Have your say on station plans

Published 17 Sep 2009 06:00 0 Comments

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PLANS to alter road layout to fit in with the Reading Station redevelopment have moved forward a step.

The council's transport committee has given the go-ahead for the road changes to be put forward for public consultation - rejecting claims there should be one bus interchange instead of three.

Cllr Tony Page, Labour chairman of the Traffic Management Advisory Panel, told a meeting on Thursday last week that three interchanges are necessary and said: "We are not only planning for the current level of bus usage but also planning for a much greater expansion of bus transport." He added there must be clear signs around the redesigned station to help the predicted 35million railway passengers each year.

The plan for three interchanges is opposed by the Liberal Democrats. Their transport spokesman, Cllr Ricky Duveen, told the committee: "I think we are missing a trick on the development of the town centre and clearly it is not going to be one we can put right afterwards."

But Tory Cllr Richard Willis said: "It makes absolute sense that there are options around such a big station rather than one huge interchange that tries to pack everything in."

The road changes would mean Friar Street becomes one-way westbound, instead of eastbound, between the Marks and Spencer loading bay and Station Road, with a westbound bus lane on the Station Road-West Street stretch.

Station Road would become one-way northbound, Valpy Street one-way eastbound, Crown Street would get an eastbound bus lane and West Street a southbound one.

The changes would be paid using some of the secured £4.7m from the Community Infrastructure Fund and £15m from the Regional Funding Allocation.

With cabinet approval the plans will now be advertised throughout next month, before another report to the transport committee with more detail, with work scheduled to start in February.

See the Chronicle's letters pages for more on the station plans

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 17 Sep 09

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