Reading mayor warns £2.84m cycling funding is not enough

The Department for Transport (DfT) has allocated Reading just over £2.84 million for active travel between 2026/27 and 2029/30.

But in an episode of the BE Sustainable podcast (made by the University of the Built Environment), Reading’s Mayor, Councillor Paul Gittings, said it would be difficult to stretch that funding across the town.

Using Reading as a case study, the Mayor joined Cycling UK chair, Professor Ashley Wheaton (also vice chancellor of Reading-based University of the Built Environment), Netherlands-based urban mobility advocate Melissa Bruntlett, and Reading cyclist and author Jason Wride to discuss the money, infrastructure and cultural change needed to get more people on bikes.

Cllr Gittings noted that it is possible to travel from Thames Valley Park across much of the borough without encountering a car – but the problem is joining those sections to the places people need to reach.

Speaking of Reading’s current cycling infrastructure he said: “I’m the first to admit that it’s incomplete. They take a long time to deliver and they are extremely costly.”

The guests on the podcast also discussed the funding available to connect and extend routes.

Cllr Gittings said: “It’s nowhere near enough money to connect the network as we would want.”

The Mayor’s comments come as Reading continues work on active travel schemes including routes along Bath Road and Shinfield Road.

But, he said, building-segregated cycle routes could only be part of the answer; changing the behaviour of drivers is equally important, he feels.

“We should make more use of our roads as well and make sure that driver behaviour changes quite radically,” he said. “Good infrastructure and driver behaviour, the two go hand in hand.”

The Mayor also questioned whether Britain is making the most of the investment already going into teaching children to ride.

Cllr Gittings is a Bikeability instructor – a certified professional who teaches practical cycle training and road safety skills to children and adults - in Reading schools.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) has a target of 1,500 children undertaking Bikeability training each year, teaching skills ranging from basic bike control to cycling on roads and negotiating more complex junctions.

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Cllr Gittings praised the programme, but said there was a disconnect between learning how to cycle and children then using their bikes for everyday journeys.

“We need to do more school streets and those types of things to get more children cycling,” he said.

For Cllr Gittings, who previously held responsibility for adult social care at Reading Borough Council, the link with public health is significant.

Cycling is close to his heart; the Mayor also is a triathlete, and his son, Matt Gittings, is a two-time British Elite Derny national cycling champion.

“We’ve got a massive health crisis in this country,” he said. “We’ve also got a massive climate crisis, and we need to make this a priority.”

Reading Borough Council was approached for comment.