To receive petitions on traffic management matters.

(a)      Petition Receipt and Response – Installation of a Bus Shelter on Kidmore End Road

The Sub-Committee received a report on the receipt of a petition requesting the installation of a bus shelter on Kidmore End Road at the bus stop called Chalgrove Way which was adjacent to number 82 Kidmore End Road and opposite Lyefield Court.

The report explained that the Sub-Committee was being asked to note that petitions relating to matters such as this would ordinarily fall outside of the Sub-Committee’s Terms of Reference, on the basis that the petition would not result in a change to the public highway, which would require a regulatory process to be followed.  However, in this instance, as the petition was not seeking a formal decision but, rather was an officer response and briefing on next steps, it had been considered appropriate for the Sub-Committee to hear the petition and the Council’s response.

The report stated that the Council had been presented with a petition for the installation of a bus shelter on Kidmore End Road, Emmer Green in May 2026.  The Chalgrove Way stop was next to 82 Lyefield Court and was served by Reading Buses route 23 between Central Reading and Caversham Park.  The petition stated that the stop was used regularly by members of the community including elderly residents, school children, commuters and individuals with mobility challenges.  The petition stated that the primary motive for requesting a shelter was to provide adequate protection from adverse weather and the elements.  The petition had been signed by 22 signatories.

The current bus stop was in a southbound direction and had a bus stop pole and flag, a small timetable case and a bin.  There was also a raised kerb for level boarding and an area of hardstanding that might be big enough for a small two-bay shelter.  Buses ran every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 60 minutes on Sunday.  The bus operator had been approached for passenger boarding data for this bus stop and was supportive of installing a bus shelter in this location.  There was also a bus stop in the northbound direction which was served by route 24 which linked to central Reading but, by a longer route.  This stop did not have a bus shelter either and was next to a new housing estate that was being developed on the Reading Golf Club site.  As part of the planning approval for this development the northbound bus stop would be relocated slightly to accommodate access to the new development and upgraded with new level access as well as maintaining the pole, flag and timetable case, raised kerb as well as a bench.  The development comprised of 223 new homes, with potential for a further 70, and should generate additional public transport journeys which were likely to be from the southbound bus stop as this provided the more direct link to central Reading.

Transport officers had reviewed the request and considered this to be an appropriate stop and location for a bus shelter.  However, consideration would need to be given to the nearby large and established trees on the highway and any impact that excavation and installation of a bus shelter might have on the roots and stability of these trees.  Consideration would also need to be given to maintaining access to the footway for wheelchair users and those with push chairs and buggies if a shelter was installed.  A list of requested measures for stops was maintained by officers and, subject to it being considered feasible to install a bus shelter, would add the request for this shelter to the list.  This would be considered against the other requested measures on the list and prioritised, this would include the number of boardings and passengers using the stop, and subject to funding being identified the measures on the list would be installed. 

The report explained that the Council had recently let a new contract for the supply and maintenance of bus shelters throughout the Borough, and this also included Council owned bus shelters.  This new contract enabled the Council to discuss with the supplier the possibility of expanding the scope to include additional shelters, such as this one at Kidmore End Road.  Whilst this would still require additional funding for supply and installation of the shelter, approximately £15k, it would incorporate any new shelters into the cleaning and maintenance regime which had been an issue with previous Council owned shelters.  As part of the mobilisation programme, the renewal of bus shelters within the town centre had been prioritised in the first 12 months and shelters across the rest of the Borough would not be renewed until year two onwards.  Therefore, it might not be possible to provide a new shelter at this location during the first 12 months of the new contract.

The Sub-Committee discussed the report and officers confirmed that if a bus shelter were installed this location access to the footway would have to be maintained, funding would need to be secured and that it was not possible to commit to a timeline.

Resolved –

(1)      That the report be noted;

(2)      That the officer response set out in sections 3.8 to 3.11 of the report, and detailed above, be agreed;

(3)      That no public enquiry be held into the proposals.