he grew up. He lost. Similarly the Lib Dem candidate for Woking, and local Woking resident, Rosie Sharpley stood in another Surrey seat, Horsham in 2005. Rosie went to school in Horsham so when the Lib Dem candidate for that seat stood down, Rosie filled the gap, late in the day. She was up against Francis Maude, a senior Tory with a large majority. Rosie knew she couldn't win but flew the Lib Dem flag and cut her parliamentary teeth. In 2006 Rosie put her name forward for Woking Constituency and was selected as parliamentary candidate.

Just a quick update on previous posts today

- Surrey County Council has still not deigned to reply to my concerns about the new traffic posts on Brewery Road

- There seems to have been no progress on potholes. A few weeks ago there were council contractors out and about repairing holes but I haven't seen any for a while now. I cycled down Wilson Way (runs from High Street to Pares Close, St Andrews School and several smaller roads) and counted 36 potholes!!!

Mad March Hares

Hot on the heels of the posts on Brewery Road (on which I am still awaiting a response from Surrey) I hear news of further failures of consultation from our beloved County Council.

Over in Brookwood a new traffic island, dubbed "Fishwick Island" by local residents, in reference to a senior county council officer, like the Brewery Road posts appeared in late March. The island is meant to help pedestrians and cyclists cross the A322 Bagshot Road, in the run up to Brookwood Crossroads. It is located opposite the Total petrol station and is on a direct route betwen two parts of the canal bank. Residents were surprised to see the island appear close to an existing combined pedestrian and cycle crossing. According to local residents the crossing affects cars wanting to make a right turn at the crossroads and has led to some motorists driving around the island (potentially against on-coming traffic).

The island appeared around 20 March and residents knew nothing until it was in place. See the website set up by residents here.

A further piece of County Council folly is detailed on the getsurrey website. Surrey has had to take out a cycle lane in Leatherhead, which cost 70K to install. The cycle lane was too narrow and featured numerous obstructions. In an attempt to widen the path Surrey used paint that made the path slippery when wet.

Still no response on those posts

Well, surprise, surprise, Surrey County Council have still not bothered to reply to my emails about the posts erected on Brewery Road. They are obviously holding out to their 20 day reply time.

I have yet to find anybody who thinks the posts serve any useful purpose . Taking a trip along Brewery Road you can now watch pedestrians dancing and weaving to find a way past each other on the new narrowed path.

Three weeks to election day ...

We are now over a week in to the election campaign proper and the pace is really hotting up. I am finding that people on the doorstep have a much clearer idea of which way they are going to vote, although there are the inevitable "undecided" and those who may not vote at all because of the expenses scandal and behaviour of some MPs.

There is a great deal of support for Vince Cable, so many people tell me he is the only one talking sense on the economy. Recognition of Rosie is very high and people are keen to vote for a local candidate who has worked for our area for so many years.

On your marks, get set, go ...

Politicians around the country are off on the final sprint of the 2010 election campaign. Gordon Brown went to the Palace this morning and has now announced, as everyone anticipated, that 6 May is the date for the General Election. My husband seems to go have got into election mode - I threatened to paint Rosie on his back in this outfit!

Residents of Horsell West, and some other parts of Woking, will have two votes on 6 May. One for a new MP for Woking and one for a new local councillor for Horsell West. In both cases a 'new' face is guaranteed.

Humfrey Malins is standing down and the Liberal Democrat candidate Rosie Sharpley is in with the best chance the Lib Dems have ever had to replace him. Rosie is well known in the constituency. She's been a councillor in Goldsworth Park for 21 years, worked locally as a nurse and served as a magistrate in Surrey. As the Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson she's worked hard for our area in the last three years.

Meanwhile over in the Tory stable, Mr Malins stood down just over a year ago but a new candidate was not selected until last October. I understand that 'local' candidates did put their names forward but a PR man from Blackheath, who had already tried to get selected in Lancashire and Maidstone (Anne Widdecombe's seat) was chosen to go up against Rosie.

Labour have gone for a young candidate, having been deserted by their original candidate who went off to try for a 'safe seat' in London.

UKIP are definitely in there as well. I don't know much about their candidate. He comments a lot on various online forums. I believe he lives in one of the huge blocks of flats by the station. I suppose that gives him a good 'overview' of much of Woking.

