For years Tolworth broadway was split in two by a metal barrier that would look more at home housing prison inmates than located down the middle of a high street. Luckily for everyone that lives around or goes to this area, the barrier has been removed; replaced by a yellow and green patterned tarmac along the middle of the road. This allows pedestrians to cross the road wherever they please, and also to walk down the middle on the newly created footpath. Furthermore the underpass under the A3 has been supplemented with a new, over ground walkway allowing easy, safe access across the motorway for pedestrians.
The real winner from the project is the Tolworth broadway itself. The ugly barrier really brought the aesthetic of the high street down and I know personally I’m much more inclined to go there now that it’s smartened itself up and looks a more modern, user friendly place. A high street is by definition ‘the main street of a town’, therefore if it is made aesthetically unsightly by an imposing metal barrier and by extension a bad impression of the town is made. Since the renovations the high street is no longer two parts that felt isolated from one another, as if they were there, purely to channel cars away from the area as quickly as possible. It feels more like a ‘high street’ as it has been made open planned creating a less oppressive atmosphere.
Overall the previous Tolworth Broadway town planning was a complete disaster. The underpass that was the only way to get across the A3 to the other side portrays the council’s idea of a new, post war utopian vision of how the town should look. Practically however this idea fell flat and resulted in a depressing run down underpass and a barrier that compartmentalised the town into two halves. Tolworth Broadway - pre renovation - is a perfect example of representing all that was bad in 1960s town planning. The aesthetic they were going for was a fashionable one at the time, however as we all know, fashion is not permanent, and the town was quickly made to look outdated due to the decision to go for a particular style. The recent improvements made to Tolworth Broadway really drag it back into the 21st century, brightening it up, making it look more modern and allowing easy access across the A3.
By Oliver Phelps, The Hollyfield School
