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Roadworks in Finchampstead Road started last Friday
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Fed-up drivers tell of roadwork misery

By Lewis Rudd
July 30, 2010

“Frustrated”, “bad planning” and “a misery” are some of the comments from disgruntled motorists fed up with lengthy roadworks taking place across the borough.

Various roads and commuter routes across Wokingham and its surrounds have been closed or are subject to single-file traffic while utility companies carry out replacement work and resurfacing projects which will run the full course of the summer holidays.

Avoid these roads to beat traffic jams

Waterloo Road between its junctions with Easthampstead Road and Rances Lane is closed while Scotia Gas Networks replaces aging gas pipes.

In Finchampstead Road, the stretch between its junctions with Evendons Lane and Sandhurst Road was closed on Friday morning so South East Water contractors could install a new water main.

Although Waterloo Road is expected to be open in the next couple of weeks, Finchampstead Road is likely to be closed until at least Monday, September 6.

Further disruption is also likely to affect motorists travelling through Winnersh, after Wokingham Borough Council announced work to improve the safety of a bridge on the B3030 Robinhood Lane/Davis Street will start on Monday, August 2.

A number of drivers are complaining about being forced to add time to their journeys.

Mother of two Maria Sadler, of Keep Hatch Court, is regularly travelling across the borough to take her children to an activity camp.

She said: “The roadworks are driving me spare. To get to the other side of Wokingham I would go down Finchampstead Road or Waterloo Road, but both are closed.

“The morning rush hour is not so bad but the evening rush hour can be a bit of a nightmare.

“Wokingham is a difficult place to travel through as it is, without these roadworks. At the moment I’m having to go all the way out and around Crowthorne, which is adding another 15 to 20 minutes onto my journey.”

Ian Waddell, who lives near Cantley Park in Twyford Road, added: “Having been a Wokingham resident for the best part of 30 years I am perhaps more frustrated than most with the current summer of disruption.

“Particularly bad planning by the council has led to routes at both ends of the town being closed (Waterloo Road and Finchampstead Road) adding to the problem of an already congested town centre.”

Stephanie Clark, of Austin Clark Recruitment based in the town, said: “Our candidates are having to plan alternative routes to interviews.

“It’s hard enough to get a job at the moment without the added stress of trying to get there.”

Throughout the works in Robinhood Lane/Davis Way, expected to last until early September, drivers travelling between Bluebell Meadow and Davis Way will be subject to traffic lights and one-way traffic.

The road will also be temporarily closed from 10pm on Sunday, August 8, until Friday, September 3.

The work has been deemed necessary as monitoring has shown movement of 33.5 centimetres in the embankments supporting the bridge during the last 30 years.

Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for highways, said: “We are conscious that our work to improve the road will cause short-term disruption to residents and those who travel through this area of the borough, but hope they will appreciate how important this work is.”

Speaking about the works in Finchampstead Road, David Brand, delivery manager for South East Water, said: “We fully appreciate this work will cause short term disruption, but we hope all our customers will be assured of the long-term benefits this improvement scheme will deliver.”

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I agree with mavdo. If the utility companies are going to dig up the road regardless of what the Council says, then I've identified a cost saving right there. We can get rid of the department dealing with utility company requests! Whilst this comment is slightly tongue-in-cheek, Councillor Baker's defeatest attitude is symptomatic of inaction by our local government.

Wokingham BC is letting residents down. They are approving greenfield housing developments like there is no tomorrow (Plough Lane/Binfield Road and Warren House Road), yet with the increased demand on the town centre, they are leaving it to rot. There is going to be a massive lag between the building of new homes in the borough, and the town centre that residents deserve to support the extra population - not to mention the extra infrastructure.

I wish someone could explain to me why decades of talk about improve the road network around Wokingham station, about sorting out congestion in the town centre and the redevelopment of the ageing and derelict arcade shopping area on Peach Street have not led to anything being done. It appears to me that councillors are sitting on their hands and using every excuse to do nothing. How many more years need to go by until these things are fixed?

Ian Waddell
02/08/2010 at 15:32

Cllr Baker: Thanks also for providing info on the roadworks process. I don’t have all the answers or background and it is interesting to learn more. The limitations placed on our councillors by national government makes it very hard, if not impossible, to do the job you were elected to do, whilst you will still take the blame when you are unable to get results. I was hoping for an improvement in this from our new government. I’m still hoping.

I still would like to believe that you have some say over (1) whether a complete closure of the road is necessary, or whether there is some other better plan, (2) the timing of the works against other works already planned, (3) the reasons for considering something an emergency.

I’d like to know (a) if the long term closures are really necessary, and (b) why the number of roadworks appears to be ever increasing.

I don't think it is within the capacity of the utility companies to put together a plan for a longer term reduction in road closures, especially when they can just dig them up at will. Can you help here? Eg perhaps a new pipe could be laid under the pavement (where it exists) along Finchampstead Road, rather than digging up the entire road, reducing the closure time.

Finally, if you are saying that a utility company can just do what they like just by uttering a word “emergency” then as a resident, I'd expect you to challenge that on my behalf. By law you may have to allow them to do the work anyway, but I’d like to see any abuse stamped on quickly. Please don't suggest to me that you wouldn't at least investigate any law abuse? Is that not what we elected you for? I think the papers and public would have a field day in your support if that ever happened.

