Consultation on Safer Routes for St. Nicholas School children

Many Hurst residents as well as parents, teachers and governors at St. Nicholas School have recently taken part in consultations to identify ways of improving safety around the school.

Transport consultants Parkman, based in Wokingham and working for the District Council, have already identified issues such as: the Keep Clear signs are ignored, traffic is too fast on School Road, and there are no official crossing points.

In April residents were also asked to take part in a survey. This suggested possible solutions, including:

• crossing points on Wokingham Road and School Road
• reduction of the speed limit on School Road to 20 mph (this can only be achieved if speed humps and minimal street lighting are also introduced)
• gateways at either end of Tape Lane to reinforce the 'access only' status of this road
• dropped kerbs and improved visibility at the Hinton Road and Tape Lane junctions with Wokingham Road
• reinforcement of the Keep Clear zone in front of the school

Responses from this survey and other consultations will be reported to the District Council's Highways Board in July, with recommendations to adopt the solutions that received most support and any other new and relevant information.

This will also be communicated with parents, teachers, and governors at the school, and local residents so that people can make further comments on the proposed solutions. Feedback on this consultation will be included in the recommendations to the Highways Portfolio holder Councillor Jack Earnshaw for a final decision later in the year.

If you would like to comment on these proposals, or have any questions, please contact Kevin Patching at Wokingham District Council, 0118 974 xxxx or call Sarah Cauldwell at Parkman on 0118 936 7300.