Rank Labour Hypocrisy

Anyone following the Reading political scene or Reading media will know about the problems that have been experienced with the Shinfield Road traffic scheme. Since the traffic lights were switched on there have been increased delays, partly resulting from initial problems with the lights themselves and partly from continued works being undertaken in the area.

As I have highlighted before, this was a scheme I inherited from Labour, who had backed it to the hilt and refused almost all requests for changes made by opposition Councillors. I experienced that personally when I submitted a list of requested changes last year, only to be told that all but one would not be implemented. Over a period of two years Labour ignored almost all requests to reconsider aspects of the scheme and the then Labour Cabinet repeatedly voted unanimously for the scheme. When a small number of local residents began to raise objections with me and the ward Councillors it was far too late to achieve the major changes they wanted.

I have already announced a compehensive review of the scheme including the traffic-lighted junctions in six months time, with the promise that if congestion has worsened we will look to take the lights out. In the mean time I have instituted an immediate review of all aspects of the scheme to investigate what might be done to improve the flow of traffic. This has to be done affordably, legally and safely.

Since this was Labour’s scheme and they were so keen to dismiss suggestions for changes I was amazed today to receive a copy of a Press Release issued in the name of Labour’s three Whitley Ward Councillors. It reads as follows:

Shinfield Road improvement scheme: “We can’t go on like this”

Whitley’s three Labour councillors have said they want a review of the Shinfield Road traffic scheme if things have not improved within two weeks. Officials have said that the full implementation is only just starting and needs time to settle in, and Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor says there will be a review in six months.

But the councillors for Whitley say this is not good enough. They say that the hold ups to traffic are unacceptable and more traffic is now using residential roads in south Reading to avoid the bottleneck. They say six months is far too long to wait to see if the scheme will work.

In a joint statement, Labour councillors for Whitley, Rachel Eden, Jim Hanley and Mike Orton said,

“We share the concerns being put to us by local residents in our area. The Shinfield Road scheme is clogging up cars and buses alike.  As local councillors representing south Reading we are experiencing the problems ourselves and are having them reported to us daily. We can’t go on like this.

“Officials say that it is only just being implemented fully and needs time to settle down. The Lead councillor for transport has promised a review in six months. This is not good enough. We are monitoring the situation closely and if things have not improved significantly within the next two weeks we will be demanding a full review and reconsideration of this scheme.

“In the meantime, people can contact us directly to report problems and we will continue to follow up any comments.” 

These three Labour Councillors have ignored the fact that when the scheme was first proposed ALL of the Church ward Councillors were Labour and also that one of their number (Orton) was a Cabinet member who was jointly responsible for the original Shinfield Road scheme. Their call for a review in two week’s time also contradicts the statements of their own Group Transport Spokesman Cllr Tony Page, who only a week ago derided those calling for an immediate review of the traffic lights and agreed that the works should be finished and the scheme settle down before it is reviewed. Do they not speak to each other now that they are in opposition?

I perfectly accept that individuals are entitled to their views and I am very aware that many people are extremely unhappy with Labour’s changes on the Shinfield Road but the press release from the three Whitley Labour Councillors is rank hypocrisy and an attempt to jump on a bandwagon. I think that most people will treat this naked opportunism with the contempt it deserves.  It is also worth re-reading Cllr Tony Page’s answer to the petition presented at the 26 January Council meeting.

I am encouraged by the emails I have received from many people who have welcomed what I and my Conservative and Lib Dem colleagues are doing to unpick Labour’s disastrous transport legacy. More announcements will follow shortly.