In Horsell West I am looking to replace Richard Sanderson, who is standing down after a massive 26 years on the Council. He is the longest serving councillor and dates from a period when there were just a handful of Liberals on Woking BC. Now the party is one seat behind the Conservatives.

Richard and I have spent much time talking to residents in the last year and looking into local issues. I want to return to the Council to provide a voice for residents who often seem to be forgotten by both Woking and Surrey. This tendency has been shown all to clearly in recent weeks when Surrey took it into their heads to put traffic posts along the sharp bend on Brewery Road. During my time on the Council I was pleased to be able to intervene and stop Woking BC putting in a bid for a Casino, without consulting residents. As a result of my intervention the Council was forced to consult, via a telephone survey, and the conclusive answer was "No" to a casino.

If you still need to register to vote you have until 20 April. You can also register to receive your vote by post or to get someone to vote on your behalf. Details for Woking residents can be found here.

When is a flood not a flood?

Why when Surrey County Council can't see it of course!!!

Many residents will have encountered the flood that regularly engulfs the zebra crossing on the route from Brewery Road car park to Footpath 19A (a popular walking route to Horsell Park and beyond).

At times the flood renders the crossing totally unusable. As the flood subsides it is possible to travel across the road in the vicinity of the crossing, but this may involve pushing the button on the Pelican lights and then running to the edge of the crossing to find dry land.

Pedestrians walking along the pavement are at risk of a free cold shower. Some drivers are considerate and slow down or drive in the centre of the road (on-coming traffic allowing). Others race through with not a care for those on foot. Back in January my daughter and I were soaked by some inconsiderate fool travelling through the standing water at speed.

Surrey say they don't know what is causing the flooding. They recently told the local paper there wasn't a flood there when they came to look at the situation. I expect that would be because of their dreadful response times. Anybody who has sent an email to Surrey will probaly recall getting an instant response - but this response just tells you they will respond to you query in 20 working days. A month, to respond to a query!!

Still no response

I am still awaiting a response from the County Council on my questions about the posts erected on Brewery Road. It is now Easter, so Tuesday is the earliest time I can expect a response.

I have seen a reply to a local councillor on the erection of the posts and it confirms my suspicion that they were funded from some money left in the budget at the end of the year.

I wish they had put that money into something that would benefit the local area. I don't have to go far to suggest several things they could do, just in Brewery Road, such as:

• Stopping the flooding that makes it dangerous to cross at the zebra on the route from the car park to Horsell Park and threatens pedestrians with a free cold shower
• Filling in the potholes on Brewery Road that are growing by the day
• Re-surface Brewery Road

And of course the list gets longer the further I travel , but this is indicative of the issues facing us all over Horsell and Woking.

Last Post ...

The whole series of posts are now in place, all around the bend on Brewery Road. I have received nothing from Surrey County Council. Not even an acknowledgement of my email raising concerns. Tomorrow will be a week since I raised by concerns. I know a number of residents have also raised concerns. Surrey just went ahead and erected the rest of the posts.

Residents, quite rightly, have to apply for planning permission when they change the appearance of their home in even a minor way. Why is it that the County Council can erect these posts which have such a dramatic effect on the local scene and block the pavement without telling local residents.

I have found one person who has a use for the posts!

More on those posts

I have taken the opportunity to have a closer look at the new posts in Brewery Road. As of Saturday there are still just two posts in position, but as reported previously there are markings for many more.

I had a photo taken alongside the posts as you can see above. Whilst we were taking the photo a couple walked by along the pavement. They just fitted between the posts and the edge of the moor. My younger daughter and I stood between the posts and the moor and there was little room left on the pavement. If a parent and two children walked along the road one of them would be walking on the grass. There is no room for passing on the pavement and this is not the narrowest part of the pavement!

I have written again to Surrey County Council expressing my serious concerns.

Concerned about traffic posts on Brewery Road

I'm very concerned about some new traffic posts that are starting to be erected along Brewery Road. The aim is to slow traffic but I am not at all convinced that they are going to be effective. The posts are set to cover a huge distance from just past the postbox (near the children's playground), right along the bend towards Woking, and finishing just before the next side road into Horsell Moor.

I think the massed effect of these posts is going to be ugly and intrusive. They will really spoil what is currently a green view across Horsell Moor, defined by trees, shrubs and grass.

