TWYFORD residents are worried about road safety after a series of new gateways were installed in the village.
Last month, Twyford Parish Council and Wokingham Borough Council built three sets of speed limit signs to encourage safe driving, including one on Old Bath Road.
But residents living near the Waggon & Horses, on the High Street, are now worried their new gateway is making the area more dangerous.
Chris Thompson, who lives adjacent to the pub, said the new sign has obscured visibility when people are exiting the pub’s car park.
“A car coming out of Twyford towards Charvil now has approximately two seconds from when they first sight the car park exit to when they reach it,” he said.
According to Mr Thompson, residents discovered the old signs were being removed at the beginning of September.
“We had received no notification of this work, which as affected householders we would have expected,” he said.
“Once they put the sign up, it was apparent that it blocked the view to our left when pulling out of the driveway, too.”
The Twyford resident said he now has to pull out into the road before he can see if the route is clear.
“My nearside front wheel is now in the road so the carriageway is partially blocked by my car,” he added.
Stephen Conway, ward councillor for Twyford, said the gateways are a lovely way to mark Twyford’s boundaries – but he shares concerns about road safety.
“There is undoubtedly some impairment of vision on that stretch of road,” he said. “Its quite difficult to see clearly ahead as to what traffic is on the road, so I understand Chris’ worry completely.
“However, hopefully we can get this resolved so Chris and his neighbours can come and go safely.”
Cllr Conway said despite this, the new gateways are “very striking”.
“They mark the boundaries of a distinct community,” he said. “They are also good at signposting Twyford’s twinning arrangements with Cuincy and remind people of the speed limit.
“Sometimes people need to be reminded of these limits, so I hope we can make the signs compatible with safety soon.”
A spokesperson for Twyford Parish Council said the gateways have been in the works for years.
“The project has been funded by the Parish Council but has been managed by Wokingham Borough Council and their contractors, with two out of the three gateways having been installed to date,” they said. “It is hoped to be a welcoming attribute to the village.
“Many of our residents have shown concern regarding the speed of traffic through Twyford, and as gateways are proven to be more effective at slowing vehicles down upon entering villages. we expect this will assist with road safety.”
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways, said Wokingham Borough Council is aware of concerns about visibility on the High Street and is assessing Mr Thompson’s comments.
