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This is a special edition of Moving Around the Borough where we're looking in depth at some 'bigger picture' issues. Your regular edition, featuring news about roadworks and other things that might affect your journey, will land as usual at 5pm this Thursday (19 March).
More choice and freedom in how you travel
As part of our overall vision to 2030, we want everyone in our borough to enjoy the benefits of living in fair, green, safe and connected communities.
We can work towards that in lots of ways, one of which is making it safer and more convenient to get around without having to drive.
We know driving may always be preferable for some journeys and for some people, and will continue investing in our roads as much as resources allow.
But we know a lot of car trips made in Wokingham Borough are short, local ones which, in many cases, could have been made more sustainably.
That doesn't just include walking, wheeling or cycling, but taking the bus or train - or, for longer journeys, switching to an electric vehicle (EV).
In this first of two special editions of Moving Around the Borough, we'll look back at how we've supported this so far - and where we're heading in years to come.
Like all councils, we're facing significant funding challenges. While our position is strong thanks to sound financial management, we have to make difficult decisions on how we spend our limited resources - so many of our aspirations are dependent on funding from the Government and other sources.
Above: artist's impression of the Woodley to Reading active travel route, now under construction until the end of 2025
Supporting healthy, active alternatives to driving
We've started building a walking and cycling route from Woodley town centre to Palmer Park in Reading, which should be completed by the end of the year.
This is funded by the Department for Transport's (DfT) Active Travel Fund, as are our agreed improvements to Woosehill roundabout in Wokingham town.
The Woosehill scheme is part of a bigger aspiration to make it safer to walk and cycle between Winnersh parish and Wokingham town centre, although this would be subject to further funding.
We haven't yet set a date for the Woosehill works, but they'll be timed to minimise disruption and we'll announce all the details well in advance.
The more we can successfully complete schemes like this now, the more likely we are to attract funding for similar schemes in future.
In the long-term, we want to have a comprehensive, high-quality network of walking and cycling routes serving as much of the borough as possible.
We're rated level 2 by the DfT for active travel capability, meaning we have strong local leadership and clear plans for a network with some elements in place.
Above: California Crossroads is a thriving village centre and welcoming for everyone, including pedestrians and cyclists
New housing brings opportunities for green change
All our major new roads, which serve new development in the borough, were designed and built with shared footways and cycleways along their length.
This includes the North Wokingham Distributor Road, the Winnersh, Shinfield and Arborfield Cross relief roads and Nine Mile Ride Extension at Arborfield Green.
The South Wokingham Distributor Road, which is now under construction, will also include an accessible new footbridge over the Emm Brook.
In future, new major roads will be designed with segregated cycling and pavements, in line with our commitment to the latest active travel standards.
As part of the broader housing proposals, the developers will be improving the local footpath network to make it usable all year and suitable for cyclists.
Our California Crossroads project at Finchampstead, which opened in autumn 2024, has been shown to help people cross quicker and encourage drivers to give way.
It was shortlisted for two industry awards last year and has safely improved access to this thriving village centre for everyone, however they travel.
This was funded by developers building new homes at the former Arborfield Garrison.
Above: footpaths wind through a North Wokingham nature park, with a shared footway and cycleway beside the road
Helping you make longer active journeys
We're building traffic-free walking and cycling routes between key destinations in the borough using funding from housing developers.
This includes a completed route from Arborfield Green to Finchampstead via California Country Park and another from Reading Road in Wokingham to Woosehill.
Similar routes are envisioned in future, along with a long-distance walking and cycling path along the River Loddon, all subject to funding.
The nature parks in our new communities include level footpaths with multiple entrances, making them handy for local travel as well as exercise and unwinding.
Looking further back, we've completed the Bader Way cycleway, a 1.6km cycle trail and footpath linking Woodley with Winnersh Triangle.
Before that, we provided cycle lanes in Wokingham, Winnersh and Earley, all along our section of National Cycle Route 422 from Windsor to Newbury.
Active travel has lots of benefits - as well as reducing the emissions that contribute to the climate emergency, which we've pledged to tackle, it reduces harmful pollutants that cause a range of health problems. It's also affordable, so making it more accessible helps to build a fairer society.
A framework for further improvements
With your input, we've outlined the routes that would benefit most from cycling and walking improvements in future, and specific measures that would help.
This is very much a long-term vision and moving any schemes forward would depend on funding as well as further consultation. In our recent three-year budget, we've allocated more money to these projects from Government grants.
It's supported by our overarching transport policies, which set out to improve sustainable travel choices while accommodating those who still need to drive.
They seek to increase the proportion of active trips in our towns, and to design places around the accessibility, safety and comfort of pedestrians and cyclists.
This not only reduces transport emissions, but reduces inequality by making it easier to get around in physically and mentally healthier ways.
It will also support the borough's economic development by, among many other things, enabling a wider range of options for people to get to work.
Working directly with residents and businesses
As well as providing active travel infrastructure, we help people to make the most of it through our My Journey Wokingham team.
Funded by developer contributions, they work with residents and businesses to encourage them to make simple, safe and sustainable changes.
This includes a comprehensive programme of work with our primary and secondary schools, helping the next generation to build lifelong habits.
They offer a wealth of free resources on planning your journey and organise regular events at different venues.
You can see them at community events throughout the year, including the volunteer-run Wokingham Bikeathon and the team's own Bike Bonanza days.
They also promote safe driving initiatives to ensure motorists are mindful of everyone around them, however they may be travelling.
Safer roads protect everyone, not just drivers
Through our broader transport policies, we've reduced speed limits in many areas where we agreed that doing so would make people safer.
This protects all road users, including cyclists and crossing pedestrians, and our recently adopted speed limit policy will help us continue doing that.
This is in direct response to your feedback, as your most frequently reported road safety concerns are about traffic speed.
You can help us make our streets safer by telling us where you think speed limits should be lowered before 1 May.
We regularly resurface and seal damaged footways as part of our annual highways maintenance programme, as well as clearing overgrown rights of way.
In response to road safety concerns, we also install new crossings or make other changes where we agree it would make a meaningful difference.
We'll take a closer look at how we support buses and electric vehicles in a future spotlight, but you can learn how local buses are thriving from a recent edition. You can respond to our consultation on a new bus lane on the A4 (ends 29 March). We've just consulted on supporting future bus services.
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