Wyatt Ramsdale, the county councillor for Farnham South, said he had been asking for a while for the planned diversions routes to be looked at again as large HGVs travelling through country roads were causing a problem to the roads and residents.
Of particular concern, said Mr Ramsdale, are diversions that send lorries that are “too high” down unsuitable roads with low bridges, notably the A325 Wrecclesham Road in his division where a number of HGVs have struck the railway bridge in recent years.
His comments come after a planned closure during August caused chaos in Thursley, with drivers reportedly following their sat navs and not the signposted diversion routes.
Speaking at Surrey County Council’s Waverley local committee on last Friday, Mr Ramsdale addressed Highways England officer Matthew Salt, who was giving an update on the A3 Hindhead Tunnel.
“A lot of problems are caused by traffic finding its own diversion route,” he said. “Traffic is directed along the A31 and A325. Any high vehicles should bypass small roads and I would like that addressed.”
Responding, Mr Salt said: “The route has to follow the one set out. We have driven the diversion routes. There is a separately signed HGV route.”
But unsatisfied by the response, Mr Ramsdale added: “I’m very unhappy about the lack of awareness. I feel we have been fobbed off. This was raised last time when your colleagues were here. We absolutely need someone to stop lorries that are too high going down small urban roads. That is your responsibility.”
During tunnel closures, the agreed diversion route takes drivers off the A3 at the junction with the Hogs Back, then follows the A31 to Alton before turning left onto Caker Lane and right onto the A325, rejoining the A3 at Longmoor.
Problems were caused in Thursley on August 6, however, after lorry drivers followed their sat navs instead of diversion signs on the A3 and clogged narrow village roads.
“The first night of the last closures was a complete disaster,” said David Harmer, county councillor for Waverley Western Villages.
The A3 tunnel is the UK’s longest land tunnel going under the Devil’s Punchbowl and Highways England maintains it on a regular basis. But closing the tunnel causes delays and diversions through local roads and steps are being taken to look at how it can remain fully operational while work is carried out.
Highways England has looked into the possibility of having traffic officers permanently placed at the tunnel, but that was not deemed “economically viable”.
The agency is now discussing with Surrey Police if its service provider Keir, which is based at the tunnel, could be accredited so that staff members could be given official powers to direct traffic during unplanned closures.
Jerry Hyman, borough councillor for Farnham Castle, asked if there was a way of trying to prevent accidents happening in the tunnels after Mr Salt’s report given to the committee mentioned accidents in the northbound bore and car fires in the southbound bore causing unplanned lane closures.
Mr Hyman said: “There might be unplanned events but things happen for a reason. The fact is that we seem to be having a pattern of accidents in the northbound lane. Could we look into it to see what is happening?”
Mr Salt said Highways England has safety engineers who review accidents but that they had not seen a spike in the location of the tunnel.
Committee papers revealed since the Hindhead Tunnel opened in 2011, there have been six weekly, night-time maintenance works carried out.