The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report the provided information on the Council’s additional £0.4m two year (2022/23 to 2023/24) Traffic Signals Capital Investment Programme and asked for spend approval for this investment.  The report also informed the Committee of the Council’s additional £0.3m two year (2022/23 to 2023/24) Digitising of Traffic Regulation Orders Investment Programme and asked for spend approval for this investment.  A Financial Implications Report was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

The report explained that the Council had carried out a Residents’ Survey with its Citizen Panel in December 2021 as part of the Council’s ongoing conversation with residents.  The aim of the survey had been to gather information on service delivery and specifically about residents’ views of their neighbourhoods and of Council services.  Respondents had been asked what they thought needed improving and the number one consensus, 38% compared with 47% in 2020, had said the condition of roads and pavements needed improving. 

The Council had continued to listen to residents and was investing £0.4m into the ageing traffic signal assets which would improve traffic flows, reduce congestion and pollution, modernise the traffic signal assets and future proof a rapidly changing environment.  The Council was also investing £0.3m in Digitising Reading’s Traffic Regulation Orders to modernise the process, to streamline TRO creation and the consultation processes, to significantly reduce costs.

Resolved:

(1)     That spend approval for the Council’s £0.4m two year (2022/23 to 2023024) Traffic Signals Capital Investment Programme be granted;

(2)     That spend approval for the Council’s £0.3m two year (2022/23 to 2023/24) Digitising of Traffic Regulation Orders Investment Programme be granted;

(3)     That the Assistant Director of Environmental and Commercial Services, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services and the Director of Finance, be granted authority to enter into relevant contracts required to undertake the proposed Capital Traffic Services Programme, as set out in section 4 of the report.