Suggestions for road safety measures at an ‘accident waiting to happen’ crossroads in Reading have been received by the council.
Neighbours in East Reading have called for safety measures to be established at the junction of Crescent Road and Hamilton Road.
Three schools are located on Crescent Road, the Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC and Alfred Sutton Primary School.
The road has been described as a ‘rat run’ for those travelling from the hospital area to get to Wokingham Road.
Residents have given evidence of 23 near misses and crashes at the junction, particularly between drivers and cyclists.
Although the road is a 20mph zone, speeding can only be enforced by the police.
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A petition with 26 suggestions of improving safety was delivered to Reading Borough Council at a meeting of its traffic management sub-committee.
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, the junction is highly skewed, so people have to crane their necks a very long way to see traffic and 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.
The petition was well received by councillors at the traffic management sub-committee meeting on Wednesday, June 14.
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Supporting the petition, councillor Rob White (Green, Park), 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, Soutchote), lead councillor for transport.
Addressing Mr Whipple, Cllr Ennis said: “I think you’ve done a really good job in explaining it and making it clear to us.
“Thanks ever so much for that.”
Now the suggestions have been received, the council’s highways department will consider the proposed changes and report back to a future meeting of the sub-committee.
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