There’s not much getting away from the big story in the Reading area at the moment; how to end the daily traffic gridlock and convince south Oxon residents that it’s in all our interests to deliver a third Thames bridge. To that end, together with Henley MP John Howell, I co-chaired a summit meeting at Westminster on Monday aimed at making a breakthrough that would relieve the pressure on Reading and Caversham bridges.
The summit brought together all the local authorities affected by the existing traffic problems (Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council, and Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council) together with those councils whose areas may be impacted by the construction of a third bridge (Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council). It also included representatives of Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the body which is tasked with deciding what the priorities should be for investment in infrastructure in the area,and the Department of Transport. It’s effectively the first time all the main stakeholders have met in the same room.
We heard from local council representatives that the current bridges across the Thames are no longer fit to accommodate volume of traffic, with thousands of people from South Oxfordshire commuting into Reading every day. The result has been frequent traffic gridlock, causing inconvenience to businesses and potentially putting big businesses off investing and locating into the area. Thames Valley Berkshire LEP confirmed from its strategic plan feedback survey that showed business strongly supported the need for a third bridge as a priority.
The summit meeting's outcome was positive. Officers from the local authorities will work to address the concerns of Oxfordshire and South Oxfordshire councils that a bridge could lead to an increase in traffic in villages in South Oxfordshire.
The Oxfordshire councils have agreed to share their traffic data with the others, and the group of councils aim to present a common view on the scope of what is required for a third Thames bridge to a follow-up summit in early June. This will then lead to detailed modelling of the projected traffic patterns, plus various options for delivering and managing the bridge.
However, it is important we all understand that although this is progress, it is a very long way from being built. This is a five to ten year project from end to end and south Oxon and Oxon CC could decide not to support what comes out of the process. That is why it will be important to clear up the myths and false stories that have circulated about the intentions of Reading over the decades.
I am committed to delivering this project in the same way as I was to delivering a Western Heathrow Rail Link and Reading Station.
We need everybody involved to remain focused and level headed to ensure we make it happen this time. But even the longest march begins with the first step.