Neighbours fear for their safety in a lane dubbed ‘Made Max Fury Road of Reading’ after a car involved in a crash flipped on its side.
Concerned families have called on Reading Borough Council to stop people speeding in Batholomews Road, a 20mph zone, before ‘somebody is killed’ – though there is no evidence to suggest the car involved in Tuesday’s crash was travelling over the speed limit.
During a phone interview with the Reading Chronicle about their concerns, one worried resident reported seeing two cars travelling at 50mph as they were talking.
“It’s a 20mph road and especially during the summer it’s like Mad Max: Fury Road,” said Bob Hughes, 57, who lives on St Bartholemews Road.
“It’s only a matter of time before somebody gets knocked down and killed.”
Mad Max: Fury Road is an action film released in 2015 which sees Tom Hardy play a survivor in a post-apocalyptic wasteland characterized by fast, dangerous and fatal car chases.
“It’s got crazy since the pandemic. It’s a rat run between two major roads,” he said, referring to London Road and Wokingham Road.
His daughter, Luna Hughes-Ruiz, 25, claims she has had two parked cars written off by drivers crashing into them.
A total of 17 collisions have taken place in St Bartholemews Road or at the junction with London and Wokingham Road in the last 10 years, according to CrashMapUK.
Of those, four are considered to have been serious.
Resident Kevin Bjork said problems arise because the road is too narrow and has a high volume of traffic for its size, on top of speeding drivers.
“Often you get problems where two cars try to get down at the same time,” he said.
“This can be a bit dicey especially because people are speeding.”
Police declined to comment on the most recent crash, which occurred at around 10.30am on Tuesday.
They confirmed no arrests have been made.
Few details are known about the crash and a spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said they cannot comment on the specifics of any particular accident.
They said: “The Council and Thames Valley Police have an established working relationship regarding incidents on the highway involving any casualties.
“Where serious incidents occur, or those involving fatalities, Council officers are often involved in aspects of the Police investigation process.
“They also receive and review regular Police data on incidents involving casualties, which may be referred to the relevant Sub-Committee.
“The Council will review the results of any Police data regarding this incident as per the established process. Bartholemews Road is very clearly signposted as a 20mph street.”
