Oriental Road
Bus route from Woking to Byfleet through Oriental Road
Arriva, the company which runs Surrey’s bus services, will be making some alterations to the route of service 437, which connects Woking town centre with Byfleet.
Instead of travelling along Oriental Road and Heathside Road, buses travelling towards Woking Station will be rerouted to run via Monument Road and Maybury Road to Broadway. The return schedule to Byfleet will continue to leave Woking by using the existing Heathside and Oriental Road route. The new route will come into effect from next Monday 15th December.
I am told that the change has been made to improve reliability although I fail to see how it will make any significant difference other than to pose an inconvenience to residents at the far end of Oriental Road who use the service to travel into the town centre. I have taken the matter up with the Joint Committee but I am afraid the prospect of securing any change is unlikely in the near term. In the meantime, I would encourage residents with mobility issue wishing to board the service to Woking town centre from Oriental Road to alight the bus on the way to Byfleet, which will then come back to the town centre on its return journey, as inconvenient and time consuming as this might be. Those wishing to complain can make their views known by calling Arriva on 0344 800 4411.
Lion Retail Park
Last night I spoke at a meeting of Woking Borough Council’s Planning Committee on behalf of residents in Little Riding, Oriental Road and Maybury Hill who asked me to object to the application for increased opening hours by the Asda supermarket.
Asda had applied to extend its trading hours from 8am to 7am in the morning, and from 8pm to 11pm in the evening. However, residents are concerned that the location has suffered from traffic, noise, light and air pollution in recent years and believe that the scale of development at the retail park is overtaking the capacity of the local infrastructure to cope with the demand. Some 24 parking spaces have recently been lost owing to the construction of the new Costa Coffee unit.
The Lion Retail Park is an unusual site in that it is in a predominantly residential area with houses in very close proximity to the shops. While residents are not against additional trading and longer opening hours as a matter of principle, they understandably want to make sure that the expansion and development of the retail park is being done in a way that is consistent with its location in what is otherwise a quiet and peaceful part of Woking.
Following my representations, councillors on the Planning Committee voted to restrict opening hours from 8am to 10pm. During the meeting I also obtained reassurances that the council will not allow 24-opening hours at the retail park. I was pleased to be able to secure another victory for my residents and will continue to exercise vigilance to ensure that the quality of life for everyone living near the retail park is protected.
Parking on Oriental Road
Several residents have contacted me to complain about inconsiderate parking on the grass verges along Oriental Road. This has prevented the grass from growing back fully after the roadworks earlier in the summer. Residents have asked whether it would be possible for bollards to be installed along Oriental Road to prevent people from parking their cars on the verges.
I have raised this matter with both Woking Borough Council parking enforcement and with Surrey County Council, who are the responsible highways authority. The council has asked civil enforcement officers to step up patrols and issue warning notices to any cars parked on the grass verges. Normal enforcement action and patrols along Oriental Road will continue during the 8:30am to 6pm controlled period.
In terms of a longer term solution, the County Council is reluctant to agree to the installation of bollards or wooden posts at this stage as they are concerned that this could move problems with inconsiderate parking further down the street towards the Lion Retail Park. I have therefore agreed that the matter should be kept under review and that we see whether the increased patrols make any difference. Should further action be required, it is possible for our county councillor to take a request for bollards or another form of verge protection to the Local Committee, or alternatively to fund such a measure out of her local allocation allowance.
Following a complaint from residents opposite the Lion Retail Park, I also asked the council’s parking enforcement officers to make representations to Surrey County Council about their vehicles parking in Little Riding during the recent night works on Maybury Hill. I have received assurances that this was a one-off and should not happen again.
Roadworks on Maybury Hill and Oriental Road
Residents on Oriental Road and Maybury Hill will have noticed ongoing roadworks over the last few weeks. This work is being done as part of Surrey County Council’s Project Horizon, a programme of maintenance that will see £100 million spent on essential pothole repairs over the next five years.
Some people have expressed annoyance that the work is being carried out during the night and over the weekend, as this is creating noise disturbance for those living in Maybury Hill. I have also received complaints that the workmen are parking their vehicles inconsiderately in front of people’s driveways in Little Riding.
I have taken these issues up with the County Council and been advised that the reason for allowing the work to carry on through the night was to ensure the minimum amount of congestion on Oriental Road and the least disruption to businesses trading in the Lion Retail Park. While this may create a degree of noise nuisance for residents, it was felt that a balance had to be struck and hence a decision was taken to carry out the work while the roads would be quieter. The fact that the repairs are being done outside normal working hours also means they should hopefully be finished more quickly than might otherwise be the case.
The County Council tells me that, following my representations, they have spoken to their contractors and been given assurances that they will no longer park their vehicles on Little Riding. However, if residents have any further complaints then please do get in touch and I will be happy to raise them with the relevant authorities.