John Redwood MP writes: The Lib Dem Council has a determination to spend huge sums on road consultants to come up with expensive schemes to make it more difficult to get to work by van or car, to impede deliveries made to our homes, to make life far more co0mplicated taking children to school and doing the weekly shop. This month they are consulting on the first part of a very expensive four part plan for the A 329, a crucial east west highway, between Winnersh and Wokingham. They want to get government money to cover their big costs, as if that was not more money taken from Wokingham taxpayers in a different way to the Council Tax. Government funds local Councils for the Councils priorities. The Council needs to have sensible priorities and to make good use of taxpayers money when it claims it. The Council will be on risk of the project overrunning or going wrong.
The idea is to create two wide cycle lanes either side of a reduced road for vans, lorries and cars. The current cycle lanes do not attract much use. The Council has clearly not studied who does use the road and why they use it. If they did they would find many of the uses cannot be done on a bike. The plumber and the decorator, the maintenance man and the parcel deliverer need a van to do their work. People taking young children to school do not want to try to supervise them on bicycles in the morning rush. People needing to carry home a week's food shopping need a car. People wanting to complete a decent amount of work in a day that need to travel around often need the flexibility the car provides.
Spare us the anguish and the cost. People living along the road do not want major roadworks for months on end with all the noise and dust. People trying to do their jobs need to be able to use that main road.
