THE MP for Wokingham has written to Wokingham Borough Council criticising road plans and urging for an extension to the consultation.
Sir John Redwood, Conservative MP for Wokingham, penned the letter last week to the leader of the council, Cllr Clive Jones about the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).
In the letter, Sir John said: “The extensive plans to change roads and junctions in Wokingham borough could pose considerable difficulties to all those who need to use a van or car to earn a living, to deliver items to homes and shops to keep us supplied, to get children to school, to get people to surgeries and hospitals, to allow mobility to the disabled and to give easy access to emergency vehicles when needed.
“It looks like an expensive and worrying plan which will worsen people’s experience of the borough, frustrate visitors and make normal lives more vexatious.
“I suggest the council thinks again and goes back to a system of incremental improvement with a balanced approach which allows vehicle users principal routes to get around whilst providing more safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians.”
In his reply to Sir John, Cllr Jones said: “The government has directed local authorities to grow walking and cycling to a point where 50% of local journeys in towns (and cities) are walked or cycled by 2030.
“To do this in Wokingham we need a very significant increase in rates of both cycling and in walking, which is also in line with the local ‘net-zero’ CO2 target set in 2018.
“This consultation contains high level proposals and, following feedback, the routes and interventions providing the most benefits will be prioritised to be developed further.”
Cllr Jones, who is also the Liberal Democrat’s parliamentary candidate for Wokingham, said “detailed plans” will then be put to residents for further consultation before any changes are implemented.
Another criticism from Sir John was the “insufficient” advertising of the consultation at a time when many people are away on holiday.
He added: “The technology also does not make it easy to see what is planned in all parts of the borough.”
Cllr Jones said the consultation has been extended to Sunday, September 4, after a meeting between highways officers and the executive member Cllr Paul Fishwick.
Cllr Jones also said it had been advertised through “every means possible” and a change from the current Engage platform would cost “considerable funding and time which the lowest funded Unitary authority in the country doesn’t have”.
Both Sir John and Cllr Jones agreed that improving the provision for cycleways and walking routes would be beneficial for residents and the environment.
Sir John said: “I welcome the provision of more and better cycleways away from main roads, and good walking routes also away from main roads.
“As someone who does a lot of walking in the local area I feel well catered for, with plenty of footpaths allowing me to get away from traffic.
“I support more greenways to schools so more children can choose to cycle or walk in relative safety away from main roads.”
Cllr Jones said: “More people walking and cycling for local trips is fundamental to many of the government’s major strategies.
“Around a third of climate change causing CO2 emissions are from road transport.
“Wokingham already has two areas which exceed mandatory air quality limits where we
need to reduce car traffic, not including that caused by the M4.”
The government has committed nearly £4 billion nationally through to 2025 to improve active travel.
Cllr Jones said the funding is only accessible to the council if it plans a network of “high-quality routes”.
He added: “I do not often find myself advocating a plan of our current government, and the groundwork originally laid by our previous administration in Wokingham. However, in this case I am pleased to do so.
“We will consider carefully all feedback received from the consultation in terms of how we deliver this programme.
“However, I do not expect the overall mission to make cycling and walking a safe and attractive option for all for short trips to change, either locally or nationally.”
