Wokingham Borough Connect
 Driver prosectued for breach of weight restrictions
The driver of an HGV has been prosecuted for driving their 26 tonne vehicle over the bridge in Sonning - nearly 20 tonnes over the weight limit.
The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) enforces weight restriction orders made under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, with officers undertaking routine patrols with Thames Valley Police to check for overweight vehicles on the roads.
In April last year, a member of the public witnessed the HGV travel through the restricted area, which has a maximum weight of 7.5 tonnes.
The driver pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates’ Court last week and was handed a fine, as well as a contribution towards prosecution costs and a victim's surcharge.
 Award for cycle trainer who rode the extra mile
An instructor who revolutionised cycle training in Wokingham Borough and taught thousands of children to ride safely has been honoured by a national charity.
Jill Bissell, who recently retired from our My Journey Wokingham team, won the Lifetime Achievement title in the latest Celebration of Bikeability awards.
When she joined us in 2008, Jill wanted us to join Bikeability as she’d already trained to teach it. She ensured we got Government funding, giving all children the chance to learn these vital life skills.
Thanks to her, we piloted the enhanced Bikeability Plus scheme in 2016 and were named the trust’s Local Authority Partner of the Year in 2020, with all primary schools offering Bikeability and 80 per cent of Year 6 children taking part.
We still offer Bikeability under a new co-ordinator while Jill, who placed 16th on Cycling UK’s list of 100 most inspirational women in 2017, will enjoy an active retirement as a Champion for British Cycling’s Breeze women’s scheme.
We’re thankful for her efforts, which supported our own mission to tackle the climate emergency, improve people’s health and reduce air pollution and congestion.
 Flood preparedness
We’ve been hit pretty hard by flooding in Wokingham borough and the Thames Valley over the last week. While the rivers and streams are mostly going down now, as the ground is so saturated it would only take a small amount of rain to put us right back where we were earlier in the week.
The forecast for the next couple of days is dry, but we are sure to see more rain soon. Here are some tips on how to protect your property and keep yourself safe during adverse weather.
Take caution when driving through floods
The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) have published advice to help keep people safe while out and about during the forecast heavy rain:
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Do not drive through flood water – just 30cm of moving flood water is enough to make your car float and potentially move you into deeper water where you could become stranded.
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Do not move or ignore road closures signs or attempt to drive through deep water or fords after periods of heavy rain – the signs are there for your safety, so please do not ignore them.
- Remember to give road users including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians more room than usual – they are more likely to be blown around by side winds, so keep your speed down and always keep a safe distance.
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Give yourself more time to react while driving – reduced visibility and wet roads will increase your stopping distance.
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Avoid walking near rivers or lakes if water levels are high and, if your journey does take you near water, watch your step and stay as far from the water’s edge as you can – heavy rain, riverbanks can become unstable.
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Look out for trip or slip hazards– pay attention to your footing and avoid walking or running next to water if levels are high.
Flood warnings and weather alerts
Sign up to flood alerts and warnings and Met Office weather warnings
Local flood warden or group
There may be a local flood warden or a flood group in your area who supports communities at risk of flooding. Check with your town or parish council. Contact details for town and parish councils are on our website:
Community flood plan
Did you know you can work with your neighbours to create a community flood plan? For more information, visit our website:
Preparing your household
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Emergency grab bag - Do you have an emergency grab bag, with essential items such as medications, a torch, a first aid kit, a wind-up or battery radio, and any important documents such as your home insurance?
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Emergency plan - Does your household have an emergency plan? The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum has some great advice in its Are You Ready booklet on various types of emergencies. Gov.uk also has a personal flood plan which is a helpful template to get you started:
Household emergency plans should consider:
- Escape routes out of your home
- Where you might stay if you needed to evacuate your home
- Emergency contact details
- How to turn off your gas, water and electricity
- What you would do with your pets if something happened
- Property level protection: There are steps you can take to reduce the risk and impact flooding can have on your property by installing Property Level Protection measures. The National Flood Forum is a great source of information on this
- Priority service register: Did you know that if you meet certain criteria like being of state pension age, having a disability, recovering from an injury, having young children or being pregnant, you can sign up to the Priority Service Registers for utility companies to get additional support.
