VISUALLY impaired residents are struggling to cycle on a Leatherhead road because of deep potholes.
That was the warning sent out by a volunteer from the town's SeeAbility centre this week, who described the "frightening" experience of taking clients along Fortyfoot Road, which is regularly used for the charity's weekly tandem club outing.
Hugh Baker cycles with visually impaired clients every Friday, and told the Advertiser the road is used frequently as a way of avoiding intimidating town centre traffic as the group return to their Reigate Road base.
"Even for sighted people, if you're behind someone on a tandem it can give you a fright if you go over a pothole," he said.
"Obviously we try to avoid them, but it means swerving around a lot so that's not nice either."
The tandem club takes up to 25 clients from the centre on weekly rides into the countryside.
Mr Baker said: "The road's been bad for a long time but it's got even worse now, with all the cars parked down there because they're always parked on the only good section of the road.
"I think it should be fixed straight away and then it should be adopted by Surrey County Council. I know there are a lot of private residences down there, but the council is the biggest frontage holder. The responsibility should lie with them."
Fortyfoot Road is also used by children with severe learning needs and complex disabilities who travel to and from Woodlands School daily on adapted minibuses.
County councillor John Furey, cabinet member for transport, highways and environment, is due to visit the road today (Thursday) to meet residents, as he works towards a decision on what action should be taken.
Mr Furey said: "We're going to talk to the people concerned and listen to what they have to say and then I'll take it back to the county council for a decision.
"I see it as a story that needs to be listened to and one on which a decision needs to be made.
"I have already taken a look at the road myself."
Mark Francis is chairman of the Fortyfoot Road Safety Campaign, which started petitioning the county council in June for urgent repairs to be made and for the road to be permanently adopted.
He said: "We hope that the worst-case scenario at this point is that they repair the road but don't adopt it.
"Then we will be back to the same old problem of the frontages having to pay.
"If that does happen, we will keep fighting for adoption. We will keep raising this as a big issue.
"This is in the public eye for all the right reasons."
