A petition has been launched, calling on Wokingham borough council, and its contractor Balfour Beatty, to restore safe pedestrian access from Easthampstead Road, as works to complete the southern distributor road continues.
Having attracted almost 500 signatures as of Wednesday morning since its launch last weekend, it noted: “The Easthampstead Road closure linked to the South Wokingham Distributor Road works is expected to last around ten months, removing vital pedestrian and cycle access to the south and west of Wokingham.
“The blanket closure has caused significant distress, concern, frustration and disruption for residents in Wokingham and surrounding areas.
“The closure represents an unreasonable and disproportionate severance of our community, with a serious impact on residents’ wellbeing and ability to access local routes safely and practically.
“The current diversion is not a reasonable substitute. At just under two miles, it is too long and impractical for many everyday users, including school children, older residents, cyclists, dog walkers, residents with limited mobility and wheelchair users.
“We ask Wokingham Borough Council and Balfour Beatty to urgently provide:
Safe temporary pedestrian corridors, using rigid hoarding or safety fencing, to separate pedestrians from construction activity and maintain access wherever practicable.
Phased pedestrian access windows, such as weekend or out-of-hours openings, during periods when no heavy machinery is actively operating across the affected route.
Publication of the site-specific risk assessments showing that managed access, phased reopening and temporary protected pedestrian routes have all been properly considered, and that continued full closure is genuinely unavoidable.
Addressing the concerns raised in the petition, a spokesperson for Wokingham borough council told Wokingham Today: “We recognise that infrastructure projects of this scale can have a temporary impact, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
“We are taking steps to mitigate disruption where feasible and provide regular updates, including details of alternative routes and provisions during the works.
“We are currently delivering the central section of the south Wokingham distributor road, which runs from Finchampstead Road (near Tesco) to Waterloo Road roundabout.
“Ahead of the Easthampstead Road closure commencing in mid-April, we communicated that the route would be inaccessible to pedestrians and cyclists and provided information on alternative routes.
“Assessments were carried out by the council and Balfour Beatty. Based on these, and considering the physical constraints, it was agreed that providing safe access for non-motorised users through this section would not be viable.
“Once the link road opened on May 29, north to south connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists improved significantly, with shared-use facilities provided along the route.
“The duration of the closure is necessary to safely complete extensive civil engineering works, including deep excavations – some reaching depths of approximately 5 metres.
“Due to the nature and extent of these works, it is neither safe nor practicable to maintain pedestrian or cycle access through this section.
“We are co-ordinating with multiple third parties, who are required to undertake works in the area.
“The primary purpose of this is to minimise overall impact on the highway network and ensure works are delivered as efficiently as possible.
“Once the works are complete, Easthampstead Road will operate as a cul-de-sac for vehicles, while pedestrian and cycle access will be reinstated.
“There may be an opportunity to bring the closure forward, but it would not be any earlier than October and this would be subject to the completion of third-party utility works, and assurance that the affected route could be reopened safely and this would only be for pedestrian and not vehicle access.”
