Congestion at Thatcham Station, Traffic survey approved but no bridge will be built Options

[Richard Garvie]

Congrats to the two ward councillors for securing £12,000 of funding for a traffic survey at Thatcham Station. I'm not sure in all honesty what it will achieve though when the council have already ruled out a bridge and / or any measures that require investment but I guess it's a step in the right direction. The £12,000 has been taken out of the members pot which is used for projects in individual members wards.

I was pretty scathing of both members when I asked the council about this previously to find they had done nothing, and it's only fair that I should give them some credit for starting to do something about it (better late than never). They have a long way to go, their pledge was to look far and wide to resolve the issue, and I for one hope they can sort it out.

[Richard Garvie]

I take your point. The only way it could be paid for is if Sandleford was scrapped and houses were built at Siege Cross, with significant development contribution going to the bridge. But if we're looking at £20m, then it's never going to happen in a month of Sunday's.

The whole point in this is that the two Tory candidates (at the time) promised people on the door step that they would fix it if they got it. They slagged off the Lib Dems for not sorting it, and the end result of them getting elected will not change things. What should happen is that the two councillors should admit they had not researched the idea of a bridge, and now they have it's unfeasible. Spending £12,000 (half the cost of the Victoria Park fencing or a third of the cost of replacing the Thatcham skate park) is like Xjay said:

"What's the point of doing a survey if they won't do anything? It'd be better to throw the £12000 out of the window of a train while it's in Thatcham station."