Getting around our local area
Borough Councillor Adrian Bettteridge writes..
The ability to travel around our local area safely and in a timely way is one of the most important concerns of local people and makes up a sizeable proportion of the issues raised to local councillors. It’s an issue close to my heart.
Our area is very dependent on private cars for local travel, as we see in everyday congestion, a worn-out road network which government is reluctant to fund and harmful levels of CO2 emissions and air quality. One way to start turning this situation around is to give people other options for how they travel. This isn’t an easy task, but progress is being made and there is more on the horizon.
Wokingham Borough Council is investing in improving bus services and, in September, the Leopard 3 bus route linking Arborfield to Reading will increase its morning and evening peak hour frequency to 4 buses an hour. Other improvements to frequency and routes are on the horizon. In July the missing pavement serving the bus stop on Biggs Lane was finally built.
Walking and cycling local trips is a good option, helping us stay healthy, improving the environment and saving us money. However too many local roads have poor quality pavements and no cycling facilities and some just feel unsafe to travel on. Last month, another missing link in our walking and cycling network was filled with a path joining up Observer Way and Arborfield Green. There is now a continuous shared use path all the way from Arborfield Green to Finchampstead in one direction and to the Reading Road north of Arborfield Cross in the other. A Greenway within the Barkham Solar Farm scheme will link into this route extending it to the North and other new routes are appearing regularly as housing schemes are completed. Connecting these to further locations is still needed and there are many areas where walking and cycling options are non-existent. I really hope that the new government will see sense and restore the funding for these schemes which the last government withdrew.
None of this, of course, removes the need to maintain the current roads properly, and to work with utility companies (who are behind most of the temporary works) to make sure they meet their responsibilities. Road users of every kind know how poor our road surfaces have become thanks to a decade of underfunding and only a fundamental change of approach from government is going to fix this. Until this happens, please do use the Council’s online reporting service for any defects www.wokingham.gov.uk/roads/report and, if you think the response you receive is inadequate, contact one of your local councillors. You can contact me by email at adrian.betteridge@wokingham.gov.uk
