Thursday, 21 April 2011

Long Readings Lane Madness Costs £1/2 Million

Another Gillian Ralphs Disaster - Sacking demands grow

Report and photograph: Paul Janik

When the London County Council (LCC) built the roads on their brand-new Britwell Estate in 1955 or 1956, they exhibited professional competence. In those days everyone took great pride in their work.

The corners of Long Readings with Monksfield and with Long Furlong were wide enough for buses to easily drive round without causing traffic jams.

In 2001 Slough Council employed Gillian Ralphs from the London Borough of Hillingdon. Mrs Ralphs lacking professional qualifications in either planning or in transport, became the council's Assistant Director of Transport & Planning.

West-bound bus from Long Readings Lane entering Long Furlong Drive

Mrs Ralphs is associated with several major expensive disasters including:-

the zig-zag drive on the wrong side of the road Cumberland Avenue and Northern Road disaster
the multiple attempts to paint proper lane markings on the Red Cow roundabout
the £520,000 Long Readings Lane improvement disaster
the ghastly Slug bus station
the removal of hundreds of town centre parking places

One of Mrs Ralph's actions was to 'square-off' the corners of Long Readings with Monksfield and Long Readings with Long Furlong.

As you can see, buses are now forced to drive on the other side of the road to get round the corner. What type of overpaid nincompoop spends the public's money on bonkers improvements like this ?