Kingsway Villagers

Hello,

I have been having a look around your site, it is great I am so glad I found it, everyone seems so friendly.

I move to the area in 2 weeks and have been living out in Europe for the last 3 years so I know absolutely nothing about any of the surrounding area or schools etc, and have been unable to find the street we will be living in on any maps online (I’m assuming its because its a new build)! The street name is Goose Bay Drive.

Can anyone tell me how far Beaufort School is from here?
Is there access through the wooded area, as I dont drive?

Also has anyone else has any problems getting their children into Kingsway School? I love the sound of the school but as of yet have been refused a place on the grounds its full to its limit …but have been told to appeal.

On Tuesday an accident involving a car going into the middle barriers at the traffic lights to Kingsway, meant that traffic coming from the south could not turn right into the village.

Today another accident with a motorcycle and car, again at the entrance traffic lights, caused problems.

Firstly I hope everybody was okay.

How many incidents does there have to be before a second access route is opened? How many houses, occupants and cars does there need to be before anyone takes responsibility?

Are the entrance traffic lights becoming an accident hotspot? At peak times there are queues of cars leaving and entering Kingsway. Sometimes the slip road coming from the North into the village becomes full, and the queue goes onto the main carriageway where cars are travelling at 70 miles per hour…

This will get worse as more houses are built and occupied.
I fear a major smash will happen one day.

Sandra

Following on from previous discussions on the subject (see here and here)…
Here is a communication I received recently from the QUVL about the closed road:

With regard to the Naas Lane Link road between the main roundabout and Naas Lane, there are several reasons that this road is not yet complete and open:

The road runs through a development area of Kingsway, which will have significant commercial development alongside, and will therefore be subject to construction traffic while buildings are erected. Opening the road would introduce unneccesssary interfaces between public and construction traffic.

The road cannot be adopted by the County Council until the drainage and public open spaces are adopted by the water authority and City Council respectively. This process is ongoing, and once completed, the final surfacing will be laid to the road and footway. To install these at this time, would result in damage during future construction works and significant additional cost to QUVL, to bring the road back up to adoptable standards.

The road runs through land which is owned by parties other than QUVL. These parties have also requested that the road is not opened until their adjoining developments are carried out.

Keeping the link road closed at the moment also helps us to ensure that all construction traffic enters the development through our haul roads and not through the completed housing. This helps to ensure that the residents of Kingsway encounter the minimum level of construction traffic.

I hope the above gives you a useful update and can assure you that the road is not "unopened" in case materials are stolen.

The A38 had both carriageways completely closed today, from the main junction at Bristol Road down to Waterwells, due to an accident.

I don’t know how long it was closed for but effectively the estate was cut off; no-one could leave or enter! Consider people with appointments. What would have happened if it ocurred when people are leaving for or returning from work or the school run.

Surely there needs to be a secondary driveable way off and onto the estate for 900 occupied houses, probably 2000 persons and 1600 cars.

We come back again to the Naas lane link. Can’t the Police, Fire Brigade or Council have some authority over this for safety reasons?

Regards
Sandra

I do not know what all the other residents feel but I truly believe that the developers are taking the mick in leaving the pavements in a perilous state especially with the winter approaching. Walking along the pavements should carry a health warning for they are uneven, plastic pipes sticking up, ponds and muck left from the rain as they do not drain properly and the camber in places is truly unblievable but nothing is done. The County Council do not give a damn as they do not live here and say “the roads etc are unadopted so take matters up with the developers” yet they are the sorry people who gave planning consent and should look after the elctorate rather than just posying round for publicity for themselves.

The roads are potential death traps especially between the first and second traffic calming measures coming from the roundabout – cars parked on the double yellows right down to the corner. Mark my words someone will be seriously injured before long. The people who are parking in the road all the time must realise the danger they are causing, or is it the "I’m all right Jack" attitude and people are too lazy to walk to their allocated parking spaces or garages preferring to be a hindrance on the main roadway?

It seems as if the developers have a monopoly on blind tradesmen on this estate! Despite the signs saying "No Construction Traffic" there have been at least 16 lorries, fully laden inwards and empty out, plus umpteen vans and cars of contractors going up and down Thatcham Avenue today, presenting an ongoing danger when linked to the abysmal parking.

On the Taylor Woodrow site the contractors are parking on the pavements – or what should be the pavements – breaking them down even more! Lorries stop to unload, blocking driveways with no consideration for the residents.

When the developers had the little old security man at the roundabout matters improved, but they have slipped back.

I have rung the parking agents and nothing happens, so what the hell is the point of paying a fee for a non-service? Perhaps we should all hold back on the site fees and see whether matters improve!

After 2 years I still enjoy the location but the lack of a shop on this side of the road is a pain and with no pub’/hotel to call our own and create a focal point, the village is just a massive housing estate and does not possess the essential qualities of a village being its own stores and pub’ etc.

We have all heard of the death of Villages because of the closure of post offices and stores and even pub’s but Kingsway has not even been born yet as a village!

Morning Clive

May I say first of all what a grand job you are doing. I have just moved to Woodvale and have been trying to establish who to contact re issues of concern.
It does seem as if the developers have knocked the houses up, taken the money and done a runner, but that is my first impression.

I have concerns re the parking and speeding issues on Woodvale.
I was led to believe when we purchased some 6 weeks ago that there was no parking along Woodvale; the signs indeed indicate this. Can you enlighten me on how this is enforced please?

A couple of cars have recently started parking in front of my house. This is not only frustrating but it is going to cause a very serious accident.
I live opposite the first entrance into Chivenor Way and I noticed just last night, a moped overtaking the cars that were parked outside my house and then staying on the wrong side of the road around the little island. A car came out of the second Chivenor Way road and nearly collided with it!

I am a local magistrate and like to see the law upheld.
I will pursue the parking issues but wondered if you had any information regarding the proposals for double-yellow lines along the rest of Woodvale from the roundabout to the end of Woodvale, and also are there any plans to open up the road to Copeland Park?

Keep up the good work.