Improvements Ahead for Wokingham's Accident Black Spot

There could be a breakthrough for one of Wokingham's most notorious accident black spots after it emerged a meeting between senior decision‑makers is imminent.

Multiple crashes have happened at the junction of the B3016 and B3348, the former site of the Finchampstead war memorial, since Finchampstead Parish Council removed the cross.

For more than a century the cross was a village focal point. The junction's layout has caused visibility problems, especially for cyclists heading uphill from Finchampstead Village and turning right towards Crowthorne.

Ian Adnams said: "It was the parish council who removed the monument and promised improvements to the junction which they have so far failed to deliver. The borough council is not culpable.

"Finchampstead Parish Council knew before they started promoting 'junction improvements' that Wokingham Borough Council had no plans beyond what has now been delivered."

The parish removed the memorial in 2022 and, ironically, part of the justification was to make the junction safer - but incidents appear to have increased since.

Key figures at Finchampstead Parish Council, likely including Chairman David Cornish, are expected to meet senior figures from Wokingham Borough Council on July 6 or July 7. The borough surveyed junction users earlier this year and will present its findings and possible options.

The council has installed cameras and speed monitoring at all approaches, and added anti-skid surfacing plus two stripes of pink paint on each approach, though the paint's impact seems limited.

Councillor Simon Weeks, who has seen the aftermath of seven collisions at the site, praised the recent addition of pink paint on the road: "The red tarmac could only add to the safety. "I think it helps in the sense that any change to a road's surface and signage tends to draw people's attention."

Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter