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A motion is set to be debated about parking at Twyford station at the full council meeting of Wokingham borough council tomorrow (Thursday) after nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for the situation to be improved.
The station currently hosts Great Western Railway (GWR) trains to London Paddington, Reading and Henley, and Elizabeth Line trains to Abbey Wood in London.
Since the opening of the Elizabeth Line in 2022, Twyford station passenger numbers have increased for the last four years in a row.
Activists have argued that the 400 spaces in the station car park are usually full by 7.15am, leading commuters to park elsewhere in the village, causing disruption to residents.
A petition set up on Change.org has received 1,963 signatures, and has called on Wokingham borough council to work on a proper solution with GWR to address the issue.
It was set up by the Wokingham Conservatives last November, with the aim of forcing a council debate on the problem.
Although the petition has reached the 1,500-signature threshold for a debate, the council requires people to provide their postcodes, which the Change.org platform does not support.
Giving an update on the petition, Angus Ross, a former Conservative borough councillor, explained: “The petition organisers thank everyone who signed the petition.
“1,500 signatures were needed to compel the council to hold a formal debate about this problem; and in the end, nearly 2,000 people signed it.
“But unfortunately, the council rejected the validity of the petition because they require signatories to supply their full postcodes, yet the petition platform hadn’t insisted on this.
“Since then, the Conservative Group has initiated a motion to be debated by councillors at a full council meeting.”
The motion has been submitted by cllr Sam Akhtar (Conservative, Thames).
It states: “This council believes that a coordinated approach involving the council, Great Western Railway and other relevant stakeholders is necessary to deliver a sustainable solution.
“This council therefore resolves to call on the executive to work with GWR to assess current and future parking demand at Twyford station, and explore all viable options to expand parking provision in the vicinity of the station, develop business cases for each option, and agree a preferred solution with GWR by the end of 2026; and work with GWR and other relevant stakeholders to deliver the preferred option at pace once agreed.”
The petition also calls on the council to set up a cross-party working group to drive ahead with a parking solution to resolve the issue.
Additionally, it has requested that bus services and cycling infrastructure be improved beyond the current provision.
To assist with bus passenger access to Twyford and its station, the Reading Buses Route 12 was introduced last November, running services between central Reading, Shepherd’s Hill, Sonning, Charvil and Twyford.
The petition was set up by David Sleight, the association deputy chairman of the Wokingham Conservatives.
The subject also arose at last week/s Executive meeting of the council, where it was confirmed that the council had met GWR to discuss the situation, but that a second deck of parking had been ruled out by GWR, who lase the land from Network Rail.
