A SURVEY into the escalating traffic problems in one of the most congested roads in the town is one study too far in the desperate search for a solution. So says the Mayor of Haslemere, Michael Dover, who is calling for transport experts to come up with a way of solving problems in the town "one at a time", instead of waiting for a strategic plan for the whole area. Mr Dover wants to see an end as soon as possible to the continual plight of pedestrians faced with the dangers of crossing Lower Street. It follows a campaign by local resident Vicky Leake for a proper crossing to ease the problem, which she has taken to both the town council and Surrey County Council (SCC). "For too long, authorities have been able to fob people off by saying they will do another study and hold another consultation. To have study after study and consultation after consultation is patronising in the extreme," said a defiant Mr Dover. "I have been told that, as far as the Shepherds Hill and Lower Street junction is concerned, this is not only part of a wider review of the A286, but also part of the Haslemere traffic challenge that needs to be looked at as a whole." But, continued Mr Dover, the specific problems in Lower Street needed urgent attention from the council. "If we have to wait and look at an overall plan, we will be going round and round in circles. It really doesn't take the brains of an archbishop to sort out of the problems," he claimed. Now Mr Dover has sent an hour's worth of video footage, filmed around a month ago, to SCC traffic experts to prove his point. "It shows the desperate difficulties faced by pedestrians crossing the road at a variety of points, and the problems commercial vehicles have negotiating pinch points in the road," said Mr Dover, who claims that his study of the area is 45 minutes longer than any study undertaken so far. "I would far rather people said 'there is a problem, but we haven't got the money to solve it', instead of saying 'we'll do it when we've got the funding'." And he added that if funding was a problem, the county council could contact the town council which, he believed, "may find ways of finding that money. "It's no good waiting until somebody gets run over to address the issue," concluded Mr Dover. The call for a pedestrian crossing resurfaced at a meeting of the Haslemere Town Council planning and highways meeting last week, when town councillors heard a report from the Haslemere traffic task group, which had met the previous month to discuss the matter. The town-related group was set up to discuss issues affecting Haslemere. As well as local county councillors Christine Stevens and David Harmer, the group includes two town councillors, Michael Biddiscombe and Michael Foster, as well as Waverley borough councillors John Robini and Keith Webster. Meeting as and when required, the task group feeds points from its meetings to SCC local committees for further discussion. Speaking to The Herald this week, Haslemere's Surrey county councillor, Chrstine Stevens, said: "Lower Street is a priority for Surrey County Council. We now have a special task group, which includes Mrs Leake, and we have set a date for another meeting on April 21." Mrs Stevens said that there was a need to use current information, plus new points, to access the specific possibilities of setting up an appropriate scheme for Lower Street. "We are aware of the technical problems and seek to overcome them, but we have to remember that any scheme which is paid for by taxpayers' money needs to be properly justified and costed. "It is not a case here where we can have a quick fix. We need to look at the issue and get a sensible solution which is right, and I am confident that we will now focus on that," said Mrs Stevens.
