Reading Ring Road - letter of objection

Written by Cllr Zoe Patrick, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Thu 7th Sep 2006

Director of Environment, Culture & Sport

Reading Borough Council

Civic Centre

Reading

RG1 7TD

FAO Cris Butler

7 September 2006

Dear Sir

Reading Inner Distribution Road

I understand that a decision is likely to be made at your Council meeting tomorrow evening on making the Reading IDR one-way. I know that this letter is very late to be considered, but hope that you will take it into account.

The Liberal Democrat Group on Oxfordshire County Council is very concerned about the effects that the one-way system will have on traffic in South Oxfordshire. We believe that this will encourage more traffic to try to find a way round Reading and in particular increase traffic in villages like Woodcote and Sonning Common.

These villages are already inundated with traffic trying to get to and from Reading. This proposal will obviously increase pressure for a third Thames Bridge - which would increase traffic in South Oxfordshire to an unbearable extent, and have knock-on effects on the rest of the county. As you know, we and, I believe, Oxfordshire County Council as a whole, are opposed to the inevitable increase in traffic that a third Thames Bridge would cause - and so are opposed to a third bridge.

We understand that you have held some discussions with OCC and other neighbouring councils - meetings of which we have not been informed and in which we have not been involved. We are not aware of any local consultation in the Oxfordshire villages affected, or whether their concerns have been taken into full account. From reading the scheme as published on your website, we remain concerned that the measures proposed will not fully mitigate the effects. We therefore remain unconvinced that the scheme is viable.

We would therefore ask your council to defer a decision until after a longer public consultation period, in which Oxfordshire residents can engage and have their views considered.

Yours faithfully

Cllr Zoé Patrick