A GRIEVING brother believes the council is 'waiting for more people to be injured or killed' after failing to make upgrades to the site of a fatal crossing.

Will Pedley's brother Benjamin was cycling on Church Road on March 20 and collided with a pedestrian, causing him to hit his head on the concrete.

The 26-year-old - who was studying Chemistry at the University of Reading - was not wearing a helmet, although his inquest found a helmet may not have saved his life.

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) is in the process of reviewing the Three Tuns crossing, but it is understood that financial constraints could cause the plans to be shelved if the crossing is not considered to be a priority.

Will said: "The decision of the coroner to not make a formal recommendation is not, by default, a recommendation to do nothing.

"If there had been a place for the pedestrian to cross, possibly barriers, lights to indicate to him when a safe time to cross would be, then possibly Ben would still be here today.

"WBC is telling us that they are happy with the road as it is and that they are waiting for more people to be injured or killed before they do anything about the junction or the entrance to Church Road.

Reading Chronicle:

"A reactive council is a dangerous one. Waiting for more people to die or be injured is a reckless strategy for road improvement."

The tragic cyclist was sent flying through the air after colliding with Nathan Kelsell and suffered catastrophic injuries despite an immediate response from the emergency services.

His father Andrew added: “It was quite clear in the coroner’s mind that certain aspects of safety at the pedestrian crossings were potentially wanting when he sent an expert witness from Wokingham Highways to investigate the matter further.

"The problem is the junction is located on the boundary between Wokingham and Reading Borough Council who act completely independently of each other, with no cohesive strategy."

Pedley - a talented pianist - was taken to the major head trauma unit of John Radcliffe Hospital, but he sadly died two days later.

Matt Gould, WBC's service manager, said: “Before we decide whether a pedestrian crossing is achievable, we need to bear in mind that there are many requests for such improvements across the borough.

"Like many authorities, we prioritise our limited budgets for safety improvements according to trends in accident patterns demonstrating that there is a need for a particular improvement."