Petition launched for crossing near to site of fatal crash

A NEW petition to install a pedestrian crossing in Caversham received more than 1,000 signatures in the space of four days.

Heidi N, who lives in the village, has tried to bring fresh attention to the issue, following the fatal traffic accident involving two pedestrians in Peppard Road two weeks ago.

The junction of Peppard Road and Henley Road, near the Last Crumb pub, is currently controlled by traffic lights and residents claim the road is difficult to cross.

Ms N said she plans on walking her son to school when he starts in September and will need to cross the junction on a daily basis.

She said: “My condolences go to the family for their loss but that brings things starkly into mind as to what is actually important.”

Ms N said crossing the road with her young son is “terrifying” and questions why improving safety at the junction hasn’t been a priority.

She said: “I normally try to pick him up and run. If you go there between 3pm and 4pm, you’ve got people darting between cars just to get across.

“I know numerous people who say they drive because it’s too dangerous to walk their child to school, or they walk around in huge loops to avoid that junction.” Bianca Melo, 30, lives in Derby Road and walks her five-year-old son to nursery in St Anne’s every day.

She said that she has to take a detour up Henley Road to the gate of Queen Anne’s School to find somewhere to safely cross.

She said: “I’ve recently just had a baby and, going with the pram, it gives me anxiety because of the drivers.

“I never know when I can go, I try to wait for someone to give me a wave before they start going. Even at the end of my pregnancy, when you can’t really walk, it was just awful.

“We end up having to walk way further into Henley Road to find somewhere safe to cross where there are fewer cars and you can see a bigger range of vision.

“What is really upsetting is that this has been going on for more than 10 years, hundreds of people have been signing past petitions, we have been talking with the councillors, with the MPs and nothing is done. It’s unfair for pedestrians and drivers.

“We need to know the mark that is required to make something change. The council keeps saying, ‘We can’t get funding, we can’t get funding’.

“I’m teaching my five-year-old son how to cross the road when there is no safe way to do it at this junction.”

Jodie Mann, 41, walks her son to school at Thameside Primary every day and said it is almost impossible to see traffic coming from Henley Road when crossing from Peppard Road into Westfield Road.

She suggested that if the lights were phased to allow pedestrians an opportunity to cross safely it would make a “world of difference”.

She said: “I see elderly people, people with pets, I see children crossing there regularly and they’re just having to run out when they see a gap and it’s just an accident waiting to happen.

“Traffic is always going to be an issue in Caversham, I don’t think that’s going to go away but I don’t think that should be prioritised over pedestrian safety. I think that is the number one issue, particularly at the crossing.”

Matt Rodda, MP for Reading Central, has supported the initiative in the past and in 2022, conducted a resident survey on the issue after being contacted by several constituents.

Councillor Jacopo Lanzoni, who represents Caversham on the borough council, said while the measures have been approved by the council, there has not been enough development in the area to provide funding.

He said: “I’m aware that a few residents, following the car accident that happened last week, which sadly caused the death of two people, have reiterated the demands for traffic management measures in that area.

“Traditionally, traffic management measures are implemented through contributions coming from planning and development and traditionally in north Reading we don’t have a lot of development, or much less development than there is in other parts of Reading borough. The money that the council has available is limited.”

To see the petition, visit tiny
url.com/49psudbx