FEARS have been raised over the safety of a new stretch of road coming into Wokingham from the A329M.
Works at the Coppid Beech roundabout have revealed a steep drop close to the inside lane of the A329 westbound into Wokingham, which motorists have described as “an accident waiting to happen”.
A small, angled kerb is the only thing separating drivers exiting the roundabout from the drop, leading to calls for safety barriers to be installed at the junction.
Two independent safety audits have been carried out at the site before and during construction, with a third planned for when the work is finished. Both of the audits deemed the road to be safe.
But locals are worried that a driver from outside of the area, who is not familiar with the road, could misjudge the junction and cause an accident.
Resident Edward Cartwight, who lives on London Road and uses the junction on a daily basis, said the council had not taken into account potentially aggressive motorists.
He said: “These audits are carried out based on ‘normal’ driving, but they don’t think about the rush hour when people become very impatient.
“I can imagine a scenario where someone has come off the slip road on a green traffic light, but someone coming from Bracknell has sneaked through on an orange light, and you end up with two vehicles in a space only designed for one.
“One little nudge and one of those cars could be sent over the edge as there are no safety barriers.
“This is an accident waiting to happen, and the council seem happy to wait for something to happen rather than take sensible action now.”
Despite his concerns, Mr Cartwight said he was impressed with the work at the roundabout.
He said: “I think it’s great what they have done, they have really opened up the area, but for the sake of two metres of steel barriers along the side of the road I think many accidents could be avoided.”
Cllr John Kaiser, Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for planning and highways, said: “Coppid Beech roundabout’s design was checked by an independent safety auditor before construction work began.
“These audits are carried out by specialised highways safety professionals, with no link to Wokingham Borough Council.
“After work finishes on the roundabout there will be a third independent safety audit, which will also include input from the police.”
