TWO Chiddingfold campaign groups could be joining forces to make the village's roads safer for pedestrians.

Chiddingfold Local Agenda 21 met members of CRASH at the monthly meeting this week, to discuss the possibility of providing a pathway to Witley Station along Combe Lane.

LA21 is concerned that the road is dangerous because of poor visibility and speeding cars.

CRASH has long campaigned for speed restrictions on the A283, where there have been a number of fatal accidents.

"We feel that it would be beneficial to divide Combe Lane into three key stages to campaign for," LA21 member Helen Hosker told The Herald.

The three sections are the road from the village to Barn Nursery School; from Coopers factory to Witley station, and the third part is the stretch in between the two.

"People can't go to the station or buy their paper without walking along a road with no pavement," Mrs Hosker explained.

The two groups, along with Witley Parish Council, are looking at a number of possile solutions to the problem.

"The next stage is to undertake a survey. There's no point in campaigning if people don't see a reason for it," Mrs Hosker said. "If we apply to bodies for funding, then we need to be able to show there's a need for it."

CRASH and the parish council are also involved in a survey on the need for tighter speed restrictions in Chiddingfold encompassing Combe Lane.

LA21 has agreed to send a member of its group to their respective meetings to make sure the organisations aren't duplicating their efforts.

"The parish council is also investigating using the Hoppa bus service along the route," Mrs Hosker continued.

"So there are a variety of options of making that road a safer route."

Ray Blackwell, from the sustainable transport charity Sustrans, has attended a number of LA21's meetings in recent months. During his last visit he and colleague David Young walked along the route in question.

"They had a good opportunity to look at Combe Lane at a busy time of day," Mrs Hosker said.

"We also walked the footpath across the fields, looked at facilities for cyclists at the station and talked to the residents of Westway, who have been calling for a pavement to be installed to Witley station for more than 20 years."

Mr Blackwell has considerable experience of similar schemes, and thought it would be feasible to have a pathway running close to the road, perhaps separated by hedging, subject to agreement from landowners.

The alternative route across the fields were felt to be too remote and therefore people would be less likely to use it.

Six people have now volunteered to be on a steering group to further the project.

For more information about Chiddingfold LA21, call Mrs Hosker on 01428 684675 or Alison Hodgson on 01428 681328.