SURREY Highways has defended its decision not to lay a special anti-skid surface as part of a new traffic-calming scheme in Lingfield that residents claim has left the road unsafe.
Opponents of the Godstone Road traffic-calming scheme criticised the county council department this week, after engineers removed temporary traffic lights at the site before the high-friction coating was applied.
According to a road safety audit done in 2010 and 2011, the material was considered an essential part of the new road layout, especially in wet and cold weather, to help to prevent collisions and stop cars from skidding.
The advanced surface was expected to be especially important during the scheme's first few months of operation as drivers get used to an unfamiliar layout with new give way signs.
Tandridge District Council member for Lingfield Lisa Bangs said she was worried about the safety implications.
She told the Mirror: "[Surrey Highways] highlighted the potential for shunt conflicts, skidding and 'failure to give way conflicts' and suggested high-friction surfacing would increase the braking ability of motorists.
"They were particularly concerned at the hazard posed by wet and icy conditions. Given we are experiencing a very cold wet winter, I am exceedingly concerned Lingfield is being left with a new traffic-calming scheme that does not fulfil the requirements of the road safety audit.
"One would have hoped that a safety feature such as high-friction surfacing would have been necessary from day one."
But a county council spokesman said the project had followed guidelines.
He said: "It is good practice to wait for the new surface to be 'bedded in' prior to the application of anti-skid, high-friction surfacing.
"Newly-laid material has a degree of excess binder, known as laitance, around the uppermost exposed layer of stone; this has to be trafficked off before the anti-skid is laid as it bonds better to the aggregate in the new surfacing rather than the binder surrounding the stone."
But the surface was not the only aspect of the scheme to concern residents.
Pam Erskine's cottage is set opposite one of a series of pinch-points that have narrowed the road.
During the consultation she urged the council to install an extended curb to guide traffic away from her house. But this was ignored and the scheme is now sending large vehicles straight into the path of her house.
She said: "Drivers don't even know my roof over-hangs the road and they notice it too late. The cottage now leans to one side because it has been hit."
