THE GUILDFORD SOCIETY
NEW FOOTWAY FROM STATION CAR PARK TO TOWN CENTRE
Pedestrian route from Farnham Road Car Park to Town Centre
Have you ever had to walk from the Farnham Road Multi-storey Car Park to the Electric Theatre?
From the exit on Farnham Road you go down to the traffic lights and cross over to the Railway Station side via two pedestrian crossings. You then have to decide whether to walk towards the Station to the pedestrian crossing in Walnut Tree Close to the busy north side of Bridge Street in order to cross it further down via Onslow Street by Rodboro Buildings; or you go back 15 yards on the railway bridge to gain three flights of steps down to the underpass towards the YMCA, to put you on the quieter south side of Bridge Street from where you can turn into Bridge Street Passage. The Farnham Road pedestrian crossings are very busy and regularly interrupt the flow of traffic from Park Street. There must be a better way to cross the Farnham Road to get either to the Station or to the Bridge Street underpass!
There could be!
The Transport Group has come up with an idea which would not be very expensive if done now or could be incorporated in the new design when the inevitable upgrading of the railway bridge takes place. The diagram illustrates what we have in mind.
A gap is made in the brick wall of the bridge which would give access to new steps built down the existing embankment. There is a little-used roadway under an arch of the bridge along which a footpath could be built. On the far side there is already a sloping path between Ranger House and the bridge which takes one up to the level of the station pavement, at the top of the steps to the Bridge Street underpass and a flight of steps lower than the bridge footpath. From here you can turn left to
the station or go down the steps to cross under Bridge Street to the YMCA side and head for the Town Bridge. Some arrangement with Network Rail would be needed, but the scheme would encourage the use of this route to the Town Centre via the underpass and so relieve the crowded north pavement of Bridge Street. It would also create a far more convenient way for rail passengers to walk to the station than choosing from the various options for reaching the Guildford Park Road entrance.
June 2009