‘STOP treating Whistley Green like a race circuit’, Hurst residents have urged after describing the village as “one of the most dangerous stretches of racetrack in Berkshire”.
Villagers in Hurst Parish have alleged motorists continue to drive down Lodge Road in excess of the 30mph speed limit in the village — and they fear somebody will get hurt.
Nigel Osgood, a Hurst resident, said “careless” drivers often pass through the village and put walkers, cyclists and children at risk.
“A view held by all local residents is that a very serious accident is inevitable,” he said. “Such an awful event will then and only then, it seems, stir the council and police into creating stronger safety measures, particularly, along the Lodge Road stretch of the racetrack.”
Jo Newbold, chair of Hurst Village Society, said speeding is an issue faced by towns and villages up and down the country.
She said the Society is currently creating a plan to try and reduce dangerous driving in the area.
“In Hurst, we’re a thoroughfare from Wokingham to Twyford so people put their foot down — it really is an issue,” she said. “They see a long, straight road and boy do they speed.”
According to Ms Newbold, people “whistle” down the village’s high street, failing to slow down from the previous 40mph and 60mph limits outside of Hurst and Whistley Green.
“It’s happening every single day,” she added. “Whenever I’m out walking, somebody is speeding.
“There are a lot of children around, people walking their dogs and horse riders coming through the village, so we are very concerned an accident is going to happen.”
Hurst Village Society is drafting a strategy to improve road safety in the parish, which it plans to present to Wokingham Borough Council and Hurst Parish Council in the future.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said Wokingham Borough Council takes its road network seriously.
“[We] continually monitor traffic speeds and speed limit compliance across the borough,” she said. “When we find issues, we will investigate the cause and the potential need for any highway engineering interventions.”
She said the majority of drivers comply with the 30mph speed limit in Whistley Green.
“There is some evidence of speeding on the A321 Wokingham Road in Whistley Green and the B3030 Lodge Road during late evening overnight periods, when there are few pedestrians about but the roads have very good safety records,” she explained.
“We work closely with Thames Valley Police on speeding issues, as the police are responsible for speeding enforcement.
“We also support several Community Speedwatch groups across the borough with a variety of schemes to help reduce speeding traffic through local roads.”
Cllr Wayne Smith, chairman of Hurst Parish Council, added: “Hurst has a well-established Community Speedwatch group including parish councillors and residents.
“Data from this work is passed to Thames Valley Police to help them with patrols in the area, as the police are responsible for enforcement of speed limits.”
