Road bosses behind a controversial new layout to a major road through Wokingham have defended the changes, saying that it is ‘safe’ and ‘reducing queues’.
In the autumn, Highways England (HE) opened a revamped A329M which turned the two-lane motorway into single lanes for those leaving the M4 and those staying on the road.
Since then we have reported on an increased number of collisions, drivers who accidentally found themselves on the M4 and more congestion on the roads.
However, HE bosses have deemed the scheme a success, saying that the improvements are working – despite there being an accident this week hours after new signs had been installed.
And in a separate development, the leader of Wokingham Borough Council has blasted HE over the controversial changes to the A329M layout, claiming the Government company “ignored” his plea for answers after a wave of protest from motorists put heat on the Council, thinking they were responsible for the changes.
Councillor Keith Baker, leader of Wokingham Borough Council (WBC), told The Wokingham Paper that new layout has been incredibly difficult for them, especially as the project is managed by Highways England.
He said: “The borough council officers are getting it in the neck [over the changes to the road layout], but they have no control over it.
“I’m frustrated and so are the officers. We’ve not been getting any responses from Highways England. They have not been returning calls or getting back to our emails.”
However, Stuart Miller, a spokesperson for HE, disputed this:
“I have been speaking to the project manager and he definitely is responding to all correspondence,” he told us.
“We have kept the usual channels open and have continued to respond to any queries.”
Mr Baker also said that Highways England – which assumed control of the A329M from the borough council for the duration of the works – ignored WBC’s requests for temporary signs, but instead only installed them after pressure from the police.
“I believe it’s true that the police starting complaining and after that the [original] temporary signs suddenly appeared,” he said. “The police appeared to have more influence that the local council.
“It’s not unusual – they [Highways England] tend to be a law unto themselves.”
Mr Miller defended the work: “We believe on the basis of a safety audit undertaken in October that the junction is safe,” he said.
He added that the work was designed to make traffic flowing on to and off the M4 move faster and, as a result, there would be a “small reduction in average speeds on the A329M”.
He continued: “The improvements we have made at the junction between the M4 and the A329M are successfully reducing queues on the M4 on approach to the junction and the safety risks they cause.
“We are continuing to keep the effects of the changes under review and have recently installed permanent signs and road markings to make the layout as clear as possible.
“We have consulted fully with Wokingham Borough Council and Thames Valley Police throughout. It would not be possible for us to complete the planning and construction of such a scheme without such consultation.”
New signs are planned to be installed in the New Year – just weeks after the A329M slip roads were closed to install additional signs.
Readers of The Wokingham Paper continue to be unimpressed with the changes.
Commenting on our Facebook page on Wednesday, Stewart McCreadie noted: “The A329 is a joke now since the new lanes were implemented – dangerous and always have to queue to get on the M4 now.”
Another reader, Jo Kalisz Vel Kalisiak, asked: “Will they wait till someone is killed before doing something? Surely the amount of accidents speaks for itself.”
We contacted Thames Valley Police but they had yet to comment as we went to press.
