New HGV camera for Oxshott falls short of petition demands
Community group says one camera will only solve half the problem
A single traffic camera is set to be installed in a Surrey village to target heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), but campaigners say it does not go far enough.
Surrey County Council has agreed to put one automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera in Oxshott.
It will be placed at the Copsem Lane end of the A244 and is expected to be working in early 2027.
It follows a petition by Oxshott community group Fedora, which gathered more than 800 signatures.
The petition called for ANPR and speed cameras in both directions, and continuous pavements so pedestrians do not have to cross the busy road so often.
It noted that more than 1,000 children attend schools in Oxshott, and many walk to school through the village.
What has been said
Fedora chair Ian Dilks told councillors one ANPR camera would only solve half of the problem because HGVs travel in both directions through the village.
He said: "We welcome Surrey County Council's recognition of the problems, but we are concerned by the response."
Surrey County Council's transport lead, Conservative Councillor Matt Furniss, pointed to a similar situation in Farnham, where a single ANPR camera was installed.
He said: "As soon as the camera was introduced, it dropped off dramatically within a matter of weeks once the tickets started to be issued. We do know it is an effective solution."
Councillor Furniss said he wanted to see the impact of the first camera before considering a second.
He said: "If it's having the impact already, without having to install a second camera, that would be particularly key."
Conservative Councillor David Lewis, who represents Cobham, said two cameras would be better and urged the county council to try to secure funding for a second one before the end of March.
Responsibility for highways will pass from Surrey County Council to two new unitary authorities in the West and East from next April.