Basingfield Road footpath widening

I would quite happily take a bodged job from the council to fix our road (Riversdale Road) where the verges currently resemble something out of the Somme. We've been on at them for as long as I can remember to tarmac them over. Basingfield Road must have some good connections or maybe we need to build a school at the end of our road so they will actually do something..

Molly, I can see what's happening here in Thames Ditton is what happened 10-20 years ago when I lived in Putney. As car ownership and population increase then inevitably more restrictions will have to be put in place, in the end it was quite normal for me to park my car a 5-10 minute walk away. Thames Ditton high street was designed for a different period and the current configuration is a poor compromise and eventually something will have to change.

Perhaps, but like the parking bays - people adapt to changes. People keep complaining about the sugar tax, it is quiet a simple matrix, do some walking and both kids and mothers loose weight.

The reason for the short-term parking is to create movement rather then use the village as a car dumping zone. The main problem is the commuter parking, they should have a car park somewhere not on the roads.

To be fair, I think most people who do drive kids to school do so because they are then going on somewhere, probably to work. If I walk to the school it is around 12-15 minutes, I wouldn't then walk 15 minutes home to get the car to drive to work I'm afraid. Time is too precious. I would always walk anywhere within the village if I wasn't under time constraints of course. I suspect many others do the same.

To politely clarify, I do not have children therefore do not drive them to school. If I did have children, and it was walkable, I they would do so, or I would get them to take public transport.
I work 2 - 3 miles away from TD and regularly walk to work when I do not need to use the car.

Have got to say but I am astounded that a school with a catchment area of less than 800 metres and people (in there droves) feel the need to drive to school - it really does beggars belief!!!

What are you on about, the council are actively improving things. It amazes me how many drive to take a train or take the kids to school - this is part of gov policies

Pushing residents towards Ashley Road is not a viable option. Have you ever attempted to park down there?.... It is already and has been for numerous years very congested and full of cars ( some practically blocking people's drive ways ). Therefore thinking on a practical level this is extremely unpractical to say the least.
Residents who have lived in Thames Ditton for years paying a premium to do so in many ways and forms, should not be left with no choice but to park hundreds of yards away from their homes. I appreciate that parking is and has always been for years a touchy and sensitive issue, but parking for residents has got increasingly more difficult, widening the path and taking away more bays will make the problem even worse.

This footpath widening scheme has got all the hallmarks of another Surrey Council bodge job. They seem to have now finished the widening at the top of the street (school end) and have thrown down black tarmac on the newly widened sections which is in direct contrast to the existing red cinder path. If this continues down the street it will end up looking like a chess board!! This is just tantamount to vandalism on one TD premium roads. Furthermore their is no evidence that they will be dealing with the severe tree root rutting which also makes the footpath a severe trip hazard. I have lodged a complaint with SCC but don't expect it will acheive anything, the apologetic lady on the phone said I will get a suitable response within 28 days by which time the contractors will have long gone!! Disgraceful service as per usual.

Use the shoppers bay, pick up at 10am in the morning though.

The high street is not wide enough for all day parking, and I've been twice today mown down by cyclist and pushy mothers with prams,- something needs to be done to improve things.

The simple answer is to widen the path between no.18 and 24, sacrificing the existing parking or pushing residents towards Ashley Road.

Organising / submitting for residents parking bays is easier said then done.

Having lived in Thames Ditton for + 13 years this has been a topic / consideration on numerous occasions with EBC / SCC, with nothing coming to fruition.

Appreciate there is Ashley Road Car Park where residents permits are available however when unpacking copious amounts of shopping this is not always feasible.

Suggest you organise/submit for residents parking bays - the shoppers now have direct access and if you live on high street then you should too.

Nonetheless that pavement is not wide enough for bikes, dogs and also people!

What about us residents that live on the High St, and would like to park our cars somewhere near our own homes?.......

How about widening the footpath in the high street too? The cars currently parked there, don't need to be there at all, there is a commuter car park at the rear and now shoppers parking too.

The playground entrance to Thames Ditton Junior's is at the top of Basingfield Road on Ash Path.

There seems to be a big increase in on-road parking in general around Thames Ditton, including Summer Road and St Leonard's (at both ends strangely). Perhaps the work has begun at Hampton Court station?
I think they've restricted all day parking outside the parade of shops on the opposite side of HC Way. It could in part also be down to the changing demographic of TD with more families moving in and others having children whom are becoming old enough to have their own cars.