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Liphook Ring Road - tony (13th Mar 2017 - 16:05:35) The Liberal Democrat Focus has just arrived through my letterbox. They seem to be concerned about the driving conditions around Liphook, wanting to make life easier for the motorist. It's ironic, but when I lived in London, the Liberal Democrat councils seemed to be at the forefront of berating the poor motorist for daring to drive a car, closing off roads, failing to fix potholes, fining us for stopping, fining us for moving. Here the shoe seems to be on the other foot, but then I’ve always thought (cynically?) the 3 main parties will jump on any bandwagon to get a vote, whilst holding them to their rhetoric often a different matter. So on the front page they're attacking the Tories for failing to maintain the roads because "... the least they (that's us lot) should expect is that their vehicle doesn't get ruined by a potholed road". I'm with you there, but would you do any better? While on the next page they are having a dig at the council, the developers etc for failing to implement a clear and thorough Traffic Feasibility Study including an Origin to Destination Survey. That's a bit of a mouthful. It seems that maybe EHDC was responsible for completing this study before allowing the development on Lowsley Farm to start and the Liberals are indignant. Hold on, did the Liberals oppose mass house building here in Liphook without a firm commitment to infrastructure? I don't remember. Anyway, enough about the Liberals, because I totally agree traffic congestion in the square is a problem that will only get worse. I agree it's wrong that the council could grant the Lowsley Farm development and all the other urban sprawl developments the go ahead based on the 'requirement' to carry out a feasibility study (and I'm guessing then, consult and implement it?), then allow development to go ahead without having finished, or setting a timescale to complete it. But my main gripe is with the 5 given 'options' the council seem disposed to consider. Option 1. A bypass through the rec, (OK not all of the rec, but still not nice) Option 2. A bypass along Malthouse Meadows and out through Radford Park to London Road. (I'm thinking these are 'the cheap and nasty' options that will allow the council to say “look, we did something”, but just don’t ask us again if you want any parks left) Option 3. A bypass 'somewhere' in between Bramshott Place, the back of Radford Park, a new roadbridge across the Wey and exiting somewhere by Stonehouse Road onto Haslemere Road. (goodbye rural Liphook). Options 4. and 5. The long hoped for phantom link road between Headley Road and Station Road which will shortly become impossible once all the housing is up (they call that 'creating facts on the ground') I'm guessing due to be finished, bad luck, just before the report comes out! So there you have it, which one will they go for? (if any). If we leave it to our politicians, we'll end up with nothing but back to back housing estates and ever and ever busier main roads with the odd 'bypass' through our residential roads and parks. No mention of a proper ring road, bypassing Liphook completely, to go with our new suburban sprawl. No facilities for the bored yoof (unless you count Bramshot car park and it's surrounding roads), but who cares as long as house prices continue to go up? There are hardly any buses around Liphook, trains are expensive, the roads are narrow, fast and therefore dangerous to cycle on around here, cars are our only means of getting about, they shouldn't put up more estates till this is properly resolved (in my opinion). It's for reasons like this that people have no faith in our leaders and voted BREXIT or (if your American) the man with orange hair.

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