A PEDESTRIAN crossing on one of Reading’s busiest main roads was out of action for nearly a fortnight, and opposition councillors say the length of time it took to repair it wasn’t good enough.
Situated on London Road, it is opposite the Victorian façade of the Royal Berkshire Hospital and is used as a safe crossing point for workers and visitors to the healthcare site or, in the other direction, heading to the town centre.
It is necessary to stop the thousands of cars that go through the crossing so that people can get from one side to the other without needing an additional hospital visit.
Without it, pedestrians and cyclists need to wait for the lights to change at the junction with Eldon Road, and hope that traffic coming from Craven Road will see them in time and slow down.
The lights went out, quite literally, in mid-August.
Cllr Dave McElroy (Green Party, Redlands Ward) raised the issue with Reading Borough Council as soon as he was aware they had gone wonky.
“It is hard to believe that a pedestrian crossing, on a very busy road, outside a major hospital was out for almost two weeks,” he told Reading Today.
“It isn’t just a one-off, this crossing has been out a few times recently. We raised this important issue when the crossing broke recently and it was eventually fixed.
“Green councillors want the council to look at if there is any preventative work the council could do such as proactively upgrading the older elements of the crossing.
“If this crossing goes out again a temporary one should be put in to help everyone especially vulnerable hospital users cross the road.”
A Reading Borough Council spokesperson said: “The crossing was down due to a mains electrical fault. Power was restored and the crossing back up and running on Thursday, August 31.”
