Windsor and Eton Relief Road
Look at the photograph and ask yourself how long a fire appliance from Slough could take to cover the huge station ground at Windsor?
The area includes central Windsor, Dedworth, Fifield, the Great Park, Old Windsor and south Datchet
The Windsor and Eton Relief Road is the main traffic artery into the area and carries 22 million vehicles per year. It gets particularly busy during the Legoland season, Ascot and Windsor horse racing meetings and other events such as State Visits and the Royal Windsor Horse Show. It is estimated that this route will carry an extra 30,000 people each day during the 2012 Olympic rowing event.
The Relief Road has been a road traffic collision ‘black spot’ for Windsor fire crews who have also experienced many vehicle fires there too. These types of incidents, plus breakdowns, cause a rapid and serious blockage of that traffic artery. In summary our main concerns are obstructions as a result of:
· Road traffic collisions.
· Vehicle fires.
· Breakdowns.
· Congestion.
· Maintenance works.
We are concerned that the Brigade wishes to CLOSE Windsor Fire Station at NIGHT and attempt to use cover from Slough?
Herein there are several flaws to that concept:
· Slough is a busy station and may therefore NOT be available to cover Windsor.
· IF Slough is available they will have longer travel distances than the current Windsor Firefighters who can be deployed quickly within their own area. Longer travel times equate to a greater risk of injury, death and damage to property.
· A highway incident as described above can choke the Relief Road with traffic.
· Slough will be devoid of fire cover during any incident on the Windsor station area.