More bus services are coming to the Wokingham borough after council leaders approved a £1.9 million investment into new and existing routes.
The initiative, funded through grants from the Department for Transport and developers’ contributions, aims for certain routes to run more often and for longer.
The money must be spent by March 31 to secure its release.
Plans include continued funding for the Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride, with the service running every 15 minutes.
There could also be enhancements for the 850 route, which runs between Reading and High Wycombe, as well as the Leopard 3, which runs between Reading and Wokingham station via Shinfield and Arborfield.
There are other ambitions to provide services on the 600 Mereoak Park and Ride on Sundays, to launch a park and ride from Coppid Beech, a route between Crowthorne and Wokingham railway stations and between Lower Earley and Wokingham.
But Labour councillors said the plans were full of ‘vague, feel good platitudes’.
Councillor Marie-Louise Weighill, Wokingham Labour’s transport spokesperson, said at a meeting on March 20: “The reality of local transport in Wokingham borough is not reflected in the Local Transport Plan. Again and again, transport infrastructure is delivered well after housing, if at all.”
Cllr Weighill said her Norreys ward has ‘ghost bus stops out of which a bus has never, and probably will never, land’.
“This has a severe impact on existing transport infrastructure and contributes to the lack of support for improving local transport,” the Labour member continued.
Speaking on the plan, executive member for active travel, transport and highways Martin Alder said the plans ‘reflect changing travel trends’ with a ‘greater focus on climate emergency’.
Cllr Alder said to full council: “It supports our local priorities, including a prosperous economy, improving quality of life for residents, reducing the environmental impact of transport and the first stages in the transition of the transport sector towards lower carbon emissions and net zero.”
The plans were approved by full council, with Labour members abstaining, on March 20 before being given final approval by the executive on March 27.
At the executive meeting, Cllr Alder reiterated the funding was ‘crucial’ for subsidising bus services and making public transport more accessible to residents.
The Liberal Democrat said the focus was on selecting the most deliverable schemes within the grant funding time frame and available budget.
Schemes not included in this programme require further community engagement to ensure they ‘met the best outcomes’, Cllr Alder added.
While £1.4 million has been released through a government grant, a further £573,716 has been released through developers contributions from local housing projects.
