MORE THAN 70% of participants in a recent public consultation were against traffic proposals put forward by Shinfield Parish Council.
Of the 434 residents who took part in the consultation, which closed on February 17, 307 said they opposed the plans put forward, with 251 strongly opposing them.
More than one in five respondents raised concerns specifically about chicanes, with many pointing to the criticism installations in Arborfield have received.
The quantity and quality of responses were high as 382 respondents left additional comments beyond the set multiple choice answers.
Cllr Laurence James has chaired the parish council’s traffic working party on this issue, he said: “We are grateful for the very many comments we have received and have given careful consideration to what our next steps are.
“We feel they are an appropriate and measured response to the traffic challenges faced in the parish.”
Chicanes appeared high on the agenda as 88 respondents raised concerns over their inclusion in plans. The parish council was keen to clarify its position on the implementation of a scheme similar to Arborfield’s.
Its report read: “We have been at pains to say that we think there are too many in Arborfield and in many cases they are in the wrong place.
“We specifically stated in our proposals that if there was to be a chicane then the final positioning would be done with care to avoid replicating the issues in Arborfield.
“We do not want to have the same problems here. However we know of other locations locally where chicanes are having a positive impact.”
It added that different traffic calming measures would be considered depending on the location. The general consensus among responses was that speed cameras would be preferable to chicanes.
The idea of implementing speed restrictions was supported by many residents, with 68 respondents (15.7%) raising it without prompting.
The plans put forward initially included reducing the speed limit on 40mph roads to 30mph, and 20mph outside schools, something the parish council intends to stick to.
It said: “We will be asking Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) to implement the speed limit reductions they have already made public as soon as possible. We will also work with WBC to see what can be done to speed up the process of achieving the remaining speed reductions.
“This may take the form of looking at each section of road. For example, prioritising Hollow Lane which is a built up area with street lights in place.”
A detailed breakdown showed that all 16 individual proposals put forward by the parish council received more opposition than support.
Plan G, for the installation of bollards on A33 southbound slip road to slow cars turning into Three Mile Cross, received 210 (48.4%) ‘strongly opposed’ responses. The parish council confirmed it would not be pursuing the proposal further.
In other cases, such as Plan C, for Church Lane to be one-way between The Six Bells and L’Ortolan, amendments to the initial plans are being explored. This proposal received (40%) 174 ‘strongly opposed’ responses, and the parish council are keen to conduct a separate consultation.
The parish council has three key aims with its proposals: to divert non-essential traffic from Shinfield roads, to reduce speed in the parish and to promote sustainable travel.
In the next 12 months, reducing speed, crossings at Beech Hill Road and Hollow Lane, the consultation with Church Lane residents over traffic calming measures, promoting bus usage, and walking and cycling routes will be prioritised.
Over the next 36 months, the parish council will look to assess the impact of speed reductions and traffic volumes, continue working with Swallowfield Parish Council to encourage use of the A33 Swallowfield bypass and conduct a consultation with Hyde End Lane residents over a one-way scheme.
Shinfield Parish Council stressed that these proposals would need support and approval from WBC before they could be actioned.
An in-person consultation meeting was held at the School Green Centre on January 28, where residents had the opportunity to learn more about the parish council’s proposals. The responses received on the day were noticeably more positive than the overall outcome.
Moving forward, the parish council has urged residents to continue offering their feedback. There will be parish council elections in May and those interested in standing should contact the parish clerk.
For full consultation results, visit: www.shinfieldparish.gov.uk
