Views sought on new transport plan

WOKINGHAM Borough Council is seeking views on its new Local Transport Plan.

Once agreed, it will guide decisions on footways, cycle lanes, roads, and bus services.

The aim is offer more ways to leave the car at home, especially for shorter journeys, helping to reduce air pollution and tackle the climate emergency.

It aims to improve access to public spaces like parks and leisure centres.

Specific goals include reducing serious or fatal road traffic collisions, more active journeys in built-up areas, and better travel options in more rural areas.

Councils responsible for highways must have a Local Transport Plan that outlines how the network will be maintained and improved.

Notes to the survey said: “Wokingham’s existing Local Transport Plan, which covers the 2011 to 2026 period, has brought benefits like new walking and cycling routes and improvements to Wokingham town centre, including improved bus access at the station and a new link from Wellington Road to Reading Road.

“It has also provided major new roads like the Winnersh and Arborfield relief roads, the latter of which won an award for measures that help local wildlife, plus upgrades to existing roads and new footways and cycleways.

“With most of these schemes built, along with changing travel trends and the ongoing climate emergency, the Local Transport Plan must be refreshed to continue meeting the challenges we face.

“The current, and third, plan was produced in 2011 and a lot has changed. New transport infrastructure has been delivered and the borough’s population has grown.

“With the growing influence of digital services and further shifts in travel behaviour since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the way we access services and amenities has also changed.”

A survey seeking resident’s views on transport in Wokingham, how they travelled and potential changes was conducted in early 2023. It received more than 750 public responses alongside feedback from other stakeholders.

Comment on the creation of the next plan can be made via Wokingham Borough Council’s engage website.