The missing link

LAST week, the Council was told it has been successful in securing funding for a new cycle route on Bath Road.

The scheme will help to resolve a key ‘missing link’ in our town’s cycling infrastructure, running from Castle Street to Berkeley Avenue and then connecting with the existing scheme to the west of the railway bridge.

This builds on the success we have already had in securing funding for a segregated scheme on Shinfield Road, which will help to connect south Reading with the University and the Royal Berks. It’s also part of a shift towards thinking about active travel in a more joined-up and strategic way.

Taken collectively, our cycle schemes cover quite a long distance, but they obviously need to integrate with one another to deliver the most value.

Ultimately, this matters because we want to encourage out of their cars. I don’t mind if people prefer to walk, cycle, take the bus or catch the train, but we need to make each alternative as straightforward as possible.

That’s exactly why we’re investing in railway stations, installing more pedestrian crossings on roads, and working to deliver new cycle schemes.

We’re also very lucky to have an excellent and award-winning bus company serving our town. Reading Buses has a strong ethos on delivering social value rather than shareholder dividend because it is owned by the Council, which is a rarity among modern operators.

Our bus network is (literally) the envy of towns and cities across the country and Reading was one of the few places to have year-on-year increases in bus usage pre-pandemic. Like most sectors, the buses have had a hard time during the pandemic.

I’m a very regular bus passenger (occasionally with the dog), and it’s been really nice to see so many people getting back on board during the past few months.

Getting out of the car has health benefits for individuals because all the alternatives involve at least some increase in physical activity. But the principal benefit is a collective one – improving our town’s air quality.

In time – when the national electricity supply can actually cope with the mass demand – electric vehicles might be part of the answer, but they are no silver bullet. Fundamentally, I don’t think we really want to swap petrol engines for electric motors and still get caught in congestion.

Instead, we need to move ourselves individually and collectively to a place where the car is not our default option. This isn’t some moral crusade for me, I just know it makes sense environmentally and economically to do so, and I also know that cars are not going to just disappear.

But I’m aware that we, as politicians, have to make the alternatives as easy as we possibly can and, wherever possible, ensure that they are better and faster than the car too.

So, a lot of work to do, but I am proud that we’re making strides already.

Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and councillor for Southcote