HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds is to be pumped into improving pedestrian access in Alton. Hampshire County Council has drawn up proposals to provide pedestrian refuges, widen footpaths, create more dropped kerbs and improve signs to facilities in the town. It is planning to spend £250,000 on the improvements which will be started after April. Feasibility studies and pedestrian counts are currently underway in the town to assess how the cash can be best put to use. Richard Cowling, the county council's principal engineer, outlined the proposed improvements at a recent public meeting. They include: l Removing the acceleration lanes at the junction of Paper Mill Lane and Normandy Street and providing a pedestrian island, either in the main road or in Paper Mill Lane l Modifying the junction of Paper Mill Lane and the railway station to improve pedestrian access l Assess options for improving pedestrian access at the junction of Paper Mill Lane and Station Road including the possibility of closing the steps if considered "appropriate" in light of improvements to the junction l Modifying the roundabout at the junction of Vicarage Hill and Church Street to improve pedestrian access l Widening footways and creating dropped kerbs along Vicarage Hill and outside Vicarage Hill car park l Widening footways in the road used to access Ladyplace car park l Improving pedestrian signage in the town Mr Cowling told the meeting of Alton Town Council's planning and transportation committee: "We did a survey of people crossing from the station at the junction of Paper Mill Lane and Station Road and walking to the town centre and found the numbers very low. "We will repeat this but because the initial survey has said that not many people are using the junction, it would be foolish to spend a lot of money improving it. "At the top of Vicarage Hill, at its junction with Church Street, we have got that mini- roundabout and that was mentioned as part of the consultation a couple of years ago. We need to make sure we accommodate large vehicle movements, so that may limit what we can do there. "We are looking at pedestrian signing. Last year we concentrated on vehicle signing. At this time, we are nearing the end of an audit on pedestrian signing and looking at your thoughts for the strategy of how we direct people in and around the town. We are keen to maintain the look and feel of the town. They have got to match the character of the environment in which they are placed." Councillors pointed out that the steps from the railway station did pose a hazard to pedestrians, particularly in the winter months. Mayor Paddy Mendham said: "The steps are really very difficult indeed to actually walk down. You really take your life in your hands not just because of the traffic whizzing past at the bottom but because of the levels of the steps and the general state of them." Dave Crocker added: "One of the problems, I think, is vehicles using that road mainly emerging from the car park and wishing to turn. They have problems because it is a very sharp bend. This is not helped by the fact that the trees and bushes are not pruned back, hampering their vision. "I would ask that wherever you are putting up signs if there are hedgerows, I would ask that you prune them. There is no point spending £60,000 on signs that are going to be obliterated within six months." Some residents expressed concern that the steps could be lost. But resident Andrew Joy said if nothing could be done to improve the safety of the steps, it would be better that they were closed rather than compromising the safety of pedestrians. Meanwhile, work on improving Whitedown Lane is to start on Monday, February 13. The measures - funded by the county council from its budget for the current financial year - will include three pedestrian refuges, a traffic island, widening parts of the existing footways and improving existing road markings and traffic signs. The work, which is expected to take up to 10 weeks to complete, has not been well received by all residents, however. Arthur Blackham, of Cavalier Way, said: "To me, this scheme seems to be a complete mis- spending of rate payers' money and smacks of an effort to use up some money in the kitty which would otherwise be lost. "My reasons for saying this are, firstly, there are very few pedestrians around there, with the possible exception of a handful of people taking their animals across the road to the dog toilet, or Ackender Woods, as it is sometimes called. "Secondly the erection of Aunt Sallies, or traffic bollards in council-speak, is just handing money to the people who have the contract for putting them up again. A good example is the t-junction near Willhall Farm, where the bollards get knocked down regularly and, being a council job, will cost a few thousand pounds a time." Mr Cowling admitted that the works had not been well received by some residents but said he was sure that once they were complete, people would realise the benefits.
