Having assured constituents that I would keep them updated on efforts to force improvements to road safety in Caversham, I have outlined the decisions reached on Wednesday night by Reading Borough Council's (RBC) Traffic Management Sub-Committee meeting in relation to the following issues.
Junction of Highmoor Road with Albert Road
Prior to this week's meeting, RBC proposed to implement a change of priorities at the junction - an idea that is clearly deeply unpopular with residents and local Councillors.
Following representations from myself, Cllrs Hopper and Ballsdon, as well as the Caversham and District Residents Association (CADRA) and the Highmoor-Albert Road Committee (HARC), the Sub-Committee agreed not to proceed with the reversal of priorities at the junction, deciding instead that officers should meet with CADRA and HARC to discuss a more comprehensive solution. An updated report will be brought before the Sub-Committee at its next meeting in September.
In the meantime, officers agreed to inspect the highway and, if necessary, carry out remedial work to improve the visibility of the currently faded road markings. This is something Cllr Hopper and I have urged RBC to do ever since the tragic accident last month and, whilst it is certainly not the absolute commitment for which we have been calling, I will be writing to the Council for the fourth time in a month to ensure that this work is completed without further delay.
Prospect Street Zebra Crossing
The agenda paper stated RBC's intention to pursue a 20mph speed limit across parts of lower Caversham and to work with CADRA as part of its review. Again, in numerous letters to RBC, I have requested this review be extended to include the experiences of local residents who have reported a large number of near-misses at the crossing. I believe these to be genuine concerns that need to be taken into consideration.
Nevertheless, Cllr Page last night dismissed the experiences of residents as "subjective" and argued that he wants decisions to be made based on facts rather than "conjecture" and "supposition".
I do recognise that the creation of a system whereby residents could report near-misses at the crossing would have its limitations, but I do feel strongly that the views of my constituents should not be overlooked. Therefore, I have requested once again that they be taken into consideration en masse as part of a more extensive review.
Having restated its commitment to work closely with CADRA, I don't understand why RBC cannot make this the case.
As ever, I will keep you informed about any new developments and thank you once again to all those who have provided me with your views. Finally, anyone wishing to view a recording of the Sub-Committee meeting can do so here:http://player.companywebcast.com/readingboroughcouncil/20160615_1/nl/player
Kind regards
ROB WILSON
Report from the residents Highmoor-Albert Road Campaign group ( HARC)
Following the tragic death of a pedestrian on the 14th May at the Albert Road – Highmoor Road junction, a number of local residents have sought to secure changes to this junction which might decrease the number and severity of the accidents that occur there.
The Highmoor-Albert Road Campaign (HARC) presented its case to the Reading Borough Traffic Management sub-committee on the 15th June, and at this meeting it was agreed that Reading Borough Officers would meet with representatives of CADRA and HARC to discuss the way forward. This meeting took place on the 12th July.
At this meeting a number of possible changes to the junction were discussed. However, the change most favoured by the HARC survey of local residents (a raised speed platform at the junction) was not agreed to by the Council.
However, an experimental re-alignment of the junction, suggested by CADRA, will be implemented which should provide greater visibility for those exiting Highmoor Road from the west, and give greater visibility of this traffic to those travelling down Albert Road. The re-alignment will be achieved using road markings, and should be in place by the end of August. A sketch of the suggested new road layout is shown below.
RBC has agreed to monitor the traffic at this junction, and meet again with the CADRA and HARC representatives in late August to keep this problem under review. HARC trust that this experimental re-alignment is not necessarily the complete solution, and will continue to press the Council for a long-term, effective solution.
We will endeavour to keep residents updated on changes via leaflets, the CADRA website and the HARC Facebook page (Highmoor-Albert Road Campaign). If residents wish to contact HARC this may be done viaemail.harc@mail.com
see attached diagram