Surrey’s Conservative Cabinet Member for Transport has announced an additional £1 million funding to make local roads safer.

Cllr Matt Furniss told a meeting of the full Surrey County Council on Tuesday (18th January) that the investment will be ring fenced annually for the next three years, to address any concerns residents may have about road safety.

The Council’s majority Conservative Group also passed a motion reaffirming their support for 20mph speed limits in appropriate locations, such as residential roads, busy shopping streets and outside schools.

Cllr Furniss said: “I am delighted to announce that, with the agreement of the Leader of the Council, we are able to provide this additional £1 million funding for road safety to tackle concerns that councillors and residents quite rightly have around road safety. Tackling these issues is a top priority under our Setting Local Speed Limits policy and will be further boosted by this extra investment.”

The Conservative Group rejected an opposition motion to introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit across Surrey as unworkable.

Cllr Furniss added: “We need the flexibility to set speeds that are appropriate for each road, not a blanket limit that would result in a majority of our residents ignoring the signs and criminalising themselves or place an unreasonable extra burden on our police. Since 2014 we have introduced 93 formal 20mph zones and informal ones too, which shows the current policy works.

“With the additional funding I announced we can do even better.”

Last year, the Surrey Conservative administration made an additional £13million available to Local and Joint Committees to bring forward delivery of road safety schemes over the next three years, to be decided by councillors at the local level.

Notes 

• In addition to the local highway budget, Community Infrastructure Levy funding could be used to assess and implement lower 20 mph speed limits. Assessment and implementation of lower 20 mph schemes could also be considered as part of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP) being developed in each of Surrey’s Boroughs and Districts
• Surrey County Council’s Cabinet considered further transport improvements at their meeting last year, which included the introduction of a community “HGV Watch” scheme to help prevent drivers of large goods vehicles using unsuitable routes and new projects to improve walking and cycling routes in Guildford, Woking, Reigate & Banstead, Spelthorne and Farnham
• Surrey County Council became one of the first local authorities in the UK to trial the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect potholes for safer and even better managed roads
• The Surrey Road Safety Partnership Board comprising the Police and Crime Commissioner and representatives from Surrey County Council and Surrey Police currently oversees the investment in new safety camera sites.