New bus routes from Woodley could be set to appear.
During the recent full council meeting on Wokingham borough council, Cllr Greg Bello asked Cllr Adrian Betteridge, the executive councillor for active travel, transport and highways: “Last year, WBC held a consultation into the future of the borough’s three major town centres, including Woodley.
“The report said Woodley is “.. well served by buses to Wokingham”.
“The closest the Lion 4 gets to Woodley is when it stops near The George pub in Earley. The other bus meanders between Reading, Twyford and Wokingham.
“What is Wokingham borough council doing to improve bus services in Woodley?”
Cllr Betteridge replied. He said: “I am pleased to confirm that Woodley town benefits from one of the most frequent and late-running bus services in the borough, albeit with the emphasis on travel to Reading which is the primary requirement in the area.
“There are four buses per hour running between the Chequers stop in central Woodley and Reading town centre, three buses per hour between Woodley town and the wider residential areas of Woodley, but only approximately one bus per hour from Woodley town to Wokingham, stopping on Waltham Road for Twyford station.
“Many areas of the borough would be delighted with such a service.
“To support areas of Woodley that are not covered by commercial services, the council provides £364,000 annually to maintain the 19a, 19b, and 19c services.
“The commercial 13 and 14 services offer early morning journeys starting from 5:50am and running through to midnight from Monday to Saturday.
“On Sundays, an hourly service operates in both directions between 8am and 11pm.
“Thanks to recent grant funding, we have also extended Friday and Saturday evening services to run until 2am.
“While Woodley already enjoys a strong level of service in general, we remain committed to improving public transport for our residents.
“We are working in partnership with Reading Borough Council to try and improve bus journey times between Woodley and Reading, but we are also undertaking a borough-wide review of bus services and have already engaged with many community groups to understand local needs.
“We are developing options for further improvements, which may depend on securing appropriate funding.
“Discussions with potential funding partners, including town and parish councils, will begin shortly, and there will be a public consultation starting next year.
Cllr Belloa asked: “Would you give a commitment to provide some assistance to the people of Woodley as to how they would travel to the Winnersh park and ride as part of the improvement plans?
Cllr Betteridge said:”That is, I think, potentially a very valuable route.
“I will discuss it with our bus services team and if it is not already evident in the work that we have done this year, I will ask that it can be looked at as part of the work that they are doing.”
