Reading announces pop-up cycle lanes after two cyclists are killed in one day

Reading has announced plans for £1.5m of cycling and pedestrians routes with the first pop-up cycle lane due to be completed today. The news comes after the town suffered two cyclist fatalities on its roads inside 24 hours.

Reading is to receive £1,474,000 from the government’s £250m emergency active travel fund.

Berkshire Live reports that the council is set to receive around £295,000 of this for temporary projects in response to the Covid-19 pandemic with around £1.2m to follow for long-term projects.

Seven schemes were approved on May 18, which are temporary but could become permanent.

The first project – pop-up cycle lanes on Reading Bridge – is set for completion today.

The others involve:

• Increasing walking and cycling capacity on Gosbrook Road and Westfield Road
• Making Sidmouth Street one-way while adding a contra-flow cycle lane
• Building a cycle lane on Oxford Road
• Reallocating a motor traffic lane to cyclists on Whitley Street Local Centre
• Introducing cycle lanes on Southampton/Silver Street
• Adding a cycle lane to Redlands Road at Christchurch Green junction

A temporary westbound cycle route on London Road, which could be shared with buses, has also since been approved.

Yesterday, a 22-year-old woman was released under investigation following the death of a cyclist in a crash on Thames Street in Sonning on Wednesday morning.

She was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs.

The incident occurred at around 7.50am. Police have appealed for witnesses.

Later that same day, at around 7.25pm, a Deliveroo cyclist died following a collision in Addington Road.

A 26-year-old man from Wokingham has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving, and driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

Again, police have appealed for witnesses.