Paul Johnston

These pictures are of accidents on Ewell Road in Surbiton in the first half of 2007. The walls are those of gardens in Iris Close. The junction is that with Kingsdowne Road. The accidents occurred to cars travelling northbound from Tolworth towards Kingston. There is a very slight bend to the right yet one car has come off the road in broad daylight with sufficient force to demolish a garden wall and another has turned itself completely over - also in broad daylight - having hit a lamppost. Fortunately I do not believe anyone was killed in these accidents, though it isn't very long since the former chairman of Surbiton Coservative Club was fatally injured when crossing Ewell Road at night just a few yards from the scene of both these accidents.

According to figures reported in the Surrey Comet Ewell Road has become the worst road in Kingston for accidents. It is difficult to say why, though one theory is that some drivers accelerate on approach to avoid being held up by the array of traffic lights put at the Kingsdowne Road junction some years ago to make it safer.

Whatever.....I have taken the issue up with Kingston Traffic Engineers several times since February and they have promised to take it up with Transport for London. I hope they have done so. However I fear that this issue may be too small for such a mighty organisation to take notice of. City Hall is so far away and has so much else on its mind. This 'remote control' is just one aspect of the system introduced by Blair to appease the hankerers after the good old days of County Hall and the GLC.