Update on road scheme chaos: why doesn't Slough Council listen to residents BEFORE introducing crazy schemes?

Robert Plimmer said, 'It would have been so much better had Slough's Labour-run Council listened to local residents before closing Station Road. I welcome the Council's recent announcement of a partial back-down and the re-opening of Station Road in one direction. However, this partial back-down may not go far enough and looks like it might be delayed which will cause even more serious traffic chaos for residents as described below.

Thousands of local residents begged the Council not to introduce the original closure of Station Road, and reversal of the one-way system on Burnham Lane, because they knew it would create traffic chaos. But Labour councillors went ahead anyway last autumn because they thought they knew better than local residents.'

Robert Plimmer drew on his own experience of commuting from his home in Weekes Drive, Cippenham, to comment: 'When the closure of Station Road was introduced it caused problems for commuters in various parts of Cippenham, including Cippenham Lane and the junction between Twinches Lane and the A4. I join the thousands of local residents who think it would have been so much better if the Labour Councillors had listened to residents in the first place.'

Robert also gave an update on another of the Labour Council's traffic schemes that is due to hit Cippenham in coming weeks and which residents fear will cause yet more chaos.

He explained, 'In my Cippenham Meadows Focus newsletter 14 I'd highlighted the Council's plans to completely redesign the Copthorne roundabout. This work now looks set to start at the beginning of February and I'm still concerned that the Labour councillors have not given enough thought to the interests of the local Cippenham residents who will face months of further disruption. Furthermore, eastbound motorists will be asked to leave the M4 at junction 7 rather than 6 because of the expected increased delays, but with Station Road remaining closed both ways until the end of February residents are right to fear even more congestion in February. For further details see my earlier account of the Council's scheme to turn the Copthorne/Tuns Lane roundabout into a hamburger roundabout. I raised fears about the Council's plans for the roundabout and Tuns Lane in Focus 14, and I more fully critically examined the Council's plans in an earlier story, dated 14 Nov 2015, on this website: http://sloughlibdems.org.uk/en/article/2015/1122009/slough-s-labour-council-has-a-bad-record-on-transport-schemes-will-the-major-reconstruction-of-copthorne-roundabout-be-any-better