The posts are positioned quite a way into the pavement so will reduce pavement width, quite critical as the pavement narrows as it approaches Horsell Moor. I will be difficult for people to pass as the road narrows towards the road into Horsell Moor and quite a problem for double buggies.

Residents haven't been consulted on the erection of the posts and people I have spoken to so far are not convinced that traffic speeds will be reduced.

I have written to the County Council officer involved raising my concerns, as has local Lib Dem councillor Richard Sanderson. Despite being an elected representative in Horsell he was not informed of the County Council's plans.

I believe the posts are being erected because there is some money left in the budget at the end of the year. Residents are not to get their long awaited traffic calming, despite this having been proposed by former Lib Dem county councillor John Doran a number of years ago. I understand the budget is frozen for all road safety schemes for the coming financial year. This scheme appears to be a sop to Brewery Road residents. In my view the County Council are wasting their money. Residents want real traffic calming.

Taking A Stand

I am now in possession of my nomination papers to stand as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Horsell West at the forthcoming local elections.

My long serving colleague, Richard Sanderson, is standing down after 26 years as a local councillor.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to take over and continue his hard work over many years. Of the three councillors representing Horsell West there are currently two Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat. I hope to maintain a Liberal Democrat presence in the ward to reflect the strong Liberal Democrat support in Horsell.

If elected I am keen to continue the work I did on the Council between 2004 and 2008. I will set out my aims and objectives over the next few days. Along with others in the local Liberal Democrat team I have been talking to people around Horsell since last September so I hope I have a good idea about what concerns people. If we haven't visited you and you would like to raise an issue please let me know.

Communication and consultation are key priorities. Residents need to kept informed about what is going on in their area and given a chance to have their say. As a councillor:

• I was successful, against Conservative opposition, in requiring neighbours to be directly informed about applications for extended hours or entertainment licences from licensed premises
• I informed residents about plan for mobile phone masts
• I ensured residents knew about major planning applications

Local Policing on the National Stage

Good to see Horsell and the Allotments featuring on the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning. I was particularly pleased to hear praise for our local neighbourhood police officer PC Parish (now an Acting Sergeant) who was very accurately described by one of the allotment holders interviewed as a “First class local constable”. PC Parish, along with a series of PCSOs (two of who have gone on to become full police officers) has been doing a fantastic job of policing Horsell for almost four years.

Do Conservatives Really Want to Listen?

Surrey County Council, Woking Borough Council, local police and other agencies involved in providing services to people in Woking held a 'Community Question Time' last Wednesday. It was one event, for the whole borough, held in the HG Wells in the town centre. Many attendees will have had to park in the centre and incur a parking charge.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the event - conflicting pressure of husband, older daughter and me all wanting to be in different places at the same time and a younger daughter to get to bed. From reports I have heard it sounds like I didn't miss much. It was not so much a question time as a talk at you time. I recognise that there is a need for a certain amount of introduction and scene setting required at this type of event but when an event is billed as a community question time you would expect the floor to open up to public questions with the minimum of preamble. Not so at this event apparently.

The funny thing is a local Conservative is now suggesting that a quarterly or twice yearly event that moves around the borough would be a good idea. It's a great idea and one that was put in place under the theme 'Tune In' through a local Liberal Democrat initiative.

I did see the term 'Tune In' on some advertising for last week's event, but it was a misnomer. The purpose of 'Tune In' was to hold a regular dialogue in the community. As with last week's event the various local service providers got together. The difference was that there were several events around the borough, based on policing areas. One 'Tune In' event was held in each area before the Conservatives quietly forgot all about it. 'Tune In' set a framework and really engaged local people. I attended two events, in Horsell and in Goldsworth Park, both were packed and there were many people keen to play ar part in their local community. As far as I can see all that is left of the initiative is 'clean-up days' in some areas. These are great events and a good chance for the community to work together but Tune In was meant to be so much more.

You Don't Have to Clean Your Wheely Bin

Hot on the heels of my experience with the dodgy burglar alarm company I hear news of a company offering to clean wheely bins. Nothing wrong with this. Some residents may appreciate having their wheely bins cleaned for a fee. The issue with this company, according to BBC News is that they tell residents that Woking Council requires their bins to be cleaned to meet council standards. Woking Council has confirmed that it does 'advise' residents to keep their bins clean but it does not employ a company to enforce bin cleanliness. The company concerned uses the name 'Woking Wheelie Bins'.

