We received some exciting news last week about some significant funding to bring electric buses to Reading.
The Council put in a bid, alongside Reading Buses, to the Department for Transport and it was announced on Friday that we were getting £4.7m.
With some further investment by the bus company, that means we will have 24 electric buses travelling around the borough on the purple 17 and claret 21 routes within the next two years.
There will also have to be some significant investment to install new charging equipment in the depot at Great Knollys Street.
The electric double-deck buses will provide even quieter and smoother journeys as you travel around Reading to areas including Tilehurst, east Reading, or the University.
I cannot wait to see the next generation of buses arriving on Reading’s streets and look forward to hopping on board when they do.
But there have been more progress on the electric vehicle front.
Earlier this month we received the great news that the Council has secured £866,000 for the installation of up to 2,700 on-street electric car charging points.
Since much of Reading is terraced housing with no opportunity for off-street parking, charging an electric car at home can be difficult – and a clear barrier for people considering replacing their car with an electric model. This funding will allow us to install charging points either integrated into street lighting or as stand-alone units.
Moreover, the money will also cover the cost of up to 150 pavement gullies being installed, which means households without a driveway will be able to have a charger installed at home and top-up their car in the street without any cables crossing the pathway and causing a hazard. This way, households can take advantage of much cheaper domestic energy rates overnight.
I am all for people taking public transport, cycling, and walking – and I think modal shift is the way to a less congested future – but I recognise that sometimes you need to use a car. In which case, it’s important to make it easier for more residents to make the switch to non-polluting electric vehicles.
The Council has also been doing that itself, having recently taken delivery of seven new electric refuse trucks.
We already have five operating on the domestic rounds and one collecting trade waste and you will see the new vehicles on the streets shortly. Work is also underway to install more charging facilities at our depot in south Reading.
The diesel bin collection lorries used to account for 15% of the Council’s fleet carbon emissions, so the introduction of electric alternatives will contribute to better air quality in our residential streets.
Turning to electric requires a lot of investment, and the Council has been very successful in securing government funding for these projects, with the result being lower carbon emissions and cleaner air – better both for residents’ health and helping us with our ambition for Reading to be net zero carbon by 2030.
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote
