Question
Grazeley resident, Simon Cooper, has spoken at several WBC meetings including Feb 2020 Council.
He told us about:
Nearly 4 years since the first fatal accident, WBC have gathered multiple sets of data, the same data after both fatalities. Frustrated Simon has also captured large amounts of data and video examples.
Since the first fatal accident a range of Executive Members, Senior Council and Senior TVP Officers have offered kind words of condolence, support and sympathy to the Coopers and the bereaved families.
The reality is however nothing has changed despite this stretch of highway that includes a school and community hall. My question is why is the proactive and protective approach to resident safety being demonstrated by the Rose Street initiative, not being applied across the whole Borough?
Minutes:
I welcome the recently proposed highway changes to Rose Street, a proactive initiative to reduce pedestrian risk. I believe this is a preventative initiative and thankfully not as the result of accidents.
Grazeley resident, Simon Cooper, has spoken at several WBC meetings including the February 2020 Council.
He told us about:
§ Two fatalities (Jan 2017, Jan 2020) where vehicles crashed into his property;
§ Multiple other non-fatal crashes;
§ The effects on his family and the Grazeley community;
§ His frustration at the lack of any action.
Nearly four years since the first fatal accident, WBC have gathered multiple sets of data, the same data after both fatalities. Frustrated Simon has also captured large amounts of data and video examples.
Since the first fatal accident a range of Executive Members, Senior Council and Senior TVP Officers have offered kind words of condolence, support and sympathy to the Coopers and the bereaved families.
The reality is, however, that nothing has changed despite this stretch of highway that includes a school and community hall. My question is why is the proactive and protective approach to resident safety being demonstrated by the Rose Street initiative, not being applied across the whole Borough?
Answer
The Council’s position with regard to questions raised by Mr Cooper at previous Council meetings has been very clear. In addition you, as the local Member for Shinfield, have also been made aware of this position, through direct correspondence from officers, advising you of all of the actions and measures taken by the Council, both whilst the outcome of Thames Valley Police criminal investigation was pending and since their conclusions and recommendations were reported to officers.
I must remind you that the officers are not allowed to release the police report to me due to requirements set by the police, but they have assured me that they have acted on all the recommendations in that report, which was received in July 2020. I believe they have told you this as well.
You are correct in saying that we have acknowledged and empathised with the Coopers’ situation following the fatal collision at their property at the start of this year and that officers have collected and calibrated traffic flow and speed data to support both the police investigation and their own professional assessment of viable measures to prevent any reoccurrence of such a collision.
In addition to this, the Council has resurfaced this section of road, refreshed all road markings and, in direct response to the police report, has undertaken maintenance measures to ensure that their speed enforcement team can commence such action, an investment of some £65k, whilst continuing to liaise with police officers and their investigative timescale. In parallel with this, officers have also undertaken feasibility design of a back-up £100k average speed camera enforcement scheme, which would have to be approved by the police before it is installed, and are continuing work with the Parish Council on gateway signing.
The Council’s statutory duty with respect to road safety is set out in S389 of the Road Traffic Act and involves the study of accidents and taking of measures it deems appropriate to prevent them from happening again. The Council, therefore, takes a proactive and protective approach to road user safety through the application of standards and due diligence in its design and maintenance processes.
The application of engineering measures in circumstances such as Grazeley is, by nature, ‘remedial’ and therefore targeted at the specific factors deemed by investigators to have been material in the cause of a collision. In this case the highway design or condition was not viewed by the police as a material cause of the collision.
Supplementary Question
I welcome the news that funding has been put aside for this area. I would like to understand the criteria we use in the justification, approval and implementation of highway safety measures to ensure that they are consistently applied across the Borough. There are examples across the Borough where safety measures have been put in place when there have been no reported incidents.
Supplementary Answer
I can give you a layman’s answer, but in case I get it slightly wrong I would prefer to give you a written answer, having talked to the officers.