Congestion is hot topic in lead-up to poll

24 April 2008

Congestion has emerged as one of the biggest issues in Labour’s last council stronghold in the Southeast.

Conservatives hoping to gain control of Reading in the up-coming local elections have pledged to build a new bypass in the east of the town to tackle congestion, and have also proposed measures to maintain Reading’s relatively low level of car commuting.

Labour attacked the proposal for what they called a ‘new version of the deeply unpopular cross-town route, proposed in the early 1990s, renamed an “east Reading bypass”’. Cllr Jon Hartley said: ‘Whatever their denials, the Tories are planning a bridge to carry motorised traffic across Kennetmouth green space, devastating a green lung highly prized by Newtown residents.’

An independent transport commission established by the Labour leadership, due to report after the election, had received ‘very few submissions calling for the return of the cross-town route’. But the Conservatives stressed that the congestion and consequent pollution experienced in east Reading ‘needs to be addressed’. The new road would include a bus lane in both directions and a segregated cycle lane, it stressed.

Cllr Richard Willis, Conservative transport spokesman, said: ‘This is a balanced strategy which proposes a real shift in road use from the private car.’ The Conservatives’ manifesto proposes segregated cycle freeways – as developed by Brighton & Hove’s Conservative administration – and two new pedestrian/cycle bridges. Labour, fighting to retain control, acknowledged that, ‘the present road infrastructure cannot sustain traffic growth’ – a predicted 16% from 2007 to 2012 – and the party says it would add extra capacity ‘without adverse affect on the environment’

It had asked the transport commission to ‘consider all the options’ for improving traffic flow on the congested inner distribution road (IDR). A local campaign against Labour plans to make IDR one-way – halted last summer, following opposition from neighbouring Conservative-run Wokingham – fears the commission will revive the scheme.

Meanwhile, Conservatives in Greater Manchester were campaigning against the ‘stealth tax’ of congestion charging – including in transport secretary Ruth Kelly’s Bolton constituency.

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