Still asking drivers to slow down on BGR!

I don't want to see anyone caught speeding in BGR!

Residents are still demanding action against speeding motorists in Bowling Green Road. Hopefully these signs will attract the attention of some drivers and they will cut their speed down to 30 mph!

Four signs to go!

 

Why not do the whole job properly - Tull Way?

A Thatcham resident emailed me to ask if I had seen the way the contractors had part repaired the road surface on Tull Way, just above the Thatcham Garden Centre Roundabout. Well I had been keeping a keen eye on the repair process and took some photos!  Firstly, a large area of the road surface had been in a poor condition for some time. To my amazement only two small areas were marked out in yellow spray paint then nothing happened for a while. Then only two small areas were squared off and repaired. So the big question is...why didn't the contractor simply repair the whole of the damaged road surface at the same time because it will have to be done sooner or later? Meanwhile our tyres and suspension will receive a battering and add to the cost of motoring!

Tull Way south bound to Garden Centre Rounabout

Two small areas identified for repair

Only two small areas repaired.

Pathway to success!

Pound Lane park in Thatcham has become a huge success story and attracts a wide range of users. The children's play equipment is both exciting and challenging. There is an adult gym to get your body into shape (over time), a teens football pitch and a grass path that winds its way through a colourful flower meadow for dog walkers to enjoy, or you can simply sit on one of the bench seats and take it easy for a while!

Children's Play Area.............

                                         

.................Adult Gym.

Football Pitch & Flower Meadow beyond.

The path across the park which is used by 70% of local residents to get to nearby schools and serves the children's play area, has had its day. It is worn out and in places floods and turns to mud when it rains. Thatcham Town Councillor Gary Johnson, is the driving force behind the success of the play park and has already asked West Berkshire Council to get some quotes to upgrade the path so that it can be used in all weathers. It will be costly but worth it and hopefully this will allow Gary to apply for the prestigious Green Flag status for the park.                                           

The worn out path across the park which is used by 70% of local residents to get to nearby schools and the children's play area. 

Bowling Green Way?

At last Bowling Green Wait a minute, Way, gets a much needed makeover? Well that's what the diversion sign says!

Endless bits of machinery and manpower to resurface BGR!

Roll..................

..................Sweep

Level.................

...........and take it away!


At last the residents living close to BGR can get some peace from the shake, rattle and roll from lorries that were hitting the old rutted road surface for so many years!

Brownfield site indeed - Lower Way fills with sewage!

With a multi million pound sewage plant doing its bit the other side of the fence, the last thing you would expect is for the stuff to bubble up into the road but the heavy rain must have overwhelmed the system. So Cllr Jeff Brooks and I went to investigate with bated breath! Lower Way was closed for a time whilst the source of the problem was tracked down.

Cllr Jeff Brooks stopping traffic entering the substance in the distance.

Oh dear!

       

Cllr Jeff Brooks describes the scene as the cavalry arrive!

Think I will stay upwind and keep this post company!

Pedestrians expected to walk on water year after year!

We can expect some flooding on our roads after a very heavy downpour but when flooding takes place in the same location year after year, it's time to start asking questions. Either there is no drainage and it needs to be installed or the drainage is blocked and needs to be unblocked. Pedestrians using crossing points, underpasses or simply walking along a pavement can be badly affected.

Pedestrian crossing point in Newbury town centre.

One of the underpasses flooded in Newbury town centre.

Regular flooding in London Road.

Slow down you're going too fast!

East of the entrance to Thames Road

'Slow down you're going too fast' may have been a good title for a song in the 1960's but it certainly applies to Bowling Green Road today!  The highways department at West Berkshire Council responded to my request for temporary Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) that flash up '30 SLOW DOWN' when vehicles exceed the 30 mph speed limit. The VAS signs were erected in different locations along Bowling Green Road following continued concerns from local residents about the speed of traffic in the area. I hope the signs will remind drivers to slow down and keep to the 30 mph speed limit.

This sign was placed just west of the entrance to Mersey Way.

East of Ashmore Green entrance.