Roads in Earley will be getting 20mph speed limits as part of an initiative to make journeys easier for people who walk and cycle.
Roads in Earley are being cut to 20mph as part of a push to make journeys easier for people who walk and cycle.
Culver Lane and Palmerstone Road are long residential streets in the Whitegates area of Earley, located near the borough boundary with East Reading. The changes form part of the long‑running Woodley to Reading Active Travel Route scheme.
There have been objections from neighbours, who called the speed limit reductions “unjustified” and “ridiculous”. A consultation ran last September and October. One local said: “The road has zero justifications to have a 20mph limit, there are no schools, hospitals, etc on the road, it is a busy traffic route due to issues with traffic flow elsewhere in Reading council's area, and a 20mph limit is completely unrealistic based on current use.”
Palmerstone Road was included in the Active Travel Route after residents said they preferred it over Anderson Avenue.
The decision was announced in a public broadcast by councillor Adrian Betteridge, the executive active travel, transport and highways at Wokingham Borough Council, which manages roads in Earley.
“This is a part of the wider active travel walking, cycling and wheeling scheme in this area, which I know is a scheme that was first agreed to take forward in 2021, and it's been a long journey.
“I know there have been two previous public consultations, a number of changes made to the scheme as a result of public feedback for that and that in the final scheme the 20 mph sections are an integral part of the design to improve the safety for vulnerable users of the road walking, cycling and wheeling principally along the stretches where this is recommended, and that obviously has a number of benefits in terms of road safety.
“I think the evidence for that is quite clear, but also a significant benefit in terms of making it easier, more attractive and indeed safer for people to walk and cycle, which hopefully will see a net shift in traffic away from car use for the benefit of everybody, reducing congestion and making it easier for those who choose to drive still.”
Cllr Betteridge (Liberal Democrats, Barkham & Arborfield) approved the change in an individual executive member decision on Friday 9 January, signing a traffic regulation order to reduce the limit to 20mph.
As part of the active travel project, double yellow lines restricting parking will be introduced in Culver Lane.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
