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Traffic and Travel

Wokingham Borough Connect

Free bus travel on Saturdays before Christmas

We’ll offer free bus travel on the six Saturdays leading up to Christmas and for two festive events, with costs covered using funding from the Department for Transport.

If you get on local services from bus stops in the borough on the six Saturdays leading up to Christmas, you will travel for free.

The Lion 4/X4 will be free on Sunday 24 November for the Wokingham Winter Carnival and the Orange 13/14 and 850 on Sunday 1 December for the Woodley Christmas Extravaganza.

You can see a list of services and dates travel will be free on our website. This year Carousel will also participate in the offer, giving residents in Wargrave, Twyford and Charvil an opportunity to use the 850 service for free on a Saturday. 

A similar scheme in the lead up to Christmas 2023 saw an increase in use of almost 40 per cent on some Saturday services run by Thames Valley Buses.

Keeping roads safe for you

Winter is coming, and our highways maintenance contractor VolkerHighway is ready to tackle the snow and ice.

Last season our gritters:

• Were called out 36 times
• Spread 792.66 tonnes of grit - about the same weight as 130 adult elephants
• Covered 17,482.59km - nearly the same distance as driving from London to Sydney and back

Tomorrow (8 November) you might spot our gritters out on the network doing "dry runs".

These practice runs help us check all our routes to ensure they’re suitable and ready before the season begins, allowing us to adjust for any route changes and make sure everything’s set to keep roads safe this winter.

As always, you can help too. Before heading out, check the weather, keep an emergency kit in your car, make sure your tyres are winter-ready and take it slow on icy roads.

Please also report any dangerous road conditions you see for us to investigate.

Protect yourself from fraud

There has been an increase in scams involving parking payments involving fake QR codes and fraudulent Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) text messages.

The information below is from the British Parking Association and can help to keep you, and your money, safe.

Fraudulent QR codes

Scammers may place fake QR codes in parking areas, leading users to fraudulent websites designed to steal payment information. Here’s how you can spot and avoid them:

• Check for tampering - always inspect QR codes for signs of tampering. If it looks like it’s been placed over the original, do not scan it
• Look out for the URL - when scanning a QR code, always check that the website address (URL) is legitimate, or is from the relevant app store link
• Use the official app - for secure payments, always use the relevant official app or website. If in doubt, manually enter the URL into your browser instead of scanning an unfamiliar QR code

Fake PCN text messages

Scammers also send fake PCN text messages claiming you owe fines or penalties for parking. These messages often include links that can steal your personal or financial information. 

Here’s how you can identify these scams:

• Check the sender - official messages from a parking provider or local authority will come from verified sources. Be wary of texts from unknown telephone numbers
• Look for unusual URLs - fraudulent links often use suspicious or shortened address for a webpage. Always double-check before clicking on any link
• Verify directly - if you receive a text that looks suspicious, do not click on any links. Instead, log into the parking app account you may have, or contact the local authority directly to verify the claim
• Forward scam texts - to the number 7726

Real PCNs are on physical paper and always include instructions on how to pay or appeal it.

M4 overnight closure

The M4 will be closed eastbound between junction 10 and junction 8/9 overnight on Sunday (10 November).

The road will close at 9pm on Sunday 10 November and reopen at 5am on Monday 11 November.

This is so that National Highways can carry out structure inspections.

Reminder - closures in place for Remembrance events this Sunday (10 November):

• Arborfield
• Wargrave
• Wokingham

Upcoming roadworks

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 projects page for plans and updates
• For information on re-surfacing and reactive carriageway repairs visit our pothole and road repairs page 
• 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
• You can track the progress of any issue you have reported with your reference number
• 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