Page 1034 - Reading Mercury

ought to get ready to scrap the scheme as quickly as they could before any more
public money was poured out on it. He stressed that they were all extremely
concerned about the situation.
“I have never seen this town with such chaotic conditions as we have as the scheme
was introduced on Monday morning. It is just not working. We get blockages in
Broad Street, the Market Place, Denmark Street, Wellington Road, Station Road and
up to Reading Road. How can a circulation scheme work when there are blockages all
around?”
The Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Mr. R.G. Gwynn had reported on a meeting
that afternoon with the County Council and the Alder Valley bus company at which
the traffic arrangements were discussed very thoroughly.
At the point where Shute End came into Broad Street two lanes of traffic were
having to converge into a single lane resulting in a considerable build-up, far more
than occurred when the previous temporary system was in operation. They had
considered measures to improve traffic circulation. One of the aims was to enable
traffic coming out of Station Road into Shute End to merge with the flow from
Reading before the junction with Broad Street and Rectory Road was reached. One of
the recommendations was that they dispose with roundabout procedure there. This
would enable vehicles going into Rectory Road to go down Shute End in the usual
way while traffic heading into Broad Street would disregard the island. The reason for
introducing these adaptations was that the system was experimental.
It would be wrong at this stage to withdraw the order without fully trying all the
alternatives. Unless they tried these out now they would never know the answer or
never have an opportunity of finding out.
Cllr. R.B. Naish the committee’s newly-appointed Chairman said there were now
two lanes of traffic along Denmark Street, some travelling at high speed. One vehicle
must have been doing about 50 m.p.h. If, in 1968 Denmark Street was not considered
wide enough it cannot take the traffic at the moment. It is chaotic down there.
Pedestrians are unable to cross the road.
Ald. S.L Bowyer also took up the cudgels on behalf of the pedestrians for whom
there were only two official crossings in the town. “Their crossing of Denmark Street
was restricted because there were now three lanes of traffic going into that road. It is
not good enough. We have six weeks before our next meeting and I suggest that if this
is not successfully treated we should do something before the situation gets any worse
than it is now. If it doesn’t improve in three weeks we should revert to the old system.
Cllr. Naish said that there had been no respect shown for the elderly. He had
received a letter from one of his electors blaming him for all this.
Cllr. I. Crail, the Mayor, said it seemed an extraordinary situation that an order
should be made for an experimental one-way system without incorporating provision
for pedestrians. He thought it would be worthwhile to make representations on this
aspect.
Cllr. W. Smith said he understood Langborough Road was choc-a-bloc with cars
because they could not get into Denmark Street where the traffic would not give way.
Cllr. D.J. Lewis said it would be interesting to see what happened on Saturday when
hundreds of shoppers’ cars fed into the one-way system. They would be funnelled into
the system and would have to go ‘around the houses’ a couple of miles before the
drivers could get into their houses. This was going to be a harassment to the residents
of Wokingham.
After further discussion it was decided that if no improvements are effected after a
short trial, a special meeting would be called in to get the scheme rescinded. This had

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