Zebra crossing for school and Reading uni students coming

Upper Redlands Road is a busy route for both drivers and pedestrians in the university area of the town.

For drivers, it serves as an east-west route from areas of East Reading and Earley to the town centre.

Meanwhile, the road is used by pedestrians going to and from the University of Reading Whiteknights Campus, St Joseph’s College and some families going to Redlands Primary School.

READ MORE: Why protesters are camping out at the University of Reading

Now progress is being made on a Reading Borough Council project to establish a zebra crossing near St Joseph’s College.

The crossing would cost £83,500, using £75,000 of government Active Travel funding and £8,500 in private pledges from the college and the University of Reading.

The project also involves removing an existing set of speed cushions so the crossing can be established.

The final design for a new pedestrian crossing at Upper Redlands Road in Reading. Credit: Reading Borough Council

A statutory consultation into the project earlier this year received only two responses.

Objecting to the removal of speed cushions, a neighbour said: ” I can only object as it will allow even more speeding thus negating the point of this to improve pedestrian safety.

“The recent car overturning while speeding the wrong way down De Beauvoir Rd is another example of how the only way to improve safety is measures to slow vehicles down in East Reading.”

Another neighbour argued the changes would be ‘irrelevant’ as the council has ‘lost control’ of enforcing road rules such as speeding, therefore whatever would be introduced would be ignored.

Despite these objections, the crossing project is set to be given the go-ahead at the council’s traffic management sub-committee meeting on Thursday, June 13.