Following a review of the operation of the temporary traffic light solution at the junction of Straight Road and Church Road requested by the Parish Council at the end of last week, a meeting was held on Monday 5^th July 2010 between Borough Officers, Ward Councillors and members of the Parish Council at its meeting room in the Old Chapel.

The results were reviewed based on the close observation of the traffic flows over the period of the trial and feedback from local residents and other road users. This feedback was collated by the Parish Council and a detailed analysis was produced.

It was determined that the commencement of the trial was compromised firstly due to essential signage not being available which led to the lights not being fully operational until Thursday morning (accounting for the long tailbacks on last Wednesday evening) and also by the closure of the M4 on Thursday morning which caused gridlock in the side roads along the length of the local M4 corridor,

Following the steadier operation of the system over Thursday evening and Friday it was obvious that there was a problem with traffic approaching Old Windsor from the Windsor direction and a number of variations to phasing and other parameters of the trial were tried by the Borough Engineers.

On Monday morning the Borough Engineers and their Consultant reviewed the operation prior to the meeting and suggested a number of changes that might improve the traffic flow from Windsor and consideration was given by those at the meeting to extending the trial for a week to see whether a satisfactory result could be achieved.

In view of the strength of feeling surrounding the issue it was decided that the Borough Officers would report the findings of the meeting to Councillor Rayner who has responsibility in the Borough for highways so that a decision could be made taking all inputs into consideration.

The result was that we were advised that the trial would cease immediately the Borough Engineers could arrange for the necessary work to be done.

The Parish Council would like to stress that the objective of the trial was to improve safety at the crossroads and to remove the fear factor that many expressed at the Parish meeting – the trial has proved that a full-blown traffic light system would most likely provide this safety and comfort factor but this would only be achievable by causing unacceptable inconvenience to motorists. It should be noted that any alternative scheme such as a mini roundabout would probably produce similar results due to the weight of traffic from Windsor but we were advised at the meeting that this would be impossible to trial in advance.

Finally, despite allegations to the contrary in the local press, the Parish Council have no responsibility for traffic management on major highways. Following the tragic accident at the end of March what we have done is to draw attention once again to the safety issues at this junction and ask the Borough to provide a solution.

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The Police have just released their Neighbourhood Update for Old Windsor. You can find it here.

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Borough and parish take joint approach to safety at Straight Road

Ways of improving safety on the A308 Straight Road, Old Windsor, have been agreed by the Royal Borough and the parish council in a joint approach to meeting the concerns of local people - including the start of the previously agreed speed limit reduction which will start on Monday (26 April).

A number of measures were agreed last night (Wednesday) by Old Windsor Parish Council and local residents.

The reduced speed limit from 40 to 30mph will be supported by local signage to let drivers know about the change. Additional measures to be introduced as soon as possible will include:
• Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) to remind drivers of their speed and encourage them to slow down
• 30mph road markings and
• Rumble strips at the junctions to remind drivers to be cautious.

There was detailed discussion about improvements needed at the Church Road junction and both ward and parish councillors opted for traffic lights as their preferred option. Traffic monitoring will be set up on nearby roads to get an accurate picture of vehicle movements and then temporary lights will be installed for three months to judge their effectiveness - both from a technical perspective and also to ensure that local people can express their views.

Afterwards there will be a further joint meeting to consider a report on how the measures are working and to agree a permanent way forward.

Cllr Colin Rayner, lead member for highways and streetcare, thanked the ward and parish councillors for their constructive input.

He said: "We all recognise that this is a very challenging issue with many people having as many different views about how road safety can be improved. However, I believe that by working together we will be able to find a way forward that will meet with the approval of the majority of people because it will be based on hard facts and practical testing of particular measures."

Cllr Rayner stressed that he had ensured a budget allocation for all of the immediate works to be carried out as a matter of urgency in this financial year.

Cllr Tony Troughton, chairman of Old Windsor Parish Council, said: "This issue was born out of tragedy but has proved that local people can influence their own destiny and, by working in partnership with the borough council, can help make their locality a safer and better place to live."

(This story is from RBWM Website 22-04-10)

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The latest financial year has started so to see what Old Windsor Parish Council has budgeted for this year you can download a copy here. This is the same as the one you would have received in your Council Tax demand. The Old Windsor Parish Council report for 2009-10 can be downloaded here.

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If you live in Old Windsor, have a strong interest in helping the village and would like to get actively involved with the running of it then we currently have one place currently available on the Old Windsor Parish Council. We are looking for a dedicated person to help us in our duties.

We meet twice a month on a Wednesday evening on the dates shown on the Meetings page and whenever else that is necessary. This is a voluntary position but it still requires time and effort on the part of those interested. If you think this is for you then please contact the Chairman who will be happy to discuss the role and to arrange an interview if you are interested in joining us.

If you would like to learn a bit more about being a councillor then please click here to go to the National Association of Local Councils page on "Becoming a Councillor".

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If you have any news relevant to Old Windsor and would like to see it here then please use the Contact us link on the left. Thank you.