A33 Kennet Bridge
As part of Reading Borough Council’s A33 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme a new pedestrian and cycle bridge has been constructed over the River Kennet. This doesn’t provide any new cycle routes, but RBC has taken the opportunity to provide a wider route that is physically separate from the road.
This is an important link in the cycle network south of Reading linking routes from the town centre heading southwards, as well as National Cycle Network routes 4 and 23.
The new bridge was officially opened on 4 November. RCC were invited along to the opening along with Councillors, scheme designers and contractors.
Shinfield Road – Active Travel Fund Tranche 2
Last time we reported, RBC and Thames Water had carried out works to fix the flooding issues affecting the cycle lanes approaching the Christchurch Green junction. That lining has now been completed on the remaining sections of the route.
We can now report the dangerously high kerb at the junction with Queen’s Drive has been fixed and the signs have now been installed.
We’re not sure why the signing wasn’t included as part of the main scheme, but we are obviously pleased that this has now been installed, as signing is necessary to establish the legal status of the cycleway scheme. We will have photos of the completed scheme for the next newsletter.
Although fixing the raised kerbs was a relatively small detail, fixing this makes a huge difference to users on the route. If there are other similar issues on routes that other members use, please let us know and we will raise these with the Council.
Bath Road and Castle Hill – Active Travel Tranche 3
As this is a scheme which is funded through the Government’s Active Travel Fund, Active Travel England (ATE) inspectors have undertaken a design review of the proposals.
The consultants responsible for the design of the scheme are now carrying out traffic surveys and developing revised options for the Castle Hill/Russell Street/Coley Avenue junction.
The next step will be for RBC to discuss these revised scheme options with us before the proposals go out to wider public consultation.
Palmer Park to Woodley Cycle Scheme
Construction of the new cycle route between Palmer Park and Woodley town centre will start in January 2026.
The scheme includes a parallel cycle/zebra crossing on Palmer Park Avenue with the footway under the bridges on Palmer Park Avenue/Culver Lane widened to provide an off-road cycle path, which will be the first phase of the scheme.
Cycle Hangars
RBC have confirmed funding for four cycle hangars as part of the pilot project. However, finding suitable locations to install the hangars is proving difficult.
RBC want to avoid placing hangars immediately outside anyone’s house as this is likely to generate objections, which may limit the locations in many of the terraced housing areas where these hangars are needed the most.
We have suggested researching the installation guidelines that other councils have adopted and simply copying them, rather than trying to come up with something new.
Public Space Protection Order
As we reported previously, RBC is looking to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the town to deal with the various issues of anti-social behaviour which aren’t presently enforced by the Police, and which would include restrictions on ‘dangerous’ use of e-bikes.
We raised concerns about possible further restrictions on cycle use in the town centre and issues such as what defines anti-social behaviour, how this will be enforced, or if e-cycles and e-scooters will also be targeted.
We understand that 88% of respondents supported introduction of the scheme in recent public consultations and it is planned to proceed with introducing the PSPO in March 2026.
Future Meetings
We have regular informal meetings with RBC officers to discuss progress on the various schemes and initiatives that are on-going. If there are any suggestions or queries from members, we would be happy to raise them at these meetings.
The next formal meetings are the Clean Air and Sustainable Transport forum (CAST) on 2 December and the Cycle Forum on 11 February 2026.
Tony Carr
RBC Campaigner for RCC
