The West Berkshire Cycle Forum met on Wednesday 16 April.
The next Forum will be on Wednesday 24 September.
If there are any matters you would like raised at the Forum, contact wbc@readingcyclecampaign.org.uk
Active Travel England Funding
Cycling, walking and wheeling in West Berkshire is set to be boosted thanks to a £328,000 grant from Active Travel England.
The funding will be put towards West Berkshire Council’s design and delivery of new active travel initiatives. Initiatives which have been delivered using previous funding include the:
- Introduction of an additional School Street scheme at Francis Baily School in Thatcham;
- Development of proposals to improve the pedestrian and cycle connection between Theale and Calcot;
- Development of plans for Stage 2 of the Stockcross Linkway, intended to connect into the wider Newbury area network via Speen Lane.
More School Streets
WBC plan to start a school streets scheme around Springfield Primary School, Tilehurst, in June 2025.
There are currently two schemes in operation in West Berkshire which are enforced by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (APNR), Calcot Infant and Junior, and Francis Baily Primary.
The details of the new scheme and the replies to the consultation are on the WBC website: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/springfield-school-streets
Meeting with Olivia Bailey MP
RCC’s Rob Hill and Tony Carr met Olivia Bailey in March to discuss Theale Green roundabout. We referred to Kieran Beale’s crash when he was hit by a motorist, leading to very serious injuries.
It was Kieran’s email which brought the matter to the attention of RCC. We presented the accident numbers for that junction and afterwards forwarded the information to Olivia’s office.
There are over 400 new houses and flats being built next to the junction; WBC has not made any assessment as to the effect this will have on traffic at the junction. The Council has indicated it will look at placing improved signage at the junction.
We also discussed the language used when reporting collisions and referred to the ‘Media Guidelines for Reporting Road Collisions’ – a document which not all media or police statements follow.
Olivia Bailey has spoken in parliament about her concerns regarding dangerous electric cycles. We told her that RCC is formulating a policy about electric cycles and look forward to having a discussion with her and other local MPs about this subject.
Rob Hill
WBC Campaigner for RCC
