Work due to start on new east Reading bus lane

Work on a road layout to speed up bus journeys into town from east Reading is due to start on Monday 12 August.

The introduction of a new inbound bus lane along London Road will lead to even faster and more reliable journeys for people travelling towards town by bus.

The scheme will open alongside the launch of an expanded 500 Winnersh Park and Ride service being introduced from 19 August.

The works will require three nighttime closures (7pm-1am) of London Road in both directions on 12, 13 & 14 August before the new bus lane formally comes into effect on Thursday 15 August. A locally signed diversion will be in place via the A3290, Winnersh Triangle junction and Wokingham Road.  

The London Road resurfacing and lining works have been planned to take place during the summer holidays to minimise disruption, avoid Reading Festival traffic and to open in time for the launch of the improved park and ride service.

The London Road (Cemetery Junction) scheme is part of a wider £26m programme of bus service improvements in Reading funded by central government. The aim is to encourage greater use of public transport, reduce congestion and improve air quality and the health of residents.

Five new bus lanes are being built in areas around the borough where bus journeys are most often delayed by traffic congestion, particularly at peak times. The latest scheme on the A4 will be between Liverpool Road and Amity Road.

Two public consultations were held into the proposals in the summer and winter last year. Motorcycles will be allowed access to the new bus lanes following a number of representations through the consultations.

Reading already boasts an excellent bus network which is extremely well used, with 17.5m passenger journeys made in 2023/24. There were 101 passenger journeys on local bus services per head of population in Reading, compared with 60 in England and 30 in the south east.

The Council believes improving the reliability, speed and frequency of bus services is key to making travelling by bus the natural choice for both residents and visitors, resulting in less congestion, fewer carbon emissions, better air quality and improved health and wellbeing for residents.

Without making significant changes to the transport infrastructure, including new bus lanes, and providing realistic sustainable transport alternatives, car usage is likely to continue to grow, creating greater levels of congestion and damaging the health of Reading residents.   

The Council acknowledges that some changes to the road network will lead to longer queues for general traffic which are unavoidable even with measures to mitigate these where possible, and the longer term results will benefit Reading residents.

Wokingham Borough Council has commissioned Reading Buses to extend the 500 Winnersh Park & Ride service from Saturday-only, to Monday to Saturday, four buses an hour, from August 19. Details will be available on the Reading Buses website nearer the launch:  https://www.reading-buses.co.uk/. 

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“Transport accounts for about 20% of all carbon emissions in Reading and poor air quality is directly related to diseases such as cancer, asthma and heart disease, and can affect our most vulnerable residents.

“The new bus lanes are part of the Council’s much wider transport strategy to encourage greater use of public transport as well as cycling and walking.

“Faster, more reliable and more frequent bus services will make public transport an even more attractive option to people travelling to Reading and around the borough, and will lead to less traffic, cleaner air and better health for residents.

“With £26m central government funding, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make significant changes to our transport infrastructure and provide credible, sustainable transport alternatives. If we do nothing, car usage will continue to grow, creating ever more congestion and air pollution and damaging the health of Reading residents.”

The new bus lanes form part of the Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which secured £26m funding from the Department for Transport in 2022.

Other schemes delivered through the BSIP so far have included the introduction of the Reading All-Bus ticket discount scheme across the main bus operators in Reading; tap on/tap off contactless payments onboard; new contracted community routes the Buzz 9, Buzz 18 and Sunday park and ride services; phase five of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit scheme; 52 bus stop upgrades and a package of town centre public transport enhancements.

The schemes contribute to Reading’s target of being net zero by 2030, in line with the Council declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019 and the new Reading Transport Strategy 2040 which will go to Council for approval on 15 October.

For more information about the Bus Service Improvement Plan and FAQs about the town’s new bus lanes, visit: https://www.reading.gov.uk/vehicles-roads-and-transport/transport-schemes-and-projects/bus-service-improvement-plan-schemes/.