A large number of local residents attended the Town Council’s recent Planning & Community Meeting suggesting improvements and alternative routes for the proposed cycleway between Woodley and Reading
Nearly 50 residents attended Woodley Town Council’s Planning & Community Committee meeting on Tuesday 9 August, to express their views on Wokingham Borough Council’s updated proposals for an Active Travel Route between Woodley and Reading.
The scheme, designed by Phil Jones Associates (PJA) on behalf of Wokingham Borough Council, proposes a segregated cycle route running from the eastern end of Woodlands Avenue in Woodley town centre through to Palmer Park in Reading, via Church Road and Palmerstone Road, and follows the award of £500k funding from Active Travel England in November 2020.
A previous design, which proposed converting Woodlands Avenue to a one-way section of road between Lytham Road and Howth Drive, faced strong opposition at an earlier meeting of the Planning & Community Committee in February. Following that earlier consultation, PJA revised the scheme, proposing instead to retain the two directional traffic on the eastern stretch of Woodlands Avenue but reduce the width to 5m in order to implement a two-way stepped cycle track along the north of the carriageway.
Representatives from Wokingham Borough Council and PJA, including Councillor Paul Fishwick, Executive Member for Active Travel, Highways and Transport, attended the Committee Meeting to present on the updated proposals and listen to comments.
A balanced and lengthy discussion took place, during which a variety of views were conveyed regarding a number of sections along the proposed route. The general consensus was that, while there was support for improvements to the cycle route between Woodley and Reading, there was a desire for an alternative route via Beechwood Avenue and Howth Drive to be fully explored and designed, with residents then consulted on both options together.
Draft minutes of the meeting can be found on our website: www.woodley.gov.uk.
There is still time for residents to respond to the consultation, which has been extended to 4th September. While the majority of debate has been around the eastern section of Woodlands Avenue, residents are encouraged to consider the entirety of the route. Details can be found at: engage.wokingham.gov.uk.
