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Moving Around the Borough

It's a shame we can't decorate our gritters in real life, but we thought this chap looked rather festive!

It's cold outside, so take care on the roads

Our gritters are now on standby for the winter and the crews from Volker will do their best to keep the roads clear.

They made their first run on Monday night and followed it up with another run today after yesterday's sudden snowfall.

From now until the spring, they'll be getting multiple daily updates to decide whether they need to take action.

With temperatures now dropping, don't forget some winter driving basics:

• Plan your journey in advance and check for any roadworks that might delay it
• Allow more time as you may need to de-ice and demist your windows, lights and mirrors before setting off, and may need to drive more slowly
• Check your windscreen wipers aren't frozen in place or you could blow a fuse when you try to start them
• Check your tyres have enough tread to grip on snow or ice
• Pack for eventualities - consider keeping a torch, hi-vis vest, a blanket, de-icer and scraper, warning triangle and jump lead in the car
• Keep your mobile phone charged with emergency contacts stored on it

If it snows, you should first ask yourself if you need to drive at all - could you postpone your trip or walk, cycle or take the bus or train?

If you absolutely must drive, check out this advice sheet from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Motorcyclists should dress warm and think extra carefully about whether they need to ride, as just one patch of ice can cause a fall and serious injury.

Winter safety isn't just for drivers!

You can also check for disruption on the railways or on local buses (Reading Buses, Thames Valley Buses and Carousel).

To cycle safely and comfortably in winter, wear multiple thin waterproof layers and stay visible with bright, reflective clothing and lights.

Keep your bike in good condition, especially the tyres, chain and brakes, and choose quiet, traffic-free routes where you can.

Even if you're walking, make sure you're dressed warmly with good quality footwear and are visible to any traffic.

Entries are now closed for Volker's gritter naming competition and we'll be announcing the winners soon. We've had a great laugh looking through your clever and creative ideas - it's going to be hard to pick just five!

Above: Thames Valley Business Park is served by Thames Valley Park and Ride, where we've installed barriers

Cracking down on car meets after your concerns

We've installed barriers at the Thames Valley Park park and ride site to stop it being used overnight for anti-social behaviour.

It's a hot spot for illegal car meets and other activity, and you've asked us to do something about it - so we're pleased to tell you that we have.

The barriers are in operation between 10pm and 6am, so anyone needing to leave after 10pm will need to pay a release fee via our out-of-hours service.

This will also protect the car park itself, as some areas are becoming worn by tyre marks and burns from fireworks.

On top of this, we recently consulted on extending our highly successful protection order, which allows us to fine offenders, and are going through your responses.

Extending the order will also allow us to tackle the problem at Carnival Hub in Wokingham and Mereoak Park and Ride off the A33 near Reading.

A handy route into town and hospital

The Thames Valley Park site is served by Reading Buses' 300 park and ride service, which runs to Mereoak via central Reading and the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The bus fare is capped at £2.50 thanks to Government support via Reading Borough Council, though there's a separate charge for parking at Thames Valley Park.

Carousel Buses, who run some services in the borough, are part of a drive to bring more women into the industry and are currently recruiting.

Above: pupils from Westende Junior School on a recent led walk as part of the Modeshift STARS scheme

Active pupils in line for regional honours

Westende Junior School in Wokingham is the running for the South East Regional School of the Year award in the Modeshift STARS scheme.

The school has been taking part in the scheme for many years and has achieved the second-highest accreditation level of Excellent.

Pupils and staff have completed 48 key initiatives to encourage everyone to walk, cycle or get the bus instead of driving to school, plus 51 supporting initiatives.

These include an anti-idling banner competition, air quality monitoring, pedestrian skills training and a healthy travel workshop.

They've also worked with other schools in the Circle Trust to reduce their carbon footprint, which supports our own climate emergency goals.

The winners will be announced in March next year.

Our My Journey Wokingham team work with local schools all year round, encouraging them to take part in Modeshift STARS and lots of other initiatives to bring home the importance of travelling actively and sustainably.

Parking wardens praised across community

Our parking enforcer NSL is continuing to perform well since we took over civil powers from the police in 2017.

The latest figures show we're cancelling fewer penalty charge notices than the national average, suggesting most are handed out correctly.

Wardens are making more visits to schools than in the previous financial year to improve road safety for pupils, which has been well received.

One resident of Danywern Drive in Winnersh also told us recently: "It's been great to see the wardens out on several occasions.

"It has massively reduced the vehicles parking on the double yellows and hasn't gone unnoticed - the community really appreciate it."

Our contract with NSL expires in September 2026, so we're considering the next steps but no decision has been taken yet.

No-one wants to get a fine, but parking officers are doing a valuable job - and they're people too. We support the national Beyond the Uniform campaign, which highlights the impact of abuse from motorists in a powerful video.

Upcoming roadworks

We think these works will be the most disruptive, but you can see a list of all upcoming works in your area or browse our interactive map.

Keeping up to date

• For planned and emergency roadworks, follow us on Facebook
• To find out about roadworks near you, visit our interactive map
• For active and sustainable travel, visit My Journey Wokingham 
• Visit our major new roads page for plans and updates
• Find out more about resurfacing and repairs including potholes
• 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. 
• Find out more about parking and permits including car park locations and costs, resident permits, park and ride services and appealing a parking fine
• Our transport and travel page includes applying for a senior citizen's or disabled person's bus and train pass, as well as public transport information
• The blue parking badges page has information on applying for, using, replacing and returning your blue badge