As the East Reading Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) has been cancelled, can some of the residual funds be reallocated for much needed cycling schemes?
We understand that £19m was available plus £4.8m of Reading’s Section 106 funding, but £3.1m has been allocated to Reading West Station, £4m to Theale Station and funding to other projects.
As the MRT was supposed to be partly benefiting cyclists (at a cost of probably £2-5m) RCC request that alternative cycle schemes are funded.
We offer the following list with some approximate costs:
- Town Centre cycle signing £10k
- Town Centre cycle routes £1m
- Vastern Road Roundabout improvements £200k
- Thames bridge link north to Gosbrook Road £200k
- Thames side path TVBP to Tilehurst £1.5m
- NCN422 upgrades including Wokingham Road £500k
- Forbury Road-Homebase cycle route £300k
- Portman Rd and Richfield Ave cycle route upgrades £90k
- Oxford Road mini-Holland cycle and pedestrian scheme £1m
- Resurfacing of poor minor road cycle routes £200k
We believe that these improvements would help provide for safer cycling in Reading and help reduce the appalling traffic and air quality problems that Reading has.
John Lee, RBC Campaigner for RCC
Would be great, but the funding was only available for the MRT. The Council would need to bid for the money, with no guarantee at all that the Government would provide it.