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Friday 13 January 2012

Junction Review

Last year when I saw the aftermath of an Albert/Highmoor Road junction crash I spoke with the policeman at the scene to find out what was thought to have happened.  Once finished I chanced upon a resident who lives a few doors away from the junction and is a civil engineer specialising in traffic and highways. 

The resident is on the Caversham & District Residents' Association's committee (CADRA).  CADRA is apolitical and does an invaluable job for the community.  Its mission statement is to "preserve and enhance the quality of life in Caversham and the surrounding District".

To cut a long story short, the resident/CADRA committee member went to considerable trouble, writing up a detailed report which I asked officers to review.  You can find the link to it which has now been uploaded onto this page of CADRA's website.

The officer response judged that CADRA's proposed removal of the red central hatching so the stop line can be moved forward thus improving sight lines, is unlikely to have prevented either the May '11 or previous accident.  Considering the current accident data, the officer states it is very difficult to justify any change at this junction.  However the officer concludes
"what this exercise has shown is that the current measures must be well maintained to ensure drivers appreciate the presence of the junction.  Regular maintenance of overhanging vegetation and of the lining, signing and red surfacing is essential to ensure the very best safety of the junction is maintained."
Furthermore, the officer has agreed to CADRA's request for the central hatch and red surface to be reviewed at the time of any surfacing.

[Note:  Apologies for the delay in publishing this update.  I was awaiting the necessary permission from CADRA and the RBC officer]