An elderly resident has said she is ‘too scared’ to sit in her own garden that lies opposite a ‘dangerous’ crash hotspot in Wokingham.
Gene Alison Jones lives in Danesfield Apartments, which sits next to the busy junction between Wiltshire Road and Rectory Road close to the town centre.
This has been the site of seven accidents in the past year, with two people hospitalised, according to Mrs Jones. There have been repeated crashes directly into the railings lining the entrance to the building, as well as the neighbouring apartments, Fleur-de-Lis.
Mrs Jones, who has lived there for 24 years, said that the situation is ‘only getting worse and worse’, and warned that if nothing was to be done, ‘there will be an accident there, and it will be fatal’.
This comes as the Council has agreed to new measures that will come into effect in Autumn this year.
Cllr Rachel Burgess, who has worked with residents for years on the issue, told the News that these new provisions are ‘positive’, and will ‘make a difference’.
These will include additional signage, anti-skid measures on Rectory Road, and a vehicle-activated ‘SLOW’ sign on the approach to the bend.
The Labour councillor for Norreys ward continued: “I think these measures will help, but more could be done to make the junction safer for everyone.”
But Mrs Jones said she was unhappy with these measures, emphasising that ‘something drastic needs to be done.’
She would like the Council to implement traffic lights, speed cameras or speed bumps.
Cllr Burgess said that ideally, she would like to see crossing points put on each part of the junction as part of more wide-scale changes.
Mrs Jones and Cllr Burgess previously submitted a petition calling for safety measures to the Council, which Mrs Jones said gained around 400 signatures.
On the ongoing issue, Cllr Burgess said: “Residents deserve to be able to walk outside their front doors and into their town without feeling unsafe. The Council installed some safety measures last year but unfortunately the recent road markings and chevron sign do not seem to have made a material difference to this problem.
“Along with my fellow councillors in Norreys ward we will continue to push the Council to make this junction safer for pedestrians and road users alike.”
Wokingham Borough Council and the executive member for active travel, transport and highways have been approached for comment.
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