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Moving Around the Borough

Road reopens tomorrow as roundabout almost built

Our roundabout upgrade at the junction of Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane in Wokingham has nearly been finished by our partners at Balfour Beatty.

Finchampstead Road will reopen from 5pm tomorrow (6 March), a week earlier than planned, though it will shut overnight (8pm to 6am) from Monday 16 to Friday 28 March. This is for final surfacing works and repainting road markings.

Some traffic management will be needed in the daytime until this is done.

This scheme, which supports our South Wokingham Distributor Road project, includes new pedestrian crossings and improved footways and cycleways.

Meanwhile, the junction of Easthampstead Road and Heathlands Road is closing from Monday 16 March to Friday 10 April, again to support the new road.

These will be the final works at this junction. We’re also finalising work on a new link road from Easthampstead Road to Waterloo Road, which is due to open in May.

From Monday 13 April, Easthampstead Road will close for 10 months between Star Lane and Heathlands Road, with a diversion in place for vehicles.

Closures change as active travel route progresses

We're about to finish building the first section of our active travel route from Woodley to Reading, so the road closure points along the route are changing.

At the moment, Woodlands Avenue in Woodley is shut and diverted between Lytham Road and Roslyn Road, with access for residents only.

From Monday 16 March, that section will reopen and the closure will move further west along Woodlands Avenue, between Roslyn Road and Woodwaye.

Our Woodlands Avenue works will run until mid-August, with additional works expected on Church Road and Culver Lane from this summer.

You can see the timeline on our website, which we'll update as dates are confirmed.

The finished route, which includes cycle tracks separated from both the pavement and the road, will link Woodley town centre with Palmer Park in Reading.

It's part of our long-term ambition to improve walking and cycling connections across the borough and the works are being funded by the Department for Transport.

Other major closures for telecomms works

Easthampstead Road in Wokingham will be shut between Star Lane and Heathlands Road from Friday 13 to Monday 16 March for Openreach's fibre optic works.

We postponed this until after Finchampstead Road reopened to reduce disruption.

The A4 near Woodley, west of Pound Lane, will be closed between 8pm and 6am nightly from Monday (9 March) to Friday 20 March, for works by Gigaclear.

We've also committed to making active travel improvements to Woosehill roundabout in Wokingham. Following consultation, we're preparing a detailed design. No construction dates are confirmed, but it won't happen while the South Wokingham Distributor Road is putting pressure on the network.

Help us make roads safer through speed limits

We want to improve road safety in the borough and we're asking you to tell us where you think speed limits should be lowered.

We want to use our new speed limit policy, which we adopted in January, to introduce safer limits in places where pedestrians, cyclists and children are at greater risk.

To help shape the first year of this programme, we’re asking you which roads and areas you think should be prioritised. Town and parish councils are being asked the same for their areas.

All suggestions will be assessed against a set of criteria to identify an initial list of priority locations, then we’ll publish the draft list and ask for your views.

You can read more and submit your suggested roads or areas on our Engage consultation hub until Friday 1 May.

Two bus surveys still open until later this month

We're also asking your views on two separate issues affecting local bus services.

Firstly, we'd like to know what you think about services we support, to help guide how we make improvements in the years to come.

We'd also like to hear what you think about plans for a new bus lane on the A4, which wouldn't take space away from cars and should improve everyone's journeys.

This year, Reading Buses' charity partner will be Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs, a volunteer dog handling team who help the authorities to search for vulnerable missing people. Reading Buses have also raised £16,000 for their previous charity partner Berkshire Youth.

Above: the new crossing at the junction of Barrett Crescent and London Road, one of four being built in the area

Developer funding makes streets more accessible

We're improving pedestrian facilities on the Norreys area in Wokingham town, using money that housing developers have to pay under legal agreements.

This includes upgrading four crossing points at junctions to make them easier to use, especially for wheelchair users or people with mobility problems.

We're adding tactile crossings that you can feel when you walk on, plus additional changes like extending kerbs to improve visibility.

Works are completed at the junction of Norreys Avenue and Ashridge Road, Budges Road and Pigott Road, and London Road and Barrett Crescent, with the junction of Budges Road and Ashridge Road to follow.

We're also going to install coloured surfacing at the entrance and exit to the Shell garage on London Road, making them clearer for people crossing.

These sites were chosen because they're near lots of community amenities including shops, schools, a GP surgery, churches and a nursery.

We're installing new pedestrian and cyclist signposts in the Norreys area that point to landmarks like local shops, the town centre and Cantley Park.

Some years ago, as part of our annual highways maintenance programme, we took up a long stretch of failing footway along Barrett Crescent and laid a new surface.

Money from developers helps us provide new infrastructure or upgrade it. As with all councils, it's ring-fenced for this purpose so we legally couldn't spend it on long-term running costs like road repairs or maintenance.

The Every Step Counts campaign, part of our efforts to support sustainable travel, is funded by the Government

Step up to challenge for just a few minutes a day

Our My Journey Wokingham team are encouraging people to walk more by making small but powerful changes to their daily habits.

Their Every Step Counts campaign, includes resources to make walking fun for everyone, including families with young children.

You can take the Wokingham Walking Challenge, including simple activities to hold your young ones' interest while out and about.

To encourage you to keep going, the printable seven-day family walking tracker helps you record your daily activities and make each one memorable.

You can walk as a way of getting somewhere you want to go, or you can just walk for health and for pleasure - either way, you'll feel the benefits.

• Plan your walking journey (also works for cycling and public transport)
• Check out some suggestions for fun local routes
• See a map of all local paths across the borough
• Get in touch with some local walking groups
• See how quickly short walks add up with the Active 10 tracker app
• Learn how to stay safe while walking

A date for your diary - the next Wokingham Walk, a charity event organised by Lions International, takes place from Elms Field in Wokingham on Sunday 19 April. There are routes of five, 10 or 15 miles and bookings are open now.

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.

Crowthorne

Road closure - Honey Hill
Monday 9 March, 8.30am to 4.30pm

The road will be closed near the junction with Heathlands Road while BT replace a telegraph pole.

Finchampstead

Two-way lights - Nine Mile Ride
Monday 9 to Friday 13 March

There'll be temporary lights between the junctions with Finchampstead Road and Kiln Ride while South East Water carry out a new customer connection.

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