 Reminder: reporting problems to us
Did you know you can easily report a problem with roads and streets online?
This is the best way you can report problems to us, as the information reaches the right people straightaway who then have the information needed to assess the issue.
Our interactive map lets you zoom in and pinpoint where the issue is, and allows you to upload photos as well as include your contact information if you want to get updates on your report.
You can also see and sign up for updates on reports others have made.
Issues you can report online include:
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Drainage and flooding
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Grit bins
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Potholes and road damage
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Street lights and lit bollards
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Broken traffic lights
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Damaged or missing signs
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Condition of road markings
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Public rights of way
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Damaged manhole covers
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Debris, spillage or obstruction
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Dead animal removal
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Abandoned vehicles
 Driving safely in cold weather
Our gritters have been out and about as temperatures have dropped. You can read about how we grit the roads to keep them as safe as possible in our winter service plan, which will be in place until the end of March 2024.
Roads in the borough are split across three tiers - primary routes, secondary routes and a 'third tier salting network' - which is explained in the plan.
Primary routes are gritted as a precaution based on information we get from the weather service, while secondary routes are only gritted during particularly severe and hazardous weather conditions. Third tier roads are only gritted after extreme snow.
The Highway Code suggests packing an emergency kit including de-icer, scraper and warm clothing and offers the following information for those driving in wintery conditions:
- De-ice and demist all windows and mirrors thoroughly
- Drive with care, even if the roads have been treated
- Keep well back from the road user in front as stopping distances can be ten times greater than on dry roads
- Be prepared for the road conditions to change over relatively short distances
- Drive at a slow speed in as high a gear as possible; accelerate and brake very gently
- Take particular care on bends where loss of control is more likely - brake on the straight before you reach a bend, steer smoothly round the bend and avoid sudden actions
- Check your grip on the road surface when there is ice by choosing a safe place to brake gently
 Upcoming roadworks
Finchamptead
Two-way lights – B3016 Finchampstead Road
The lights will be in place between Barkham Ride and Pine Drive from 17 to 19 January. This is to allow South East Water to carry out stopcock replacement.
Lower Earley
Multi-way lights – Chalfont Way
These lights will be in place on roundabout nearest to Asda Shopping Centre on 16 January, 9.30am to 4pm. This is to replace a signpost. https://one.network/?GB137020874
Spencer Wood
Multi-way lights – Basingstoke Road
These lights will be in place between A33 and Mayflower Meadow from 19 January to 1 February. This is to allow Gigaclear to carry out fibre optic cable installation.
Wokingham
Multi-way lights – A329 Rectory Road
These lights will be in place at its junction with A321 Milton Road on 15 January, 9.30am to 3.30pm. This is to carry out traffic signal maintenance.
https://one.network/?GB136818403
Multi-way lights – Crutchley Road
These lights will be in place at its junction with Wiltshire Road on 16 January, 9.30am 4pm. This is to carry out replacement of bollards. https://one.network/?GB137020774
Keeping up to date
- For planned and emergency roadworks, follow our Twitter and Facebook pages
- To find out about roadworks near you, visit One.network
- For active and sustainable travel, including events, training and resources, visit MyJourney Wokingham
- Visit our major new roads page for plans and updates
- For information on re-surfacing and reactive carriageway repairs visit our pothole and road repairs page
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You can report any issues with roads and streets online, including street lights, problems with traffic lights, potholes, damaged street furniture, problems with road markings and removal of dead animals.
- On our parking and permits page, you can find information including car parks and costs around the borough, resident parking permits, park and ride services and appealing a parking fine.
- Our transport and travel page includes information on applying for a senior citizen or disabled person's bus and train pass and local public transport information.
- The blue parking badges page has information on applying for, using, replacing and returning your blue badge.
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