I am interested to find out what people on this forum think is really necessary to improve Surbiton. I would especially like to hear from the more negative contributors!
For my part, I have lived here for many years, and really like the place. The only places that I would prefer to live in are the nice enclaves closer to London, and they are too expensive. The improvements that I would like to see are the same ones that come up fairly often on this forum:
1. Someone to take control of the begging situation outside the station.
2. The YMCA to be shut down or exert a greater level of control over it's inmates.
3. A general tidy up of Victoria Road, particularly addressing the issue of all of the empty shops at the south end of the street.
I have no desire to turn Surbiton into somewhere like Esher, but I think that addressing these issues would make it a really nice place to live.
Comments
What about all the gum on the street around the outside of Surbiton railway station? Its nasty, and one of the first thing visitors to Surbiton will see.
Being a negative one at times I submit the following measures,including but not limited to,those below that,if introduced,may improve Surbiton.
1/Build a decent car park at the Station a simple "meccano" constuction over the tracks would suffice.If the tariff was sensible it would remove much of the commuter parking which now stretches as far as Hook and Berrylands.We should encourage train useage but not penalise those who drive to a busy hub to catch them.
2/Victoria road is a disaster,so much street furniture,a pointless computer console which obscures the Zebra crossing.Silly pavement tables which obstruct pedestrian flow.
3/Ban all lorry deliveries between 0800/1800
4/If the YMCA has two neighbourhood bobby schemes based there why is it such a problem?
Persistent offenders must be evicted and sectioned if they are intent on causing trouble.
5/Put traffic lights or roundabout at junction of Victoria Road and Hook Road it is a shambles especially with turning buses who can barely turn without going over the kerb.
6/Stop all drinking and eating on the streets,this may halt the litter problem and "in your face drunkeness".Do we still have bye laws to do this sort of thing or have the EU stopped that?
7/Sort out the crazy yellow line parking in Claremont Road and remove meters along the Waitrose side so the buses can negotiate the area safely.With a bigger car park on the Station the meters will not be missed.
8/Improve the access to Surbiton by reopening the Ewell Road to normal traffic flows by cutting parking,bus lanes and so many traffic lights,the Hook Road is going the same way so lets not suffocate Surbiton if we want it to prosper.
9/Offer smaller shop and office premises to selected start up small companies at reduced rates and, if legal, subsidised rents with proviso that the exteriors are kept in pristine condition.A 3 year deal could apply after which normal terms apply.
If businesses simply move on that is no problem as they will have ben selected to bring something new to the area and a replacement would follow same principle.
Very good points. I am not sure that I would agree about the multi-storey car park at the station, though. The current car park is only 70% full most days, so the solution could be to reduce rates there first. Also, I don't think that we want to encourage people to travel too far to catch the train from Surbiton. I know people who drive to Surbiton from Berrylands to catch the faster train and from Esher because the journey is cheaper from Surbiton. These people should be walking to their local station.
In terms of drinking in the street, I think that byelaws are still available. When I used to work in Woking, they had signs saying that there would be a fine for having open alcohol containers in the street. I am not sure whether this was ever enforced, but it still should have made some difference.
Apparently, the residents of Hersham have just successfully stoppped Kingston & Wimbledon YMCA opening a new hostel there.
Perhaps they saw how badly run the Surbiton one is, and that was what galvanised them!
Cant argue with any of the points above.
Have to agree, the YMCA for me is the worst thing about Surbiton. Some sort of concierge is needed to keep the residents in check.
Regarding the station, hassling the station manager, SWT or Ed Davey may improve things.
Hi!
I agree...Its sometimes intimidating to be walking alone near the station or the YMCA...