To receive an update on the progress of six major roundabouts across Maidenhead being upgraded.

Tim Golabek, Service Lead – Transport and Infrastructure, said that the project was known as the ‘housing sites enablement works’. It was being funded by the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership and formed part of the borough local plan. Works were ongoing, with one roundabout being completed and work on site at a number of others:

·         Stafferton Way – work was now complete but resurfacing work was due to take place in March 2021.

·         Ray Mill Road West – work was due to start on 8^th February 2021.

·         Oldfield Road junction – work was due to start by the end of February 2021 and was scheduled to take a couple of months.

·         Castle Hill – due to start in March 2021.

·         Braywick Road – discussions were still ongoing as work needed to coincide with the work on the M4, which was in the process of being upgraded to a smart motorway.

Councillor Taylor asked if the work on Stafferton Way roundabout was going to be a full resurface or just filling in the potholes. She also commented on the scheduling of the work and if several projects were taking place at the same time there could be problems with traffic across Maidenhead.

Tim Golabek said that he thought it was a full resurfacing but would double check this after the meeting. Officers did not want any gridlock to be caused by the work and had worked closely with officers who were in control of highways. The ongoing work to Maidenhead Station had also been taken into account.

Councillor Baldwin asked if the Stafferton Way and Braywick Road roundabouts had been influenced at all by the closure of the right turn out of Queen Street in the town centre.

Tim Golabek said that he would take the question away and provide Councillor Baldwin with an answer in due course.

Councillor Taylor asked if the Maidenhead missing links project would be complete before the roundabouts work was started.

Tim Golabek said that consideration had been made so that the missing links project could continue alongside the roundabout work but not directly at the same time.

Councillor Singh assumed that the roundabouts would be able to take extra capacity but in the post Covid world traffic levels could be different. He asked if this had been considered by officers.

Tim Golabek explained that currently the long term impact of Covid was not yet known. The project was signed off some time ago but new projects going forward would be mindful of the Covid impact.

Councillor Taylor asked if it would be possible to convert the roundabouts to include cycle lanes in future if it was required.

Tim Golabek confirmed that this project was at the delivery stage and work would be done in future to understand what the best way to use road space would be. Cycle improvements were something that could be explored but it was important to consider that roundabouts were about efficiency.

The Chairman said that this project was not about today’s traffic, it was looking towards the future particularly when there was estimated to be a significant increase in residents living in Maidenhead over the next few years.

Ian Rose, a member of the public, said that he believed cyclists wanted to avoid using the roundabouts. He said the focus should be on the missing links routes.