ANOTHER accident along what is fast becoming one of Farnham's more treacherous stretches of road has sparked further fury. Last Friday, two cars collided on the newly installed roundabout at the junction of Green Lane and Shortheath Road, giving further ammunition to opponents of the scheme. Last month, to the chagrin of many local residents, a total of three mini-roundabouts were installed along the B3384, at the junctions with Manley Bridge Road, Little Green Lane and Green Lane. A day after their installation, a crash occurred at the Manley Bridge Road roundabout, with The Herald receiving confirmed reports of another two accidents, and unconfirmed reports of a further three. Surrey county councillor David Munro, a fierce advocate of the scheme, commented: "I am not discounting these accidents, because clearly they have occurred, but clearly there is not the evidence yet that these roundabouts count as a safety hazard. "Obviously we regret all accidents, but bear in mind that Shortheath Road has a very bad history of accidents, with personal injury (PI) accidents numbering over 30 in the last six years." "These roundabouts are designed to slow people's speeds down, and that is so far successful." When asked about ill-feeling for the initiative, which in 2004 was such to warrant a petition of 1,219 signatures, Mr Munro replied: "Some residents didn't want it. Some did though. The people who contacted me were about two to one against it. "I've always accepted that some residents were dubious about it, so I have to say looking at the accident record before, I couldn't do anything else. Supposing people continued at high speeds and somebody was killed? It's a difficult one." The initiative, which Mr Munro confirmed will cost £15,000, is yet to be completed, and the public will be able to view the results of an independent audit in the near future. "The works are not finished. There is more lighting and cats eyes to go in, and hopefully this will be finished this week. "A safety audit will take place and I can confirm that will be done very rapidly indeed. "This is absolutely standard investigation by an independent highways team, which observes traffic and pedestrians day and night. "Clearly there is concern, and the audit will be done very thoroughly and rigorously. If the recommendation comes up to improve anything, those recommendations will be enforced. There will be no waiting, it will go to the head of the queue." Conversely, Dr Avril Capper, a resident of Echo Barn Lane and a fierce detractor, remarked: "I'm sorry to hear about another accident, but it's not unexpected. We predicted accidents. We were campaigning on bone fide safety grounds, and I think our worst fears have been realised. "We're still getting the screeching of brakes and the hooting of horns outside our house. When I canvassed people in Rowledge, most people found the roads more dangerous than before. "Green Lane is also very dangerous, as when you are coming out and turning right, you can't see because of a high fence. "These roundabouts are lethal for cyclists - my son was nearly knocked down at Green Lane, so I've told him to get off and walk in future. "We want these roundabout structures removed and the road returned," she added. "It's just frustrating, as we do not have a speed problem and we've had no PI accidents in 12 years prior. The average speed along Manley Bridge junction according to SCC's own monitoring, which was taken prior to installation at four sites along the road is 30.3 miles per hour. "Eighty five per cent of people who travelled along were doing less than 35 mph, and 99 per cent were doing under 40, and that pattern is repeated along the road." Dr Capper said that the next Wrecclesham Village Society open meeting takes place on Thursday, November 23, at Leverton Hall at 8 pm. "Anyone who has anything to say, come along - there will be a lot of angry residents there," she added.
