Fact Sheet on

Transport Issues in the vicinity of the site

Points drawn from the applicant's Environmental Statement

•  Heavy Goods Vehicle movements are expected to average 50 trips a day from 2012. 32 of the trips will be on 22 tonne heavy good vehicles and 18 trips will be on 9 tonne refuse collection vehicles. In 2012 78% of the waste is expected to be sourced from the Slyfield Waste Transfer Station near Guildford . Heavy goods vehicles will therefore make a significant number of trips from the Slyfield WTS. The longest distance to Capel would be via the A3, M25 and A24, and this now is the proposed route although in the Environmental Assessment earlier this year the proposed route was to be the shortest available route which is eastbound on the A25 ultimately picking up the A24, close to Dorking. From 2013 the bulk of the waste is now expected to emanate from the Epsom WTS.

•  The section of the A24 between Clark 's Green roundabout and the junction of the A264, north of Horsham is single carriageway road. This section of road has been identified for future highway improvements, such improvements described as “safety driven”. These improvements will not receive funding in the period 2008-11 and it is considered unlikely that funding will be forthcoming in the period 2011-2016. There must be considerable doubt whether the improvements will ever be made.

•  Recorded accident rates on the A24 between Clark's Green roundabout and the site and on the A24 south of the site, when compared with typical annual accident rates for links similar in nature and character, were 15 % and 7% higher respectively (for the period between 1/1/00 and 31/8/05). The accident rate to the north of the site was 100% worse between 31/10/01 and 31/10/06 . In view of these extremely high accident levels both of these links would be considered as receptors of “high sensitivity”.

•  The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) states that “highway links should be assessed when traffic flows have increased by more than 30% or other sensitive areas are affected by traffic increases of at least 10%”.

•  Traffic levels are expected to grow by 14.1% on weekdays and by 11.9% on Saturdays between 2005 and 2013 and by 22.7% on weekdays and by 19.8% on Saturdays by 2019, well above the IEMA limit of 10% for receptors of high sensitivity. And this is before the added effect of vehicle movements that are expected to result from an incinerator development. This renders the Clockhouse site wholly unsuitable for any development that will increase traffic flows.

Additional points to be made in letters

•  There has been a significant percentage of accidents approaching and on the Beare Green roundabout. The main contributory factor has been recognised as excessive speed or misjudgment of speed, with a high percentage of car and motorcycle users. Within the period assessed there has been a HGV accident due to loss of control resulting in overturning, (note this was a waste vehicle associated with restoration at the site).

•  There are numerous accidents at side road locations between Beare Green and Rusper Road .

•  Coles Lane crosses the A24 where there have been two accidents in 2005 where vehicles have tried to cross the dual carriageway. On this stretch of the A24 an increase in HGV movements would give rise to the potential for cars to try and pass the HGV before the Clark 's Green roundabout, knowing they would be delayed afterwards. With a risk of higher speeds and more overtaking there would be an increase in the risk of accidents from vehicles crossing the A24.

•  There have been numerous accidents at the Clockhouse bends due to excessive speed and loss of control resulting in vehicles leaving the highway. The stretch of road immediately north of the site access to the Capel bends is straight and overtaking vehicles have been observed. More HGVs would encourage more overtaking.

•  There are numerous accidents at the Rail Bridge where excessive speed has resulted in vehicles losing control. There have been a few accidents where HGV / Buses straddle the centre line on approaching the bridge into the path of oncoming traffic.

•  The primary cause of accidents in this area would appear to relate to excessive speed.

•  There is concern that where slower HGV vehicular flows are increased and where passing is difficult, frustration will occur and risks will be taken. There have been accidents on the network over the past five years to demonstrate that this concern is well founded.

•  The accident rate on the single carriageway sections of the A24, north and south of the site, is already higher than would normally be expected. Add this to the expected future growth in traffic levels and then compounding it, by adding hundreds of heavy goods vehicle movements every week, will make what is already a dangerous situation totally unacceptable.

•  Clay extraction is permitted and can be expected to continue at the Clockhouse site for many years to come. If an incinerator were to be built there is every prospect that landfilling would have to resume once again at some future date. This would serve further to compound the already unacceptable traffic problems around the site.