Drivers have expressed distress over an ‘accident waiting to happen’ give way sign recently installed on a village road.

A new give way sign has appeared on Reading Road between Shinfield and Arborfield.

But drivers expressed bewilderment as the give way sign has been placed on a bend in the road, meaning drivers can only pass the bend if there is no oncoming traffic.

Rob Boreham-Fish said: “Who’s stupid idea are these? Wokingham Borough Council, you’ll have to get out onto the otherside of the road into an oncoming bend?! It’s an accident waiting to happen!”

Mr Boreham-Fish expressed his confusion on the Shinfield Community Facebook Page.

Fellow drivers expressed their shock at the placement of the sign, calling it ‘stupid’ and ‘dangerous’, with at least three group members complaining to Wokingham Borough Council.

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Councillor Paul Fishwick, the executive member for highways and transport, responded by saying that the give way sign has already passed road safety checks.

Cllr Fishwick (Liberal Democrats, Winnersh) said: “We’d like to assure residents that this scheme had already passed the first two stages of an independent Road Safety Audit before installation, which would have considered issues like the layout, road markings and positioning of signs as part of both the preliminary and detailed design phases.

“This also included two visits to the site, and examination of the existing layout, by members of the audit team.

“Now that the work has substantially finished, we’re booking the third and final stage, in which an independent party will again visit both during the day and at night.

“They will be accompanied by a road safety trained police officer on one of these visits as well, and will suggest safety improvements afterwards if they are needed.”

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As a prior warning to drivers, the bend where the give way sign is located is near the closed Pudding Lane Nursery on Reading Road, between the A327 Observer Way roundabout and The Bull Inn roundabout at Arborfield Cross.

It is understood the give way sign has only recently been installed, as it is not present in Google Maps imagery from August 2021.

The give way sign has only recently been installed as part of roadworks that make up the Arborfield village road improvement scheme (AVRI) which was announced in March.

The scheme involves creating 'gateways' at village entrances and “dragons’ teeth” road markings to encourage slower speeds, as well as build-outs to favour traffic leaving surrounding villages.

The AVRI was announced in an Arborfield community news letter, which also stated that the speed limit would be reduced from 40mph to 30mph in Reading Road, Church Lane, Eversley Road and Swallowfield Road.