Going round a busy multi-lane roundabout on a bike is something you might try to avoid if possible. But one fine Spring day back in 2019, about a hundred cyclists got together to cycle round the Vastern Road roundabout. And then cycle round it again. And then cycle round it again.
The Vastern Road roundabout is the one between the railway station and Reading Bridge, and it’s the worst spot in Reading for cyclists to get hit by motor vehicles. This had been brought into sharp focus in 2018 when one of our members, Adam, was a victim of one such collision. We decided it was an issue which needed drawing to people’s attention.
The mass cycle event was covered by the BBC and ITV, as well as more local news outlets, and Reading Borough Council did look at the design of the roundabout to see how safety could be improved.
The result of this was the introduction of new spiral lane markings on the roundabout to help guide drivers to the correct lane for their exit. But this was just one of the improvements we had suggested to the Council.
Tellingly, at the time the changes were proposed, the Council’s transport officers reported that “Even as a result of this change, further improvement may be needed”.
Fast forward seven years to 2026 – are further improvements needed? Well, the accident statistics most definitely show that they are.
There are seven roundabouts on the Inner Distribution Road, and in the past five years there have been as many accidents involving cyclists on the Vastern Road roundabout as all of the other six put together. But again, it was a recent collision where one of our members, Mashood, was the victim, which has brought this accident blackspot back into focus.
Mashood had entered the roundabout from under the railway bridge and was progressing towards the exit for Reading bridge when he was hit by a car entering the roundabout from Vastern Road – that’s the road by the Thames Water offices, and the location where most accidents occur.
Mashood suffered serious injuries and the police and ambulance services were called. It was 10am in the morning, the weather was fair and visibility good; the driver said that he did not see Mashood.
So, what’s to be done? At a meeting of the Council’s Policy Committee in July this year the issue of cycle safety in Reading was raised. This was following a news report that road accidents in Reading feature a disturbingly high proportion of cyclists compared to other towns and cities.
John Ennis, the Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, stated that: “The Council is committed to reducing risks for vulnerable users such as cyclists… We are meeting with the Reading Cycle Campaign to get their input on this and where they consider the most important areas are where improvements for cycle safety are needed.”
It’s encouraging to hear this commitment from the Lead Councillor. A roundabout with multiple lanes and five exits is a tricky beast to tame, but it’s a beast of our own making, and it’s not impossible to make safety improvements given the will and the budget.
We will be talking to RBC about how safety can be improved at the Vastern Road roundabout. Hopefully we can agree on some meaningful action without the need to go round and round and round the roundabout again.
Keith Elliott
RCC Secretary
