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Does anyone know if access is reopened on Wisley? I haven’t been that way for a few weeks and last time it was closed
thx
rich
I have the misfortune to attend National Highways so called "consultation" meetings regarding M25/A3 upgrade and can confirm that the new bridge and access road/bridleway from Ockham roundabout will probably be another 6/9 months before opening. The total lack of interest by NH to find access solutions for what they term Non Motorized Users is very depressing. Trying to get NH and SCC highways/countryside workers and RHS Wisley to come up with sensible solutions together seems impossible. They also wanted to build an access road and roundabout for Taylor Wimpey aerodrome housing development that has not even been granted permission yet. You can expect another 18 months of access denial whenever NH decide they want to wreck more existing pathways.
Thanks Paul. I’ll give it a miss.
It's an absolute pain at the moment. I'd avoid any route that crosses the works area - every access that I have tried to get between Painshill / Wisley jumps side S of the A3 to Wisley Common on the N of the A3 has been blocked. Most are blocked at the point of access with no prior warning - particularly annoying if you have run or cycled the full 3km length of Pointers Rd to get there before being greeted with Heras fencing and no route diversion, just "Access Closed".
Only access over A3 between Wisley and Ockham now is by Ripley roundabout and across the airfield. They still haven't opened the new Wisley Lane bridge even just for non-motorised traffic. Wisley common across Claremount bridge is gone also. New bridleway bridge on Ockham common side may not be open yet either. I might check if I look at the closure today.
It's rubbish. The only provision is a bus between Wisley and Ockham. No use out of hours and no use for bikes and horses!
I'd heard there should have been access over Wisley Lane in March, but not happened (unless it's opened in the last week, doubt it).
The whole scheme serves only to profit those with investments in construction and Taylor Wimpey as the project enables the housing development, not yet approved.
That and prioritises polluting vehicles, but it won't fix the problems. Induced Demand. More lanes, more traffic. Less vehicles is the answer (and EVs aren't the solution, it's just more vehicles).
I can confirm that as of this morning still no satisfactory access routes have been restored around the A3 M25 junction. I ended being diverted / forced / following my nose up past Silvermere GC and onto the Cobham roundabout, through Cobham and onto Plough Lane. Glad I didn't have the kids riding with me! I haven't been out that way for 6 months and missed my bacon sandwich because of the work!
We had a futile attempt to get across the airfield last week and can only echo what everyone else said. You have to head into Ripley to get across the A3.
The planning for the airfield houses news it is a bit of a non sh*t Sherlock moment. Why else would they build the Ripley access road on the north side of the A3 with a fly over when they could have built a much cheaper slip road on the south side. For the new houses!
Hope TW get on and build the new houses. I can buy one and it will save 45 mins on my way to the Surrey Hills.
I rode through the airfield as part of London-Brighton off-road and it was pretty magnificent to travel through a big open and abandoned area in such an expensive corner of the home counties. I've been wanting to go again since, but it's not been clear if access is possible so I've avoided Wisley altogether in all my routes. Doesn't look like there'll be any more opportunities with the new development going up.
Runway is still accessible for now, though TW have had patrol cars there for last few years. They've not kicked cyclists and walkers off up to now but that may change now its approved.
Can get in via footpath link from Ripley roundabout or the bridleway and byways that cross north south, for now (don't do the byway from south, it's a hideous bogfest. The motos like to smash it up and are fighting the status judging by graffiti insisting it's a byway. They get grief from TW as they insist no motorbikes but it is a legal byway crossing the airfield).
I assume the RoW will be reclassifield or removed replaced by some sanitised tarmac cycle path round the dog shit / SANGS park they'll build.
Still main problem for me is access between Ockham and Wisley commons without the bridges.
Wisley campaign group are looking at a judicial review so it may drag on in the courts for a bit and will be after the election. Things might change then but doubt it.