At a meeting of Woking’s Joint Committee, that is County Councillors and Woking Councillors, held on Wednesday 8th December the Councillors approved the highways capital work programme for 2017/18. One of the projects was the bollards at the Vyne. The item reads as follows:-

ITS Redding Way, Knaphill – removal of bus gate(rising bollards and prohibition) and possible new safety features. Feasibility, design and construction during 2017/18. Currently only ranked 43rd on the Woking schemes but a high profile issue that links in with A322 review.

Although there was a brief debate at the Joint Committee it would appear that the decision for this work on the bollards was taken at an earlier private, Councillors only, meeting. We know that officers from WBC have been working on a number of changes to our roads in an attempt to reduce the congestion on the A322, Bagshot Road, and the growing traffic problems on the High Street/ Anchor Hill. The KRA was expecting an announcement on the whole plan and were taken by surprise when the officers came forward with just the removal of the bollards.

Those who have been following this story know that the Council promised to consult residents before making a decision, well that appears to have been lost.

During the brief debate in public at the Joint Committee the reason given by a Councillor for bringing the bollards forward as a stand alone project was, and I quote, ‘to improve the safety for those crossing from the car park to the Vyne’.