A war of words over California crossroads has intensified after a residents’ petition questioning the safety of the junction was presented to a council meeting last week.
In the wake of that meeting, the ruling Liberal Democrat group said the junction is proving to be safe, and said Conservative councillors’ increasingly desperate statements seek only to divide and undermine public confidence.
The statement said: “Local Conservatives, over the past year, made every effort to undermine the project to improve the Finchampstead local centre.
“They denied their historic responsibility for the scheme, undermined council communications and local retailers, and provoked unrest in the community.
“It is entirely understandable and expected that people would have reservations about a new road design, particularly one which innovates to create a better public space.
“However, since the junction opened there have been no reports of any injuries, despite the intense scrutiny it has been under.
“Online comments show increasing support as people become familiar with the junction.
A petition, led by Conservative councillors seeking multiple changes to the newly built junction, was discussed at length at the meeting, where officers responded to each point raised in the petition, and those raised by the independent safety review, explaining the reasons why only limited changes are currently planned.
It was made clear that should issues become apparent in the future, changes would be considered, as they are for any new or existing junction.
“Despite these assurances, a Conservative councillor chose to make an inappropriate and inflammatory comment, claiming an equivalence between the crossroads project and the Post Office Horizon project.
Commenting after the meeting, Cllr Stephen Conway, leader of Wokingham Borough Council, said: “A Conservative councillor made an appalling and unwarranted comparison between the California Crossroads scheme and the Horizon IT scandal.
“He, and his colleagues, seem more focused on undermining public confidence than listening to the facts provided by professional officers with many years’ experience.
“I know their party famously claimed that we have ‘had enough of experts’, but I truly hope that doesn’t extend to the safety of our roads.
“Conservative councillors’ comments went well beyond the line of what can be considered acceptable, even in the form of political grandstanding.
“Our officers have safety as their primary concern throughout the design and implementation of all highways projects, including this one.
“From the very beginning, when the Conservative administration approved the concept of this project, safety has been paramount, and it will continue to be monitored and reviewed in future.”
Liberal Democrats want a better form of politics, where councillors of all parties work with officers and partner organisations to deliver the best outcomes for local people.
“It is time for Wokingham’s Conservatives to stop seeking to divide the community with unfounded negative campaigns and to collaborate with others to help address the serious challenges the council faces.
Replying to the allegations. councillor Peter Harper told Wokngham Today: “The Lib Dems are continuing to ignore the very real concerns of residents about California Crossroads.
“They approved the design, not the Conservatives as they claim.
“They wasted £5.5 million on this. It was their decision.
“All but £1.3 million of this money could have been used for further traffic improvements in the area.
“This is a repeating pattern of behaviour by the Lib Dems.
“They ignore the views of residents, trying to belittle and silence them, deliberately mislead, and then when things get difficult they attempt to blame everyone else.
“They did this with Hall Farm, and they did this with the removal of litter bins.
“The Lib Dems should listen to residents and start to take responsibility for their own decisions.”
