CRITICISMS over delays in installing safety measures in Chiddingfold have brought assurances from Surrey County Council that parts of a scheme to slow down traffic on the dangerous approach to the village are in hand.

Surrey County Council's local transport director, Phil Crossland, told The Herald this week that interactive signs telling motorists to slow down to varying speed limits along the entire stretch of the A283 between Milford and the border with West Sussex, are expected to be installed before the end of the year.

"There are a raft of measures for the whole A283 which we are now working our way to implementing within the next two months

In all, 10 signs which light up when traffic exceeds the speed limits, will be placed at six locations including at 30 mph limits through the village, 40 mph limits past King Edward's School at Witley, 50 mph south of the village beyond the golf club, and north of the village.

The safety measures follow a consultation exercise including a number of exhibitions involving the length of the road, the scene of a number of fatal and serious road accidents in recent years.

And Mr Crossland said that the scheme, which is likely to cost in the region of £120,000 - with more to follow if another bid for £40,000 is successful for the next financial year - would also include detailed designs for more safety measures including build-out traffic calming on the road.

But John Cowburn from the village CRASH organisation, which has campaigned for traffic-calming measures following two fatal accidents in 2002 when a mother and son died on the outskirts of the village, and a further two separate fatalities outside the Winterton Arms public house the year before, said the assurances were not good enough.

"We have kept a low profile for a while after serving our purpose for the community and encouraging the authorities to prioritise road safety improvements through the village," said Mr Cowburn.

But he continued: "The Chiddingfold community is very disappointed that there has been only minimal visible work done to progress the promised improvements.

"So much effort by all concerned was put into the matter, and now it appears to the residents that there has been nothing done."

And this week Mr Cowburn was unrepentant: "All this work was supposed to be in by early summer and we are still working on promises, they haven't even had the decency to respond to me." 

The chairman of Chiddingfold Parish Council, Graham Ball, also said he had become "frustrated" by the lack of action.

Mr Ball said that his constant requests for information had come to nothing.

"I've been e-mailing and have now given up," he added.

He claimed that the work should have been completed last year.

"It all kicked off two years ago and it was agreed that some temporary measures would be installed before the consultation on the whole of the A283 went ahead."

But said Mr Ball "there were problems with the contractor engaged for the job and we have gone through another summer without any action".

He claimed: "I have just got to the end of my tether because the parish council can't get any answers."