A BUSY road that’s used as a rat run has been described as the notorious Monaco formula one racetrack by a councillor.
Cllr Gurch Singh (Lib Dem: St Mary’s) and a resident, who wished to remain anonymous, have called on the council to add further safety measures on Ray Mill Road West over concerns of “dangerous driving”.
Motorists have been using the road as a rat run, which is when drivers use residential streets as shortcuts, to avoid roadworks and the main road to get to and from their destination.
The resident, who has lived on the road for about 25 years, said they have seen cars, motorbikes, and quadbikes speeding up and down the road and creating loud noises for years.
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“All the residents are sick and tired of this,” they said, adding they feel “fobbed off” after raising their concerns about this to the local authority.
A council spokesperson said a safety review was already undertaken on the road where the traffic survey found a “vast majority” of motorists observed the 20mph speed limit and drove responsibly.
They also said the speed bumps and on-street parking help calm traffic and there are public footpaths on both sides to aid pedestrian safety.
Despite this, Cllr Singh described Ray Mill Road West as the Monaco formula one street circuit racetrack that’s notoriously dangerous.
He and the resident have called on the council to place further measures to keep residents and pedestrians safe, whether that be installing a speed camera or a radical move to close the road at peak times either halfway or fully.
Calls for this were further enhanced when a drunk driver crashed into a parked car in October. Thames Valley Police confirmed a woman was convicted of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and was disqualified from driving.
Cllr Singh said: “If the borough doesn’t take this issue seriously, then someone is going to be knocked over and get killed on this street [Ray Mill Road West].”
A council spokesperson said: “No injury collisions have been recorded in Ray Mill Road West within the last 10 years. While unfortunately, a minority of drivers will exceed speed limits, regardless of location or any extent of highways measures, the data from our safety review of Ray Mill Road West shows the 20mph limit and traffic calming measures already in place are very effective and proportionate.
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“The council has no powers to enforce speed limits. However, anyone with ongoing concerns is, of course, welcome to approach the police to request high visibility targeted enforcement to help address those irresponsible few.”
The police said they received no reports of speeding but urged members of the public to report this either online or through 101.
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