£200k crossing construction begins in Amersham addressing accident hotspot

Between 2018 and 2022, there were eight recorded collisions along the 1.4km stretch between the Raans Road roundabout and the junction with Sycamore Road.

The number of crashes has remained consistent in recent years, with no significant changes made to the road during that time. In 2023, Acre Wood Nursery School in Woodside Road, Amersham was badly damaged after a Mercedes crashed into one of their classrooms.

Council officials said a significant proportion of the incidents involved “vulnerable” road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

The project aims to reduce vehicle speeds, enhance safety for vulnerable users such as cyclists and motorcyclists, and improve pedestrian access near a school and nursery.

Initial works have been completed at the Plantation Road junction, where a raised table has been installed. The feature, alongside ongoing junction narrowing works, is designed to slow vehicles turning in and out of Plantation Road.

Tactile paving has also been added on both sides of the raised table to help visually impaired pedestrians identify crossing points more easily.

Work is now progressing along Woodside Road itself, with two further raised tables under construction.

These will include controlled pedestrian crossings, located near properties numbered 193 and 88. The council said the improvements form part of a wider effort to make roads across Buckinghamshire safer for all users.

Responding to the plans, Amersham Town Council said the comments it had heard about the scheme were “very positive.”

However, public reaction to the start of the work has been mixed, with some questioning whether the area actually has a high crash rate, while others are arguing it is necessary due to near misses.

One resident of Green Lane said the new ramp has already stopped people speeding which is a “good thing.”

But others have questioned why the money was used on a crossing when they felt it would have been better spent in other areas like fixing potholes in the town.

The roads across Buckinghamshire have been described as a “pothole hell.” Cllr Kelly Thornton, the Lib Dem member for Amersham has previously said residents measure the success of the authority “in the state of the tarmac outside their front doors.”

But Buckinghamshire Council has said it is delivering a record £120 million investment in the county’s roads. Cllr Mark Roberts and Cllr Kelly Thornton previously said they did not have any issues with the plans.

Cllr Dominic John Pinkney also previously said he did not have any comments to add on the plans.