As a young man H.G. Wells had spent an unhappy time living with an aunt in Horsell which was then close to Woking and is now part of the overall sprawl..
So when he wrote his great science fiction novel, The War of the Worlds, he had the Martians land on Horsell common, in site of where Wells had once lived.
This enabled him to have that area of Woking become the first to fall victim to the terrifying invaders weaponry.
In the novel the hero of the tale, having witnessed the first meteor fall to earth, was pursued by the merciless tripods from the common and along Maybury hill.
Were the invaders to land today they would have to negotiate a huge six way roundabout, dissect a one way system, a no left turn, a no right turn, two traffic light junctions, three pelican crossings and two quite appallingly designed mini roundabouts.
I think faced with the product of 21st century traffic management and in particular Woking Borough Councils ill judged town planning, that the Martians would have given up and returned home long before they were exposed to the pathogenic bacteria that eventually saw them off.
The world saved by the ineptitude of local government, what Irony.

Comments
threeleafshamrock | March 24, 2009 - 11:46
If I got the chance, I would go with them! Have you ever listened to the album Paul? Richard Burton from Wales narrates; haunting!
Chris
Biggus | May 7, 2009 - 07:35
Yes the album is great.
I drive down Maybury Hill twice a day and always picture the tripods making their way down the road.
We have a replica tripod in Woking town centre.