Privately-owned land is a ‘stumbling block’ to improving safety at a dangerous junction, a leading councillor has said.
More than 2,800 residents have called on Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough Councils to make ‘urgent’ changes to the junction between Easthampstead Road and Old Wokingham Road.
Drivers described their fear to use the ‘death trap’ junction that straddles the border between the two boroughs, with ‘multiple serious multi-car collisions’ last year alone. Many claimed they avoided it altogether.
The petition, launched by Wokingham Borough Councillor Marc Brunel-Walker, has called for a roundabout or traffic lights to be installed at the site.
He said the pleas from residents were ‘constant’, and the trauma experienced by those in accidents is ‘immense’.
Neighbour to the junction Chris Neen told the BBC this week that 13 vehicles have crashed onto her property in the last ten years.
Bracknell Forest Council has now said there would be further difficulties to act, as the land which could be used for lights is privately owned.
Executive member for planning, transport and countryside at Bracknell Forest Guy Gillbe said: “The biggest stumbling block here is the fact that the area we needed to install traffic lights is not in the ownership of either council, it is in private ownership.
“That doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities for a way forward, but that is really where the stumbling block is in this conversation.”
Cllr Gillbe told councillors on Thursday, January 8 that a number of safety improvements had been made at the junction in recent years.
This includes removing trees to improve disability, reducing the speed limit to 40 miles per hour and installing high visibility signs.
These measures have resulted in ‘no recorded injury accidents’ for the past three years, according to Cllr Gillbe.
Cllr Gillbe continued: “I know that our respective council officers continue to discuss new emerging opportunities which may arise from Wokingham Borough’s development considerations nearby.
“To that end, I can confirm my full support for this continued joint work and hope that a more comprehensive solution can be found for this junction in the near future.”
The Labour councillor said he would set up a meeting with Wokingham Borough Council to discuss a way forward.
Wokingham Borough Council said it was “committed to road safety across the borough” and the petition would be considered as part of the normal process.
