Blandford Road Traffic Speed Survey
Local Whitley residents want traffic calming measures on Blandford Road
Alok Sharma, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West, and local Conservatives launched a traffic speeding survey, in response to concerns expressed by local residents during a street surgery session, which was delivered to all homes on Blandford Road in Whitley several weeks ago.
Commenting on the results of the survey Alok Sharma said: “Forty local residents responded to the survey with 90% of them concluding that there are serious speeding issues on Blandford Road. Many of the residents also provided comments on the survey form and clearly one of the biggest concerns local people have is for the safety of school children who walk along Blandford Road on their way to and from the three schools in the local area.”
Alok continued: “It is clear from their survey responses and talking with some local residents that they have informed Reading Borough Council and their local councillors about their concerns but nothing has been done so far. Some residents are asking whether it has to take a serious accident before the Council decides to act.”
Alok wrote to Reading Borough Council, making them aware of local residents' views and asking the Council to review, as a matter of the utmost urgency, the introduction of traffic calming measures along Blandford Road.
Unfortunately Reading Borough Council have responded that they cannot justify spending money on traffic calming measures on Blandford Road, stating in their reply:
"Blandford Road does not constitute an accident problem where the Council could justify spending money on a measure that is unlikely to alter the behaviour of a small minority."
Together with local residents, local Conservatives will continue to pursue this matter.