You can see Woking Council's advice on this matter here. This includes using the Surrey Police non-emergency number if you are concerned by a sales representative at your door 0845 125 2222.

Beware of Callers Offering Free Burglar Alarms

Last night I recieved a sales call at home. This, in itself, is unusual because our phone is TPS (Telephone Preference Service) registered. Signing up to this free service dramatically cuts down the number of sales calls. There are still a few that come through but most companies abide by the rules and the threat of a fine.

The caller said they were from the 'National Crime Research Group' and due to 'a slight increase' in crime in the area they were working on a campaign to improve safety. Alarm bells immediately started ringing for me as I had never heard of this organisation and I knew there hadn't been a rise in crime in our area. I carried on listening as I wanted to know the reason for the call. I can't recall the exact words used by the caller but the implication was that this organisation was working with police or another recognised body.

The caller told me that my household was one of four lucky winnners of a free burglar alarm. She offered to get her colleague to call me straight away to arrange a visit and a time to fit this new 'free' alarm. At this point I said 'no thank you' and ended the call.

I tried dialling 1471 but the number was withheld. I did an internet search and no record of the company name I was given. I then sent the details of the call to our local neighbourhood police officer to see if this was something he had encountered before.

As expected I had a prompt reply today. The neighbourhood officer had not come across this before but colleagues came up with details. I was sent a very useful press release explaining that these people provide a free burglar alarm but commit 'lucky winners' to contracts that can cost thousands of pounds.

The 'con' has been reported to trading standards across the country. Callers use various 'company names' and say they are working with the police or calling as part of a government scheme or researching for a fire and security alarm company. They aim to visit straight away to fit the 'free' alarm but also sign people up to pay fees for monitoring, upkeep, and rapid response facilities. These fees can add up to thousands.

If you do sign up for one of these schemes you have a seven day cooling off period in which you can cancel. However if you have the alarm fitted within these seven days you waive this right.

The warning is beware. Be very cautious. If you receive one of these calls report it to the local police. Please advise older residents you know of this con.

National Parking Award for Brewery Road but WBC still want to build over it

Brewery Road car park has won a "prestigious award" for its 'recent' refurbishment. This award is supported by 'Parking Review' and the 'British Parking Association'. The Conservative Leader of the council said he was "delighted that Woking's efforts to improve our car parks through a multi-million pound refurbishment programme have been recognised nationally".

It is nice to get national recognition and I am sure residents appreciate having clean and safe car parks but, this refurbishment is hardly 'recent' and it seems incredible that WBC is taking praise for a car park they seek to build on just as soon as they can.

A classic quote in the Council's press release says "It is also clear the Council has a strategy for ensuring the parking environments are well maintained into the future." Well, I hate to tell you 'Parking Review' and 'British Parking Association' but this one is not planned to be well maintained into the future. WBC plans to replace the car park with an office block. The site will still provide car parking but at least some will have to be above or below ground.

Parking in Horsell to avoid expensive Woking car parks

I was down at the bottom end of Horsell Moor recently and saw the terrible state of the edge of the ground around the sports field and down to the squash club and junction with Arthurs Bridge Road. Cars have driven all along the area, some have really churned up the earth. There is no grass here at all, just mud. It really is an awful mess. This is a popular areas for commuters to park and walk into Woking.

Cars are also parked all along the road here, which at least means they are not blocking up residential roads and preventing people parking near their homes.

I can understand why people park their cars out of the town centre. It is just so expensive to park in Woking now. For somebody working a 5 day week you are talking about a cost of £8 per day or £40 a week. Add to that the ever increasing cost of petrol and its a huge chunk of many people's salary.

Now I am all for encouraging less car use and more cycling and walking but its not always possible for all sorts of reasons.

Perhaps Woking Council should look at another type of car parking provision. I wonder if there is any spare land on the Kestrel Way industrial estate where parking could be provided at low cost and a minbus service could bring workers into the town centre?

Clearing up Horsell

Saw a huge pile of litter all along the edge of Brewery Road last week. It's on the wooded area that separates Brewery Road from Horsell Moor. I immediately informed the excellent neighbourhood officer for Horsell and she got straight back to me to say she had passed a request for a clean-up to SERCO, the council's contractors.

I came along there again this morning and all the rubbish is still there, plus a bit more. I've contacted WBC again. They are awaiting confirmation from SERCO. Hopefully the area will soon be clean and green again.