Safety improvements for Bearwood Road, Wokingham
Wokingham Borough Council has teamed up with National Grid, which has offices on the Bearwood Road, to agree a series of safety improvements including a Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS), new road markings, better street lighting, and changing the footpath to into a footpath and cycle-path.
The safety measures are to be funded by National Grid, which agreed to work with the borough council to increase safety on Bearwood Road after an employee of the utility company was sadly killed on the road in January 2007,as he cycled from the company’s offices towards Winnersh.
There has been one other accident, which caused a slight injury, on the road since May 2005.
Wokingham borough council and National Grid have worked together for the past year to find ways to make the road safer and on Friday December 21 the council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keith Baker, agreed for a series of safety measures to be installed. Work is due to start in the next few weeks.
Road safety improvements that will be carried out on the road include:
· A new Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) opposite St Catherine’s Church, showing the 40mph speed limit and displaying the words ‘slow down’.
· Contrasting road markings will be put across the width of the road before the speed limit changes from 40mph to 50mph in both directions.
· A change in street-lighting to highlight the entrance to the National Grid offices.
· Signs will be put up to change the footpath between the entrance to the National Grid offices and St Catherine’s Church to a joint footpath and cycle-path.
The improvements complement a package of safety enhancements to Bearwood Road and the surrounding area, recently approved by Wokingham borough council, including installing a pedestrian crossing on King Street Lane; and imposing 30mph speed limits on roads around the playing fields. Variable speed limits will also be put in place outside Bearwood Primary School later this year.
Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for highways and transport, said: “Wokingham Borough Council is committed to making the roads in the borough as safe as possible and has taken steps to ensure that the risk of anyone getting hurt on Bearwood Road and the immediate area is as minimal as possible.
“We have been working hard with the National Grid to make improvements to the road to safeguard the well-being of pedestrians, cyclist and motorists and I’m pleased that the National Grid have been supportive of the safety scheme.”
Alan Smart from National Grid added: “ The safety of our employees is extremely important to National Grid, and this is why we are pleased and keen to work with the borough council to improve road safety conditions in the Bearwood Road area to ensure our workforce can arrive and leave work in the knowledge they will be safe.”
Wokingham Borough Council
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