Prospect of congestion charge in Reading shut down

As far as lengthy strategic Council documents go (and I’ve seen a few), it’s an important one. In it are a range of possible schemes and initiatives to combat the congestion and poor air quality which blight parts of our town. Much of it is subject to funding of course, but without giving too much away, you won’t be surprised to know the focus is on promoting sustainable transport options as a realistic alternative to the private car. It also explains how these schemes, if delivered, can help us create a healthier and more equal town.

More on the detail next week, but I wanted to set the record straight in advance on contentious issue of congestion charges. You may have seen the subject trailed in media in recent weeks in the run up to the LTP publication.

Let me be very clear: a congestion charge, which we’re all familiar with from London, isn’t an option on the table for Reading, because we do not believe that would work for our town. Or, to put it another way, there is no proposal to charge Reading residents or Reading businesses for entering a cordon, whether that be inside the IDR or anywhere else.

What we do want to explore, however, is how we might deter the many thousands of daily vehicles, including heavy lorries, who have no origin, no destination, and no purpose in Reading. Put bluntly, these vehicles continue to use the town as a rat run, polluting our air and damaging the health and wellbeing of our residents.

There is little doubt the town can be a victim of its success. Reading is a major economic, employment, and leisure destination, both in the Thames Valley and across the wider region. People travel from neighbouring boroughs, and much further afield, to work here, to shop here, and to enjoy our night-time economy. As a Council, we believe it is essential that Reading remains a place people choose to visit, and we do not intend to do anything to jeopardise that.

Yet Reading’s location, a big part of our success, also causes issues. On our doorstep is the M4 and other major highways, which means we are a tempting route for through traffic, particularly travelling south to north or the reverse. That includes lorries travelling to and from major south coast ports. While people travelling to visit Reading for work or leisure purposes contribute to our local economy, the only thing vehicles passing through Reading without stopping contribute to is congestion and poor air quality. It is Reading residents who have to breathe that polluted air and compete for limited road space with these drivers.

In that respect, while the soon-to-be-published LTP talks about the possibility of ‘potential demand management measures such as congestion charging’, what we are really talking about here are exploring options to dissuade drivers using Reading as a short cut. It is also important to note that any possible future scheme of this kind would of be subject to funding and several layers of public consultation, as indeed the LTP itself will be after it is published.

Not too many years ago, and pre-pandemic when congestion levels were slightly higher, it was projected that around one in three vehicle trips made in peak periods could avoid using the IDR as a through route if better orbital routes were provided. Those figures are out of date now, with working patterns shifting post-pandemic. New surveys are needed, but you can guarantee a significant proportion of cars and lorries on our roads still have absolutely no business in Reading.

Reading’s new LTP contains a great deal more than just demand management measures. It is made up of a package of public transport enhancements providing attractive, reliable and affordable alternatives to the private car; priority measures – both bus and rail – on key corridors linked to hubs on the edge of town; developing a network of segregated cycle routes and enhanced pedestrian facilities to encourage more walking and cycling; more efficient management of the road network; and improving cross river travel options to mitigate the impacts of the limited existing crossings. The combination of these interventions will all contribute towards increasing levels of sustainable travel and creating a healthier and happier town.

We know that the coming years will bring thousands of new homes, both inside and outside the Borough boundary, adding to the number of journeys taken on a Reading’s limited road network that is already at capacity.

Our town’s challenge remains successfully absorbing the growth in housing, jobs and commuting in the future whilst protecting the wellbeing and health of local residents. What we are not prepared to do is sit idly by while Reading chokes on vehicles using our streets as a rat run.