'All we were trying to do is save lives'

A council has been blasted for removing safety measures installed by campaigners at a Surrey crash hotspot.

There have been multiple serious crashes at the junction with Station Hill and South Street on the A31 in Farnham, known as Hickley's Corner - one resulting in the death of a 21-year-old man.

Campaigner Tara Smythe said she put up banners urging pedestrians to take care to "hopefully save lives".

Surrey County Council said it typically does not "allow banners or posters to be erected alongside our highways due to safety and visibility concerns", but had agreed to allow the banners to remain in place until the end of August.

Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth, said those at Hickley's Corner had been permitted to remain in place for a set period of time "in recognition of the fact that the banners were valued by the local community and had raised awareness of road safety issues".

He said: "However, these considerations had to be balanced against the risk of distraction that these (and all) banners pose to road users, meaning they could not be left up in perpetuity."

Smythe described the local authority's decision to remove the banners as "really disappointing".

"We honestly believe that they are effective."

She told the BBC she wanted to act after witnessing a "nasty" crash at Hickley's Corner.

"It had a profound effect on me," she said.

Smythe said the junction was "very, very busy" with hundreds of people crossing everyday.

Campaigners had applied to Surrey County Council to install the safety measures, although they were turned down, she continued.

Smythe said speed reduction should also be implemented on the road as traffic "thunders through".

"We would like to see cameras to enforce that," she said.

"But of course we do see pedestrians being impatient and running across the road."

Surrey County Council said it was continuing to investigate options for improving safety at the junction.

Furniss said: "A proposal to reduce the speed limit to 40mph from 50mph is currently out for consultation, whilst a proposal to alter the traffic signals is expected to be implemented this year."

Calls have been made for government funding to improve preventative measures at the junction, or for an entire redesign of the road layout.

A man in his 20s was seriously injured in a crash on the road on 4 November, before James O'Mara died in a fatal collision on New Year's Day.

A teenager also suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash at the junction on 4 March.

Councillor Catherine Powell earlier described the sheer number of crashes as "pure horror" for the community.

She said the council had been raising concerns about the junction for almost 20 years.

Furniss said: "Multiple steps have been taken to improve visibility at the junction, including adjusting streetlighting at night, removing flower troughs so that pedestrians and vehicles can more clearly see one another, and installing additional louvres on pedestrian signals.

"We will continue to closely monitor this junction and will keep road safety measures under review," he added.

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