Busbridge and Godalming College

This link from the spine route in Phillips Memorial Park connects to Busbridge and Godalming College.

Why is this link important?

Busbridge is a significant centre of population.  Most of the residents need to access the town centre from time to time and commuters make a daily return journey to Godalming Station.  Some already walk but, by improving pedestrian and cycle access, more might be encouraged away from the easy option of using a car for this short journey.

The students and staff of Godalming College generate substantial traffic movement on a daily basis and create parking issues in the vicinity of the college.  While the catchment area is wide, those living locally or along the proposed Greenway route might be encouraged to walk or cycle if an attractive link is provided.

Creating links to the hill-top residential areas around Godalming present some of the greatest challenges on the greenway network.  The hilly nature of these areas means that they not immediately lend themselves to cycling.  Nevertheless, this difficulty is being offset by the increasing ownership of electrically assisted bikes that greatly reduce the effort required to cycle up hill.  Rather more problematic, is identifying a suitable route.

• The one-way nature of the town centre means that the High Street can only be crossed in both directions where side roads face each other. There are none.
• Flambard Way presents a ‘moat of traffic’ to pedestrians and cyclists.
• Brighton Road has the easiest gradient but making space for a pedestrian/cycle route would displace on-highway parking. In order to create safe access along Brighton Road as far as Crownpits Lane, approximately 19 local residents would lose access to on highway parking.
• Holloway Hill is narrow and offers little scope for adjustments.
• Shackstead Lane does not connect directly to the town centre and would be a significant diversion for those wishing to join the greenway to travel north to Guildford.

The route proposed negotiates the one-way system in the High Street by using different routes into and out of the town centre.  It passes over Flambard Way at the South Street light controlled crossing.  Finally, it follows Croft Road to pick up Butts Lane to ascend the hill.

The Queen Street crossing of Flambard Way would probably convert more readily to shared use but the one-way nature of the High Street renders it inaccessible when traveling towards Busbridge.