RESIDENTS who live along the A4 are “fear[ing] for their health and safety” following an increase in traffic and deteriorating road surface.
The rising number of vehicles using the road, particularly HGVs, was first noticed by people in Kiln Green and Hare Hatch during the M4 smart motorway closures.
Traffic levels “have remained very high” since the works were completed, according to Cllr Wayne Smith, chairman of the Scarlett’s Lane Resident’s Association.
Cllr Smith also represents Hurst ward as a Conservative member of Wokingham Borough Council (WBC).
In a letter sent to WBC and seen by Wokingham Today, Cllr Smith outlines a number of issues being faced by residents who live along the A4 in Ruscombe and Wargrave.
These include noise from the poor road surface, inconsistencies with the speed limit through the area, speeding, and obstructed pathways.
His letter includes comments from residents who have contacted Cllr Smith with their concerns.
One of the letter’s contributors, Simon Chapman, said that there is growing frustration at the lack of action being taken by WBC, despite residents having the support of both the ward’s borough councillors, plus a third who is a resident in the area.
“There has been an ongoing dialogue between our councillors, Cllr John Halsall and Cllr Graham Howe, Cllr Smith as a resident, and Cllr Pauline Jorgensen and the highways department for well over a year,” Mr Chapman said.
“The highways department said that they might be able to do something about the road surface in 2023 using lockchip material, which will actually make things worse.
“The chips set proud of the road surface and stay that way for years, and that’s if it doesn’t break up because of the weight of increased traffic.
“That is what happened when lockchip patchwork was carried out along the A4 last year.
“It seems that Cllr Jorgensen is holding out for lockchip which is presumably cheaper.”
Another contributor, Karen Robinson, has lived along the affected stretch of A4 for almost 21 years. She has two children attending nearby schools, who need to walk along the road to get there.
“Clearing the pathways of all the overhanging hedges and brambles should be an easy job, surely it’s part of what we pay Council Tax for,” she said. “The council is trying to encourage sustainable travel, but it seems as though the funding for this end of the borough just isn’t in place.”
Ms Robinson stressed that the main interest of residents is safety.
She added: “There are no safe places to cross the road, and the area around Hare Hatch is so dangerous. We’ve had to dodge vans mounting the pavement to get around traffic waiting to turn at London Road.”
She is also concerned about the speed limit in the area.
“There is not enough time for drivers to slow down from the 60mph stretch before reaching the traffic island, which is too close to the beginning of the 40mph section,” she said.
“The speed warning sign is always flashing as people are driving too fast, yet we have not seen a police speed check and are told by WBC that there is not an issue.”
Cllr Smith said that he recognises that anyone living close to the A4 cannot expect peace and quiet, but the situation is deteriorating. According to Cllr Smith, lockchip surfacing works previously carried out along the A4 have failed.
“Local residents, many of them elderly, deserve immediate and enduring relief from the traffic noise, and that will mean inlay rather than lockchip surfacing,” he said.
“Indeed, WBC have been promising them relief for years but the problems only seem to get worse.”
A spokesperson for WBC said that residents should report issues with road signs and markings, and apply for a review of the speed limit on the council’s website.
They added: “The issue of encroaching vegetation and detritus on the footpath has been passed to our contractor for action, it is expected the rectification will commence within six weeks.
“The 2022-23 plane inlay programme is currently being produced by our contractors.
“We anticipate it being available in the coming few weeks and will be publishing it once it is available.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson added: “We rely on the public to provide information and would encourage anyone with information about speeding or poor driving to please report it on our website or by calling the non-emergency number on 101 so that we can gather information about a particular area and take action where appropriate.”
