A stopping restriction to speed up journeys for the number 17 bus will be introduced by the council in the town centre on Monday, June 15.

The new town centre red route restrictions run along the far east section of Oxford Road, before its junction with Broad Street, south along St Mary’s Butts and on to Castle Street, Gun Street and Minster Street, north along West Street and then east along Friar Street.

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Other new additions to the route include Market Place, King Street and Kings Road.

Reading’s first ever red route has already been made permanent in east and west Reading and the town centre element will now be added next week.

The route had been set to go live on Monday, March 23 before the coronavirus pandemic delayed the implementation

What is a red route and where is it in Reading?

A red route is a ‘no stopping’ restriction and has been used on major bus routes in London for many years.

Double red lines run along the number 17 bus red route, which is between Tilehurst and Wokingham Road (The Three Tuns).

Thousands of fines were handed out to drivers for stopping on the red route in west Reading during its trial in 2018/19.

The red route will now run along the length of the ‘purple’ 17 bus route – the town’s busiest bus service – with nearly five million individual trips every year and nearly 100,000 trips per week.

Introduced in Reading in 2018 to speed up journeys across the town for the number 17 bus, the east side and west side of the route were made permanent in 2019.

Sample journey times for the 17 bus, taken on the eastern and western sections, show an average quicker journey time of two minutes.

What happens if I stop along the red route?

Drivers caught stopping on the Red Route can receive a fine of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

At first, warning notices will be issued rather than fines in the town centre section of the route to ensure people are completely aware of the new restriction.

Fines will then replace the warning notices.

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Enforcement of the red route is carried out by a combination of civil enforcement ffficers and the council’s mobile CCTV van.

Drivers can use dedicated loading bays along the route, “which have been retained where possible”, to load or unload.

The following vehicles are able to stop within the Red Route:

  • Buses
  • Universal postal services (such as Royal Mail)
  • Refuse Vehicles
  • Emergency Services
  • Holders of valid disabled persons parking permit (Blue Badge) may set down or pick up.
  • Registered Taxis and some private hire vehicles can stop to drop off and pick up passengers.

Most of the restrictions are 24/7 but some are at certain hours of the day.

More red routes?

At a meeting in September 2019, councillor Tony Page, lead member for Strategic Environment and Transport, said the red route scheme could be extended to other bus routes in the future.