A TORY councillor has set up a paper petition against a road closure in Burnham.

Slough Borough Council announced yesterday that they are to close Station Road at the Burnham Station railway bridge to make way for a multi-million pound station improvement scheme.

The closure - which the council aims to have in place before the end of September - will close Station Road, at the bridge, to all vehicles north and southbound, though it will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Now, Cllr Wayne Strutton, for Haymill and Lynch Hill, is aiming to achieve 1,500 signitures, to take the matter to a full council meeting. 

He currently has more than 400 signatures.

Cllr Strutton told the Observer: "We're not against some of the improvements they're proposing to make - and indeed we have called for these to be made in the past - like easing traffic on the main road by moving the bus stops and changing the width of the road, but we are against a total road closure.

"For most people, they dont even believe me when I tell them that the council are going to close the road completely."

The closure comes at the junction of Station Road with Burnham Lane where they form a triangle outside the entrance to the station.

The closure is being put in place as an experiment for at least six months, so the effect on traffic flows, bus routes, emergency services and residents can be assessed.

A decision will them be made as to whether the closure will become permanent.

Other measures are also being put in place to mitigate any congestion caused by the closure of Station Road. These include:

· moving the bus stops, northbound and southbound, from Burnham Lane into the triangle to free up the main road

· turning the triangle one way northbound – preventing vehicles turning right into the northern junction

· changing Burnham Lane one way section – Buckingham Avenue to A4 junctions – to southbound rather than northbound

· altering the traffic lights at three A4 junctions – Burnham Lane, Huntercombe Lane North and Station Road to reflect the new traffic flows · double yellow lines and no waiting restrictions along Burnham Lane

· instituting double yellow lines and residents’ parking in Littlebrook Avenue The triangle outside Burnham Station where Station Road meets Burnham Lane has long been a source of traffic congestion, with traffic regularly backing up along Burnham Lane in both directions.

As well as relieving congestion for residents of the area and train station users, the changes planned also free up space for a major regeneration of the station area.

Burnham Station – one of three stations in Slough which will be used by Crossrail – could be completely remodelled with a whole new façade, new Crossrail entrance, new ticket halls, facilities and car drop off point.

The plans, created with Network Rail and SEGRO, would also create a multi-storey car park for station users, meaning nearby residents would no longer have to deal with commuter parking in small residential roads.

Councillor James Swindlehurst, commissioner for neighbourhoods and renewal, said: “The advent of Crossrail is a major opportunity for Burnham Station and its surrounding area which has long caused congestion and parking problems for local residents.

“By closing Station Road experimentally we can see the effect it has on the rest of the road network whether it is viable in the long term and therefore whether the amazing plans for the station can be realised.”

He added: “We know this is a major change for residents and drivers but existing arrangements for accessing the station and Station Road have been a source of problems for the wider area for some time.

“We also know with any major road network change like this there will be people who will see less congestion, people who may see more, drivers who may have to see alternative routes some whose journey may well be easier.

“During the six months of the experiment we want to hear from local residents and users of the local road network in the area – whether their views are negative or positive – residents, businesses and commuters.”