Coley to get new restrictions to tackle parking issues

The Wensley Road loop in Coley Park is a busy neighbourhood encompassing the Coley high-rise flats and a mix of houses and terraces.

Workers for Reading Borough Council (RBC) have been in the process of building an additional 46 new homes that are set to be completed later this year.

Now, the council is considering making changes to the road to restrict parking and create a one-way system for the new development.

RBC wants to impose no waiting and no loading restrictions at junctions along the Wensley Road loop to keep traffic moving and limit obstructions to buses.

Additionally, a new permanent bus stop with a shelter would be formed to replace the existing temporary bus stop opposite 180 Wensley Road.

The construction site in Wensley Road, Coley, where Reading Borough Council is building new homes and flats. Credit: Google Maps

Two speed bumps would be relocated, with one being moved to provide space for the entrance to the new council development, and another to allow an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing to be created.

Meanwhile, a new road running through the development will be one way, with an entrance to the north of the loop and an exit to the south, close to the junction with Lesford Road.

A diagram of proposed traffic changes at the Wensley Road loop in Coley, involving parking restrictions and a one way system through a new council estate of 46 homes. Credit: JNP Group

The changes to driving and parking rules are set to be discussed at a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s traffic management sub-committee on Thursday, January 11.

If approved, the council’s Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services will begin a statutory consultation before implementation.

Subject to no objections being received, the assistant director will then be given the power to make the adaptations proposed.

Changes to traffic measures in the loop have proven controversial in the past.

A proposal to make the loop one-way in an anti-clockwise direction received opposition from neighbours in 2017, who argued a one-way system would be unnecessary and increase residents’ journey times.

Ultimately, the one-way loop plan was shelved in 2018 and has not re-emerged.

There will be an extra 38 car parking spaces created as part of the new development.

The changes to parking rules and access in Wensley Road have been designed in part to provide better access for buses, addressing issues along the loop as drivers pass vehicles parked on the road.

Back in 2017, a council spokesperson said: “The bus route was changed in 2012 in direct response to concerns from elderly residents, who found it difficult to walk to the previous bus stop.

“This change significantly improved access to public transport and consequently has increased use of the local bus service within Coley.

“Bus drivers would also regularly encounter issues with negotiating the old route via Lesford Road, which is more narrow than Wensley Road and also heavily parked up.

“While there were some local objections at the time, the change was welcomed by the majority of residents.”