One of the busiest roads in Reading could go down from three traffic lanes to two according to a plan drawn up by the council.
London Road is a key route from the A329m into Reading town centre, and goes past the Victorian façade of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. It currently has three lanes open to all vehicles between Cemetery Junction and Kendrick School.
All lanes are usually clogged up with traffic in morning and evening rush hours as it is one of the few ways motorists can get from east Reading across town.
Now, Reading Borough Council is considering reconfiguring the road to create two cycle lanes and two lanes for motor vehicles.
A concept drawing has been produced by the council’s highways team showing what the scheme would look like.
Currently, the pavement of London Road is shared between pedestrians and cyclists.
At Cemetery Junction, the road would be reconfigured so that a two-way cycle lane can be established to allow cyclists to cross the junction safely.
The bus lanes on Kings Road and five car parking spaces in front of the Tesco Express on London Road would remain.
The concept design is just one of the schemes proposed in a bid to improve walking and cycling as part of the Reading Transport Strategy 2040.
Justifying the changes, the council’s webpage ‘London Road Active Travel improvements’ states: “London Road between Cemetery Junction and Sidmouth Street is a busy road. The road is a route to the Royal Berkshire Hospital and a campus of the university.
“It is difficult for cyclists to use because it can mean moving across three lanes of traffic to make a turn.
“The wide pavements include provision for cyclists but will not be a good solution for encouraging more people to walk and cycle.”
The webpage states that the desired outcomes are encouraging more people to cycle through the introduction of segregated lanes similar to those in Shinfield Road, improving safety for cyclists, and having less traffic congestion leading to better air quality.
The Reading Transport Strategy 2040 is currently undergoing a consultation.
The main objective of the strategy is to encourage walking and cycling as much as possible whenever it is practical to do so.
Improving air quality by reducing emissions is another main objective, but the council has ruled out introducing an ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) in Reading.
The strategy can be found on the council’s Consult Reading website.
Anyone wishing to comment on the strategy can do so by filling out an online survey, and questions can be emailed to transport@reading.gov.uk
