A4074 - SPECS

[puggit]

Just a heads up to Reading/South Oxon PHers - there are proposals afoot to install SPECS on the '13 bends of death'.

I'm in 2 minds, as a local I know of all the fatals on that stretch, but I also hate cameras and I'm not sure SPECS will help.

Of course the best solution would be to build the A329(M) across the river and stretch it over to the northern end of the bends...

[aasc]

You're kidding - that's such a fine road?! Like an average speed camera is going to reduce the accidents where excess speed at individual bends are the actual cause. Typical I guess...

Having said that there's so much traffic on that road that it's rarely possible to do much over 35mph but hey lets have camera's! Equally it is the most dangerous road in the country...
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2177705,00.html

[verysideways]

puggit said:

Of course the best solution would be to build the A329(M) across the river and stretch it over to the northern end of the bends...

Well Berks County Council has been offering to pay for this for 20 years or more, the sooner you can convince SODC to let them do it, the better....

[oogieboogie]

Why is that road so dangerous? I've been along there dozens of times but it doesn't register as anyworse than anywhere else. What am I missing?

[puggit]

oogieboogie said:

Why is that road so dangerous? I've been along there dozens of times but it doesn't register as anyworse than anywhere else. What am I missing?

The southern section (the 50 limit north of Caversham) is littered with bends - none are particularly dangerous. Perhaps people coming South are used to the fast speeds possible and are then caught out, because when empty that road is extremely fast (especially in an S2000 in the dry )

The real danger IMHO are the numerous side roads and lack of visibility when pulling out due to the bends and blind crests.

[oogieboogie]

I wondered if it might be the side roads. Don't remember there being that many but looking it up on sreetmap I see there are.

[MrBreidsheid]

It's the people who count to a random-favourite-number & then pull out in the hope they'll be fine, rather than using conventional observation skills. Coupled with busses that pull in/out as they desire results in fairly frequent carnage.