What have been described as “dysfunctional roadworks” were questioned at a recent full council meeting of Wokingham borough council.
Peter Humphreys asked Cllr Adrian Betteridge, the executive councillor for active travel, transport and highways :“You don’t know what you’re doing” is a popular refrain from football fans when a referee makes a series of obvious mistakes.
“The chant is equally applicable to the dysfunctional roadworks in Wiltshire Road and Crutchley Road.
“Firstly, an officer surveyed the proposed site, and spray-painted the outline of a new zebra crossing in Wiltshire Road, with the groundworks extending into the adjoining Crutchley.
“A different contractor commissioned to surface dress Crutchley Road, then covered the markings with bitumen and gravel chippings.
“The zebra team took revenge by digging a trench, ripping out the carriageway repairs and dumping the resulting debris on the road.
“This came as a total surprise when the other contractors returned to surface seal the chippings they had previously laid. Thus, they were forced to abandon the top sealing works.
“Bizarrely the zebra crossing includes replacing textured paving with identical textured paving – but in a different colour.
“Wokingham borough council talks about collaboration and cooperation with partner organisations yet it can’t coordinate two separate contractors working directly for the Highways Department.
“As neither contractor was informed about the other’s works, it is the residents that will have to pay to rectify this unfinished farce – how much will it cost us?”
Cllr Bettridge replied. He said: As a former football referee, myself I am familiar with your term and that it is occasionally expressed without a full view of the situation.
“I am afraid there is no video replay available for streetworks even for Premier League operators such as Wokingham, but I am happy to explain to you how the play unfolded.
“Crutchley Road was surface dressed this summer to restore skid resistance and to prevent the onset of potholes. The original plan was adapted to prevent conflict with the zebra crossing works but regrettably the contractor misinterpreted the marked instructions on the road and did dress an additional 15-metre section.
“This issue was identified by WBC’s inspector and the following day the unfinished work was made safe without incurring extra cost whilst the zebra crossing work was undertaken.
“There will be no cost to the taxpayer for this.
“Around the adjoining junction, we are already scheduled for a higher level of intervention, plain and inlay resurfacing, which will take place in October half term, and thus were correctly not addressed as part of the original scheme.
“The colour of textured paving is an important aspect of the accessibility of crossings and was updated to the latest standards as a part of this work.
“In summary, we are undertaking four separate processes in this small area, each optimized for each part of the road with specific requirements for multiple steps in each.
“Like some referees, occasionally contractors make a mistake, but I can assure you that there will be no residual cost to the taxpayer or degradation in the final product.
Mr Humphreys said: “I am pleased to hear that remediation is going to take place at the various points that I have mentioned.
“I would add that pink paving was removed, and yellow paving put in, but 400-metres down the road they put in pink, so I do not know what the colour difference is meant to be because they have replaced one and been inconsistent, but there we go, it is what it is.
“It has been claimed that the surface dressing would provide full on-road surfaces for up to 10 years, but the reality at the Sarum/Crutchley junction is that it has deteriorated in about 10 hours, and as soon as it rains there are puddles everywhere.
“In the adjacent Wiltshire Road, the remedial works carried out after the first surface dressing were rectified a few months later after a previous head of highways said that it had failed.
“I challenge you to visit the aforesaid sites to see just how poor quality the roadworks has been, and then report back to next month’s full council meeting, whether you would be prepared to accept this incredibly low standard in your own driveway.
“Will you accept the challenge?”
Cllr Betteridge said: “A couple of weeks ago I went out with officers and visited almost all of the locations which have raised a query or complaint from residents, so I am very familiar with what has happened.
“I would be happy to meet you there, to have a look at it.”
