READING Borough Council has begun public consultation on its proposals for the subway which passes under Reading train station.
Plans to remove the cycling ban currently in place for the underpass are being proposed as part of a wider effort to encourage and facilitate cycling by the council.
Opened back in 2013, the underpass currently provides a pedestrian link between the north and south sides of the station.
The space’s suspended low ceiling means that a cycling prohibition was enacted as it did not pass height or width clearances.
The space is subject to regular vandalism, especially to low-hanging ceiling tiles, and the council is planning to undertake redevelopment works on the space now that it has inherited maintenance duties from Network Rail.
The council has agreed to invest more than £200,000 of planning agreement funding, under section 106, to refurbish the space.
Plans include the removal of low sections of ceiling, protection of service ducts and pipes, and the improvement of headroom clearance.
The consultation runs until Thursday, February 23, and comments will then be considered at the March meeting of the Council’s Traffic Management Sub Committee, before a final decision is made by Councillors.
If proposals go ahead, the council will begin work on the refurbishment in the spring.
Separate proposals will also include improved signage and lighting.
Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, said: “Proposals to remove the existing cycling prohibition order have been a long time coming.
“Regular pedestrians will of course know that the underpass is already frequently used by cyclists – albeit technically illegal under the current traffic order.
“This route is a key link between the Caversham side of the station and the town centre and it has always been an anomaly that cycling was banned at this location, due to the low ceilings the Council inherited from Network Rail when the station was redeveloped a decade ago.
“The Council is pushing ahead and delivering key new strategic cycle routes across the town, with the Shinfield Road segregated cycle lanes currently under construction, and then Bath Road/Castle Hill later this year.
He continued, explaining that the station subway would be a “welcome addition to our growing number of cycle routes across Reading.
“Our refurbishment works along the subway, due to begin in early spring, now enable us to consider the removal of the existing order.
“I’d encourage as many users of the subway as possible to take part in the public consultation launched today, whether cyclists or pedestrians, or regular or occasional users.
“All feedback will be considered as part of the final decision making process in the spring.”
Full details of proposals and participation are available via: consult.reading.gov.uk.
