‘Extremely dangerous’ Woking road where motorcyclist died ‘getting worse and worse’
Calls for traffic calming measures on an “extremely dangerous” stretch of road near Woking[1] where speed limits are claimed to often be ignored have been renewed by neighbours. Fresh emphasis has now been placed on the need for a chicane or speed camera on Smarts Heath Road after a motorbike rider died in a crash on June 15[2]. A man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in relation to the fatal crash.
Residents, Surrey County Councils'[3] (SCC) Highways Team, and current deputy leader of Woking Borough Council[4], Will Forster, previously met in 2022 to discuss speeding and road safety in the area.
Residents have now asked: “What actually is going to happen about this?” One local - who asked not to be named - claimed the issue has “been going on for a long while” and said: "It’s just getting worse and worse."
“Unfortunately, there has been an accident. Is this an opportunity for someone to revise or review the safety of the road or the speed limit? To actually put something in so there is a speed limit,” they said.
“There are 30 residential houses. There are young children and every morning people walk their kids to school. But even yesterday, a skip lorry mounted the kerb outside someone’s house.
“I don’t know what they were trying to avoid but they actually mounted the kerb. If someone was coming out of a garage or if someone was walking along the pavement, they would have been knocked down.
“There’s no way of enforcing the speed limit because there are no cameras, there are no chicanes, there are no speed humps. And it’s only getting faster.”
© UGC 'Mock' speed humps are painted on the road
Cllr Forster outlined that earlier this year he submitted plans for Smarts Heath Road for consideration and implementation by the council. It comes as he said: “Despite a request from the council’s local highway team and I, the county council was not willing to consider installing speed cameras on Smarts Heath Road.”
Cllr Forster continued: “High speeds were recorded in the speed surveys that were carried out in Smarts Heath Road shortly after the meeting. These were similar to previously recorded speeds.
“I have consulted residents about the idea of installing vertical traffic calming measures. The response rate was high and people overwhelmingly support the idea of installing one or perhaps two chicanes on Smarts Heath Road.”
He added: “Unlike simple ‘priority give way’ islands, a chicane would employ a second island or build-out so that it would be less likely that drivers would speed up to avoid having to give way to an oncoming vehicle.
“The idea of these chicanes would be to slow traffic down without causing noise and vibrations.” An SCC spokesperson confirmed there are no current plans for further safety measures at the junction because “there has not been a recent history of collisions leading to injury”.
They said: “Whilst the police have not informed us that there is any road defect that we need to act upon, we will wait for the outcome of their detailed investigation and consult with them before considering any highway improvements.” Officers from Surrey Police[6] were called to a fatal collision on Smarts Heath Road last Thursday (June 15).
A police spokesperson reported at the time: “Officers were called to Smarts Heath Road, Woking this morning at around 9am following reports of a collision between a white Toyota van and a black motorcycle. The rider of the motorcycle, a man in his fifties, sadly died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.”
In an update issued to SurreyLive (June 21) a spokesperson added: “The 31-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving, and causing death whilst being unlicensed and uninsured has since been released on bail pending further enquiries.” Anyone with information related to the fatal crash should contact the force on 101 and quote Cad 236 of 15/6.
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References
- ^ Woking (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ motorbike rider died in a crash on June 15 (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Surrey County Councils' (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Woking Borough Council (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Arrest after Woking crash kills motorcyclist, aged in his 50s (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Surrey Police (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ HERE. (www.getsurrey.co.uk)