PARENTS of children at a Wokingham primary school are petitioning for safety improvements to the newly-opened Eastern Gateway.
The road was officially opened by representatives from Wokingham Borough Council, contractors Balfour Beatty, and staff and pupils from Floreat Montague Park Primary School on Monday, January 24.
It links William Heelas Way, passing the primary school, to a new roundabout on the other side of the railway at Waterloo Road. It is part of the borough council’s £250 million major new roads initiative as part of its local plan.
Borough mayor Cllr Keith Baker attended the opening event.
He said: “These [new roads] are just some of the benefits of our strategic approach to development. By planning new communities from the ground up, we can ensure they’re served by new roads, schools, green spaces, leisure centres, sports facilities and more, while ensuring developers pay for it.”
However, concerns about the safety of new road were quickly raised by parents of children who attend Floreat Montague Park Primary School.
These include missing markings on crossings, no safety barrier between the road and pathway, and a lack of adequate signage and traffic calming measures.
One parent, Mike Williams, said that because the road is wide, it encourages speeding.
“There are also some blind bends coming into William Heelas Way and now the road is a through road, cars are coming down here at a ridiculous speed,” he said.
“Just driving it on the day it opened I felt that there was going to be an accident soon,”
“These things are planned on paper, it seems that how people actually use them is not the same,”
“There is no drop-off or parking area at the school for parents, and one of the zebra crossings we need to use doesn’t have any lights.”
Petition organiser Heather Murray, who is a resident on the estate with children at the school, said that estate developers David Wilson Homes “haven’t done their bit” to make the road safe.
“We know that there will be issues around adoption of the road by the council, but we want assurances about what safety measures are going in place and when,” she said.
“This is not about blame, it is about working collaboratively with the council to achieve the best outcome for the community,”
“Accidents don’t wait for roads to be adopted.”
Wokingham Today understands that several residents have contacted the borough council and Wokingham MP Sir John Redwood with their concerns.
A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes said that the road officially transferred to the borough council on the day it opened.
“The safety of the pupils at the school has always been an absolute priority,” they said.
“The design of the roads was approved by WBC during the planning process and inspections were carried out during construction.
“We created additional parking spaces within the local centre adjacent to the school and installed vehicle activated signage to signal a 20mph speed limit at the beginning and end of the school day.
“As the road has now been adopted, any alterations must be approved by WBC prior to installation.”
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said that the road was subject to a detailed planning and design process which required it to comply with Department for Transport standards.
“There are signs warning users of the new road layout and the nearby primary school,” she said.
“There is a parent parking area at the nearby neighbourhood centre with a toucan crossing and an off-road foot and cycle path leading to the school, plus two uncontrolled crossings and a zebra crossing within a few minutes’ walk.
“We’re also considering a 20mph speed limit outside the school although this would be advisory, as is standard practice.”
Cllr Jorgensen added that borough council officers have visited the site on numerous occasions since its opening to traffic, and have confirmed that there are no known safety issues.
“An independent safety audit has also been undertaken and, if this identifies a need for further measures, this will be addressed,” she explained.
“We appreciate that our residents value their safety, and especially that of their children, but hope they will see we’ve taken every step to protect them while encouraging active, sustainable ways of travelling.”
