A NEW cycle lane in Reading has been deemed 'unsafe' by Reading Cycling Campaign - but the council has said the lanes are temporary.

In a series of tweets posted on the campaign's Twitter, member Leendert van Hoogenhuijze described how the London Road cycle lane seems wide and safe until cyclists reach the junction towards Silver Street.

He said: "At the other end you can see the other nice wide cycle lane. But how do I get there?

"Should I go on the pavement following the bike symbol there and use the pedestrian crossing?

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"Or should I stay on the road? I think the latter because that is the most direct route and also what else is the bike lane for? But the problem is I have now positioned myself to the left by using the bike lane but I need to cross a busy junction with a rather narrow car lane where the safe thing to do is take the middle of the lane to avoid being overtaken."

Speaking to The Chronicle, Leendert said: "It isn't a great update for cyclists - it just isn't ideal or safe.

"The new lanes don't adhere to government guidelines.

"With the emergency active fund we must be spending money but we should be using that to make real improvements and we need to get it right." Speaking about the government plan to get more people using bikes instead of cars, he talked about the many benefits.

"This is all about getting more people to cycle, which is great for health, the environment and safety - as more kids would be able to be out playing on the street if there are less cars.

"Reading Borough Council (RBC) should make sure that the transport strategy adheres to the guidelines."

Responding, a spokesman from RBC said: "This is just one of a series of temporary cycle lanes put in place across Reading to make travelling by bike easier in response to the Covid 19 pandemic.

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"In this instance, the advanced cycle stop line allows cyclists to position themselves ahead of stopped vehicles and then cross the junction under the safety of the traffic signals.

"As these cycle lanes are temporary, we welcome all feedback and comments from the Reading Cycle Campaign will of course be considered should they become permanent in the future.

"DfT infrastructure guidance is considered while designing these new cycle lanes and we hope our Tranche 2 bid for further active travel monies from Central Government would allow us to build additional infrastructure needed to make more permanent routes.

"More information on the series of new temporary cycle lanes installed across Reading can be found here."