I have no evidence to suggest that any laws are being abused, and I'm not saying the works aren't essential. But I do want to see Wokingham Council stand up and support the residents of Wokingham Borough as best it can, and not just say they've got no choice. Don't blame someone else, that's old Labour's ways, say what you are doing to help us, however small that might be, then say what more you'd like to do if you could.

mavdo, Wokingham
02/08/2010 at 10:58

Cllr Baker - you're absolutely right, this map is perfect. This is the second *really* useful thing on the council's website that I've been told about in a month. However, again I had to use the search facility to get to it, and even when I know it is there I still can't find a way of navigating to it.

The council website has an excellent level of up to date content, but the navigation needs a hefty redesign. Some of it is so hard to find, I would even consider that it had been purposefully hidden whilst still fulfilling some requirement to have the information "published" (eg the final consultation on the town centre's masterplan).

mavdo, Wokingham
02/08/2010 at 10:41

The funniest thing is the official diversion route from the Wokingham council home page. The diversion is via Arborfield garrision - farcical!

Woozy, Woosehill
01/08/2010 at 19:00

Mavdo - you clearly do not understand the legal process which the Council HAS to follow. Any Utility can request access to a road to carry out essential works and the Council CANNOT refuse that request. The minimum we can do is to try and influence when they might start but all they have to do is say it is an emergency and we have to accept their request even if we do not want to. It is the law and we have to obey it.

Regarding a map of where works is carried out there is one. Go to the Council web site and search for "Road works frequently asked questions". On that page, apart from a lot of other interesting links,is a link to a system called ELGIN which provides exactly what you are looking for.

Cllr Keith Baker
30/07/2010 at 19:32

As a local resident of Waterloo Road, I have to say that while the road works have been an inconvenience, in that getting to Wokingham town centre has meant sitting in a little traffic or traffic lights for a while, it is by far less inconvenient that having all of the surrounding area commuters use the road as a ‘rat run’ every morning and evening.

I personally will be asking WBC if they will consider closing off the junction at Easthamstead / Waterloo road for ‘Access Only’ or just closing it off. I would prefer the minor inconvenient of the route to town over the traffic jams every week day.

Controversial I know but if you live in the street you will understand my view point.

LocalJohn, Wokingham
30/07/2010 at 15:56

I've been pleasantly surprised at how good the traffic has been in Wokingham over the last week. I've not needed to head out towards Finchampstead yet and the diversion route does look a little torturous, but its not going to last forever.

Wokingham residents should thank their lucky stars that these works are not being undertaken in term time, cheer up you lot!

JL
30/07/2010 at 15:55

I want a flying car...

The Illusive Man
30/07/2010 at 13:46

You know, it's an inconvenience to me too as I usually get to work via Finchampstead Road. My back-up was Waterloo Road/Easthampstead Road, but traffic's so bad there I now have to go through the town centre.

However, while it's an inconvenience, and the signs aren't as good as they could be, the work has to be done at some time, and I'd rather it was done during summer holidays than when the kids are at school...

CMA
30/07/2010 at 12:57

I don't consider 1.5 months of closing one of the most important roads into Wokingham "temporary" or "necessary". Ok, so technically it isn't permanent, but it *is* lengthy.

We should also consider the recent and future works on the A329M, the huge works by J11, the recent short closures of the three Wokingham level crossings at night, the closure of Barkham Road (although this was unavoidable due to the water main), and the works by the leisure centre in Bracknell, plus the recent works and closures of other smaller roads that could be used to avoid the works, such as Binfield Road and the whole town has just been a mess of roadworks and closures! I found yet another set today trying to get around the huge queue of traffic by the leisure centre at 10:15am on Rectory Lane towards Easthampstead. Sometimes you've no idea how to get somewhere until you try. It isn't just the annoyance of roadworks, which whilst frustrating are usually necessary to be done at *some* point, but it is the plethora of the works that seem to have been granted without any thought of how traffic will flow through and around the boroughs whilst they go on, and the number of roads and their alternatives that have been utterly closed to all traffic for huge stretches of time. WBC also seemed to have ignored their neighbours, BFC and WBC, and visa versa, when consulting on the works planned.

Even going back 12 months and we can remember Barkham Road being closed every weekend, Broad Street being closed off, the A329 by the Three Tuns traffic lights being closed, and multiple other roadworks in the town replacing all sorts of pipes and wires, and it just seems to never end!

There are quite a few roads that are closed at the moment that have diversions that are really tricky to navigate with larger vehicles, whilst doing so can be dangerous for the general motorist, pedestrians and cyclists.

It just needs a bit better planning AND to stop agreeing to completely closing *major* roads for months at a time when it really isn't necessary to do so. It seems our roads are just there to be dug up rather than be driven on.

Perhaps a map of the borough, day by day, with red representing closures and yellow representing restrictions such as lights, could be posted on WBC's website, with a link to similar RBC and BFC sites, just as we get on railway platforms for weekend works. That'd be really, really useful. I'd bet my company could produce that.

mavdo, Wokingham
30/07/2010 at 11:30

add in as well the lack of full signs along the whole route, unless your local it can be hard to find your way round the issues. Also getting to some business's its complicated, and your having to fight smaller roads with more lorrys.