TWENTY SIX different ideas on how to improve road safety at an east Reading junction have been submitted to Reading Borough Council.
At a meeting of its traffic management sub-committee on Wednesday, June 14, residents shared ideas and handed in a petition relating to the junction of Crescent Road and Hamilton Road.
The area has been described as a ‘rat run’ for those travelling from the area around the Royal Berkshire Hospital and Wokingham Road.
During the meeting, councillors heard of 23 crashes or near misses including incidents between drivers and cyclists. They were reminded the area is a 20mph zone, but that speeding can only be enforced by Thames Valley Police.
Three schools are located on Crescent Road, the Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC and Alfred Sutton Primary School.
David Whipple who lives on Hamilton Road said: “Crescent Road is effectively a rat run between the hospital area and Wokingham Road, it has several schools along it, with three schools at one end.
“Typically, traffic doesn’t give way coming on Crescent Road, visibility is very poor, and the junction is highly skewed, so people have to crane their necks a very long way to see traffic. They only have a split second to do so if they are continuing across the junction without stopping.
“At any time, you can see near-miss incidents, you only have to stand there for five minutes, and you’ll see them. Probably the accident that’s really waiting to happen is with cyclists freewheeling down the hill and going quite legitimately straight across the junction.”
It is understood Mr Whipple has designed a proposal that would change the junction by installing bollards to force drivers to slow down on their approach.
This would involve adjusting kerb lines and moving street furniture.
It was also suggested that a junction sign be changed from a Give Way to a Stop sign to urge drivers to stop to check for oncoming cyclists and drivers.
Supporting the petition, Cllr Rob White (Green, Park ward and leader of the opposition), said: “As ward councillors, we’ve raised road safety issues with this junction before, with cars not stopping and it being a hazard for cyclists, especially as vulnerable road users.
“It is on the way to a number of schools, I hope that officers will come back having looked at the wonderful suggestions and will have some concrete action.”
The petition was also welcomed by John Ennis (Labour, Soutcote), lead councillor for transport.
“I think you’ve done a really good job in explaining it and making it clear to us, thanks ever so much for that,” he said to Mr Whipple.
Reading Borough Council’s highways department will now consider the proposed changes and report back to a future meeting of the sub-committee.
