To provide an update on progress with delivering the Council’s Active Travel Programme, including to seek scheme and spend approval for the recommended Active Travel Fund Tranche 2 scheme at Shinfield Road. The report also provides an update on the Council’s School Streets initiative, including to seek authority to progress a joint experimental School Street for Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC Reading and Alfred Sutton Primary School.  

The Council’s Active Travel Programme

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report providing an update on the Council’s Active Travel Programme, Capability Fund and School Streets Scheme. The report also sought scheme and spend approval for the delivery of the Active Travel Fund Tranche 2 scheme to provide a segregated cycle facility and pedestrian enhancements on Shinfield Road, in line with the results of the public consultation. This included a secure cycle hub with parking, maintenance and loan/donation scheme, cycling and walking initiatives and updates to the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.  Delivery of the Active Travel Fund Tranche 2 Scheme would be subject to a successful award of the funding by the Department of Transport (DfT).  The following appendices were attached to the report:

Appendix A: Active Travel Fund – Map of Tranche 1 and 2 Schemes.

Appendix B: Active Travel Fund – Summary of Initial Engagement Responses.

The report explained that the bid submitted by the Council to the DfT for Tranche 2 included a programme of high-quality cycle and pedestrian infrastructure proposals on some of Reading’s most strategic routes. The top four schemes from the bid were taken forward to the next stage of development work. This included the proposal along the Shinfield Road (from Christchurch Green to Whitley Wood Road) to create segregated cycle facilities linking to the tranche 1 schemes on Redlands Road and Christchurch Road. In accordance with the DfT’s guidance on the delivery of the Tranche 2 Schemes, the Council carried out an initial engagement exercise into each of the four schemes between 24 February to 23 April 2021. Overall, all proposed schemes attracted high levels of support, with the proposal for Shinfield Road, receiving the highest level of support for, and the lowest level of opposition to, the proposed segregated two-way cycle lanes.

The report set out the indicative time table for the Tranche 2 programme, with statutory consultations due to take place in Autumn 2021. The report explained that in order to deliver a high-quality segregated cycle facility, the DfT funding would only allow one scheme to be taken forward, based on initial cost estimates.

Officers advised that the Council had submitted a proposal to the DfT on 19 April 2021 for Active Travel Capability Funding. The proposal included the development of a town centre cycle hub, offering secure cycle parking, cycle maintenance and a cycle loan/donation scheme, as well as various initiatives aimed at supporting a shift in travel behaviour to active modes.  The report set out the proposed programme of walking and cycling initiatives that would be delivered as part of the Grant Fund.

The report advised that at the time of publication of the report, confirmation of the level of funding awarded by the DfT had not been received. Officers advised at the meeting that this remained unchanged.  Scheme and spend approval for the initiatives and scheme was therefore sought, subject to the successful award of external funding.

The Council’s School Streets initiative

The report provided an update on the Council’s School Streets Initiative, including progress of a joint experimental School Street scheme on Crescent Road for Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC Reading and Alfred Sutton Primary School (see Minute 18 of the meeting held on 15 March 2021).

The report explained that Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC Reading and Alfred Sutton Primary School undertook an informal consultation with affected properties and parents/carers on the proposal to implement an experimental School Street on Crescent Road, details of which were shown in Appendix C. Over 150 consultations had been received by the school community and the local community. A summary of the consultation responses were set out in Appendix D, with 53.5% of respondents being in favour of the proposal.  The report also summarised a list of the concerns raised by residents.

The report set out that, in assessing the application, Officers had carried out traffic surveys and parking surveys on the proposed School Street and neighbouring streets to determine the current baseline usage of the streets. A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit has also been undertaken by an independent road safety auditor and no safety concerns had been identified within the report.

Officers recommended that a School Street on Crescent Road be approved. It was noted that should the Committee agree to its implementation, Officers would assess the impact of the School Street on neighbouring roads during the initial trial period, in response to some of the concerns raised by some of the residents through the consultation.

Resolved –

(1)           That the progress with development of the Active Travel Fund, Capability Fund and School Streets schemes, as outlined in this report, be noted;

(2)           That scheme and spend approval for delivery of the Active Travel Fund Tranche 2 scheme be agreed to provide a segregated cycle facility and pedestrian enhancements on Shinfield Road, in line with the results of the public consultation;

(3)           That scheme and spend approval for delivery of the Active Travel Capability Fund schemes be agreed subject to successful award of the funding, including: a secure cycle hub with parking, maintenance and loan/donation scheme; cycling and walking initiatives and updates to the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan;

(4)           That a joint experimental School Street scheme for Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC Reading and Alfred Sutton Primary School on Crescent Road be approved;

(5)           That the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, Ward Councillors, be authorised to make the appropriate (experimental) Traffic Regulation Orders for the proposed School Streets on Crescent Road in accordance with the Local Authorities Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996;

(6)           That subject to no objections being received during the experimental trial period of the School Street, the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services, in agreement with the Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, be authorised to make the experimental Order permanent;

(7)           That any objections received be reported back to the Committee at the appropriate time.