New Safe Crossing Proposed for Busy Road

Reading Borough Council plans a parallel pedestrian and cycle crossing on Portman Road, just north of the Beresford Road and Cow Lane junction.

Portman Road is a busy west Reading route with shops and businesses, including Tesco Extra and Co-op Funeralcare.

The proposal was discussed by the council's traffic management sub-committee on September 10 and councillors agreed to a statutory consultation.

Councillor Wendy Griffith (Labour, Battle) said: "This one has been rumbling along for a few years."

"We really need a crossing at that junction, and it's good that it will be a combination for pedestrians and cyclists."

"The need is there now, because there are a lot of businesses on the north side, and people do have to exercise quite a bit of patience to cross that junction, it's quite a busy junction."

"And now that there is also a school there, it's on the school route, it becomes even more important that we make accessibility across that road as easy as possible."

Cllr Richard Walkem (Green, Coley) added: "As someone who lives nearby, often when I'm cycling along the north side shared cycle route on that pavement, I see people naturally crossing at about where this is designed to be, so it seems like it will probably be well adopted, which is important."

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter