 Above: Woodley precinct will be connected to Palmer Park in Reading when the route is built
New walking and cycling link coming next year
We're getting ready to build a new walking and cycling link between Woodley town centre and the Reading borough boundary in early 2026.
The project will connect Woodley precinct to Palmer Park via Woodlands Avenue, Church Road, Palmerstone Road and Culver Lane.
We've sought your views extensively, with several rounds of consultation, and made changes to reflect concerns that were raised.
To ensure it's as safe as possible, we're moving to reduce the speed limit on two sections from 30mph to 20mph.
We're consulting on the 20mph limit until Monday 20 October, in line with our policies on speed limit changes.
We're expecting to start work in January and finish in October next year.
We'll be building in phases, and we'll confirm programme dates and any traffic controls that might be needed to enable the work nearer the time.
You can find out more about the scheme on our website or respond to the 20mph proposal on our Engage Wokingham Borough page.
Wokingham Walk is a charity walk that takes place on Sunday, 12 October. There are three routes to choose from, 5, 10 or 15 miles, and the walk starts and finishes in Elms Field, Wokingham. It's run by the Lions Club and supports a range of deserving local causes.
 Schools step up to the challenge for Walktober
We're encouraging schools to help everyone stay more active this autumn.
Our new Walktober initiative celebrates International Walk to School Month by rewarding pupils, families and staff for adopting a sustainable school run.
There are competitions for everyone who walks, cycles, scoots or takes public transport in October, with prizes for winning schools and individual pupils.
Suggested challenges include travelling a mile or more, taking an active trip during the half-term break or swapping out a regular car trip.
The scheme is run by our My Journey Wokingham team with support from Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council.
It's all part of our efforts to encourage sustainable travel, ranging from schemes like this to improving walking, cycling and bus provision.
We'll let you know how all our schools got on in a future edition!
 Could your pupils become Modeshift STARS?
To help your school create a culture of sustainable travel, we can work with the national Modeshift STARS scheme to support you in creating travel plans.
These documents set out how a school will promote healthy alternatives to driving, like cycling or walking, and include goals that are regularly monitored.
We offer rewards for schools that are newly accredited on the scheme or are able to progress to higher standards.
You can apply for up to £2,000 in grant funding for each level, which must be used to promote sustainable travel.
Modeshift STARS recognises five levels of attainment:
- Approved Travel Travel (Green)
- Good Travel Plan (Bronze)
- Very Good Travel Plan (Silver)
- Excellent Travel Plan (Gold)
- Outstanding Travel Plan (Platinum)
The scheme is proven to help make lasting, long-term changes that improve everyone's health. Please contact us to learn more.
We've widened the footway at Twyford station's entrance off Hurst Road. This has made it easier for people with disabilities to reach the passenger lifts and cross the footbridge over the railway to get to the ticket office in Station Road. The works were funded by contributions from housing developers.
 Exciting achievements with electric vehicles
We've got some amazing news to share about our support for electric vehicles, which you can read in more depth in our last Moving Around the Borough newsletter.
Our recent EV awareness event on Elms Field in Wokingham was a huge success, with hundreds of people showing up to view the latest models and more.
Surprise attractions included a dancing Tesla, provided by a local EV advocate, plus a mini-EV driven by a cute furry puppet!
We ran the day in partnership with Let's Experience Electric, and with support from Wokingham Town Council and Bracknell Forest Council.
On top of that, our rollout of 44 EV chargepoints is now in line for an award!
We installed these across the borough some time ago, with funding from the Government, as part of our efforts to help people make the switch.
Looking further ahead, we're planning to roll out more than 460 additional chargepoints, again with Government funding.
 Prizes up for grabs - how do you usually get to work?
We want to make it easier for our residents to get to work, so we'd like to hear more about your daily commute.
If you live in Wokingham Borough, please take our survey before Tuesday 21 October and you could win one of three £100 Love2shop gift vouchers.
As well as knowing how you usually travel, and the route you take, we'd like to hear what might make it easier for you to commute more sustainably.
Your feedback will help us identify where we could improve all aspects of our transport network like roads, footpaths, cycle lanes or bus routes.
We'll be running some adult cycle training classes for beginners. If you haven't ridden in a while or you've never learned, this class would be suitable for you. The sessions cost £11.00 - please contact us for more information.
 Why drive when you can park and ride?
For a limited period you can catch the park and ride bus from Winnersh Triangle, Mereoak and Thames Valley Park for £2.50 return.
For the Winnersh and Mereoak sites, this also includes parking.
This offer is possible thanks to Reading Borough Council using money from the Bus Service Improvement Partnership (BSIP) funding from the Government.
In case you missed it, the national charity Sustrans is now called the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust. It recently changed its name and logo to more closely reflect its mission, which includes advising councils on active travel projects.
 Upcoming activities and events
- Free Balance Bike Club at FBC in Finchampstead (Wednesdays)
- Free Balance Bike Club at Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Woodley (Thursdays)
- Learn to Ride sessions (£10) at FBC in Finchampstead (Wednesdays)
- Learn to Ride sessions (£10) at Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Woodley (Thursdays)
- Woky Wheels 4 All at FBC in Finchampstead (Thursdays 10am and 11am)
- Dr Bike (FREE bike checks) at Twyford Train Station on Friday, 10 October (between 9.30am and 1pm) along with My Journey stand
- Dr Bike (FREE bike checks) at Cantley Park Cafe on Saturday, 11 October (between 9am and 12pm)
- Dr Bike (FREE bike checks) at Lower Earley Library on Monday, 27 October (between 10am and 12pm)
- Dr Bike (FREE bike checks) at Woodford Park Leisure Centre (starting on Thursdays 6 November to 11 December between 2.30pm to 3.30pm)
- Dr Bike (FREE bike checks) at Woodford Park Leisure Centre on Sunday, 16 November between 10am to 12pm)
For more information on our regular cycle training and activities or to book, visit our website. or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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