NEW parking charges will soon be introduced on two major Reading roads.
New on-street pay and display parking charges on sections of Oxford Road and Wokingham Road have been approved by Reading Borough Council.
Under the new rules which will come into effect after Christmas, people will have to pay to park there for over 30 minutes between 8am and 8pm and be allowed to stay for a maximum of two hours.
The old rules only allowed people to park on those roads for up to 30 minutes, with no return within one hour.
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Councillor Sarah Hacker (Labour) said: “The first 30 minutes is free, so nothing has changed in that regard.
“Now people have got the option to stay longer if they wish, which I’m sure will be helpful to some of the hairdressing businesses and restaurants along the Oxford Road.”
On November 12, the council’s Traffic Management Sub-Committee approved the following charges:
Oxford Road, between town centre and Bedford Road:
- 50p for up to 20 minutes
- £1.20 up to 40 minutes
- £1.60 for up to 1 hour
- £2.20 for up to 1 hour 20 minutes
- £2.70 for up to 1 hour 40 minutes
- £3.20 for up to 2 hours
Oxford Road, between Bedford Road and Grovelands Road:
- First 30 minutes free
- £1.60 for up to 1 hour
- £2.50 for up to 1 hour 30 minutes
- £3.20 for up to 2 hours
Wokingham Road local centre:
- First 30 minutes free
- £1.60 for up to 1 hour
- £2.50 for up to 1 hour 30 minutes
- £3.20 for up to 2 hours
The council said 30 minutes is “not long enough” and people often leave their cars on the roads for long periods because the current restrictions are “difficult to enforce”.
According to the council, this “abuse” is making it difficult for people to find a space and this is “having a negative impact on trade”.
Cllr Jamie Whitham (Green Party) said: “I think it will really help with the enforcement of people overstaying, which in turn will help with the issue of double parking on Wokingham Road, which has been going on forever.
“The initial free period will be great as well, as the shops won’t lose any business because of this.”
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