Three schools on a busy road in east Reading have backed plans which could see the town get its first ever School Street.

Maiden Erlegh, Alfred Sutton and UTC Reading have all given their support for Crescent Road, in east Reading, to be shut to motor traffic at peak drop-off and pick-up times.

The Maiden Erlegh Trust backed the plan earlier this month and the other two schools based on Crescent Road have now followed suit.

Alfred Sutton has gone one step further and formally applied for the road to become a School Street, which would enable the partial closure of the road during peak drop off and collection times.

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Head teacher Robert Howell said: “The problem faced by parents along Crescent Road is particularly acute as the road serves three schools.

“The current situation is particularly alarming. At present our pupils have to negotiate overcrowded pavements, queuing traffic and frequent instances of poor parking.

“This daily onslaught is causing huge anxiety to our school community.

“The problem is even more concerning given the recent plea from the government to encourage more people to cycle or walk to school.

“Allowing a partial closure of the road during peak times would allow these initiates to become embedded in our community and would protect our children and parents.”

Mr Howell has asked for councillors to engage with the school and meet a group of parental representatives to plan the next steps.

He said the community has been raising the issue about the “many dangers” along Crescent Road for an extended period and looks forward to working with Reading Borough Council (RBC) to adopt the “hugely beneficial” scheme.

UTC Reading has also backed the plan, but said it must also be supportive of local residents.

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Jonathan Nicholls, head teacher at UTC Reading, said: “It has been a topic of conversation for quite some time.

“A large number of students are using the road. A lot come with public transport.

“In principle, I would support such a move, but doing so in a way which is supportive of the local neighbourhood as well – residents need to get out of their homes as well.

“It is a heavily-used cut through from Wokingham Road. It is time that something was done.”

Almost 300 residents have signed a petition calling for road closures on the busy street.

Last week, the council called on schools and colleges to apply to kickstart  the School Streets initiative in Reading.

The council has been granted £150,000 by the Department for Transport (DfT) encourage sustainable school trips and enable schools and colleges to re-open safely in September.