An accident in which a car damaged three parked cars before flipping over in Kings Road last Thursday has prompted a local councillor to renew his call for traffic calming measures.

Alex Adam, who represents the Farncombe and Catteshall ward on Godalming Town Council, said the accident had also underlined the need for a lower speed limit in the area.

The incident saw three parked vehicles damaged after a car being driven up the road from the Meadrow direction clipped the back of a parked car, pushing it into the Mini in front, and then flipped over.

The driver escaped unhurt: there is no indication that excessive speed played a part in the accident.

But Mr Adam, who stood for office with the aim of improving traffic and parking issues in the area, says the matter needs to be looked at again.

Previous meetings with Surrey County Council officials have not led to any traffic calming measures being introduced, and Cllr Adam says the issue is urgent and still needs to be addressed.

An earlier campaign to bring in a '20 Is Plenty' zone, spearheaded by Councillor Penny Rivers, also failed to win backing from the county council.

"Speeding traffic in and around Farncombe is a real problem, and has been for some time," Cllr Adam told Godalming Nub News.

"This is a busy residential area, with more houses being built and more cars on the road.

"I feel that something needs to be done to make it a more pedestrian-friendly area."

Although there is no indication that excessive speed played a part in last Thursday's accident, or one three years ago in which a car also overturned in Kings Road, Mr Adam says he feels the issue needs to be addressed.

And he says that, following the latest accident, he will be contacting residents to see if they also consider the traffic in and around Kings Road to be a problem.

"I think there are quite a few people who are concerned about it," he said.

Surrey County Council has carried out speed surveys on Hare Lane and Kings Road in the past, but, Mr Adam says, the authority said the findings didn't warrant any intervention.

"The figures didn't meet the threshold for action," he said.

He says a 20mph limit would make the area around Kings Road, Hare Lane, The Oval and Wolseley Road much safer for children and their parents walking to and from Godalming Junior School and the nearby nurseries.

"Kings Road has a 30mph speed limit, which is just nuts," Cllr Adams said.

"I asked Surrey about turning it into a 20mph speed limit zone and they said there was little evidence that they reduce speed, and the police would have to manage it, and there was a lack of evidence that they work.

"Most people are OK and drive sensibly. But it only takes one in five to go too fast up there and it becomes a real risk.

"We need low-cost solutions that could be put in place if the resources could be found. There needs to be a recognition at [county] council level that this is of genuine concern and these are genuine risks. There is concern among the residents that this is an accident waiting to happen.

"We just need a willingness from them to say 'yes, there is a problem and we can explore the idea of 20 is Plenty', and that could be a way of addressing this."

"We have got more and more cars on the road. We need to shift from a car-friendly environment to a pedestrian and cycle-friendly environment.

"You could actually change the tone of the area to make it more pedestrian friendly by putting in some speed bumps or road tables at the main entrances and access areas.

"We need creative solutions. You don't necessarily need to put big concrete building works in place."

Cllr Adam is also keen to explore options for making the crossing at the junction of Hare Lane, St John's Street, Fern Road and Lower Manor Road – the corner on which The Freeholders pub once stood – safer for pedestrians.

"There are no double yellow lines, and cars park on the pavement," he said.

"If we want parents to encourage their children to walk to school we need to make it safe for them."

Cllr Adam is looking to get a group of local residents together to share ideas about the extent of the problem and suggestions for solutions.

"I think we need to form some sort of campaign," he added.

"We need sensible, appropriate speed limits on the residential roads, with some key strategic interventions."

And he also has a vision of how the area could look: "It's changing the tone of the area and putting people, not cars first."

Anyone who would like to voice their opinion about trying to make "20 plenty" in the local area, is invited to contact Cllr Adam by email.