AN outspoken councillor has lambasted a county council report for ignoring the pleas of Upper Hale Road residents with regard to HGV movement. Labelling the report "unacceptable, unfair and unreasonable", John Farmer - county councillor for Farnham North - added that it offered "no hope for residents". One hundred and ten people signed and presented a petition to Surrey County Council (SCC), requesting action to mitigate the impact of heavy traffic along the A3016. They asked for a number of measures to combat the problem, including width and height restrictions, the installation of diversionary signposts and informing HGV operators to stay on the A331. But SCC rejected each in turn, essentially claiming the A3016 "is not unsuitable for HGVs". However, at last Friday's meeting of SCC's Local Committee for Waverley, Mr Farmer, a resident of Upper Hale Road, took the bit between his teeth. "This is a completely unacceptable report from Surrey, saying nothing can be done, and it offers no positive suggestions. "The main problem is it removes hope for the residents. And without hope what is there next? Faith hope and charity are the triumvirate for civilised society. "As a resident of Hale Road may I suggest that the Surrey court has capitulated and the new kings are HGVs! "We appear now in Surrey to be giving greater priority to lorries than people," he said, describing the traffic situation in Farnham and across the county as "unacceptable". He said: "It's wrong that lorries can do this. Yesterday and today I saw two massive vehicles go up Castle Street and it's not right. No action is being taken." After citing the problem of HGVs as "absolutely enormous", he continued, "If you go to the middle of Heath Lane it's extremely noisy. They come charging up there at five or half past in the morning and it rattles a lot of houses and windows and it is an annoying form of anti-social behaviour!" Pat Frost, Surrey county councillor for Farnham Central, also called for road improvements in Farnham but said she did not know what more could be done. She told Mr Farmer she sympathised with Upper Hale Road residents and other people living in Farnham who suffered from similar problems. Committee members agreed to write to Nick Skellett, the leader of Surrey County Council, and the county council's executive about the situation and pass on the requests made in the petition to the Farnham Transportation Task Group.
