Final section of Reading red route to launch

A new section of a ‘no stopping’ red route in Reading town centre will go live this month.

The double red lines, which aim to help speed up journey times for buses, mean drivers cannot stop along the route and will be fined if they do.

The red route, which already runs along large parts of the number 17 bus route, will be extended.

The new route will run through Reading town centre from Oxford Road before its junction with Broad Street, south along St Mary’s Butts and on to Castle Street and Gun Street, north along West Street and east along Friar Street.

Councillor Tony Page, the borough’s lead member for strategic environment, planning and transport, said: “The introduction of a red route along critical sections of the town centre will complete Reading’s first red route, which is designed to keep buses frequent and reliable on Reading’s busiest bus route.

“Red routes have been successfully used in London for many years to help prevent illegal stopping or parking along busy routes, which disrupts the flow of traffic for buses and for all road users, and which can be extremely dangerous.”

Speeding up bus journeys

The red route has been praised for speeding up Reading Buses number 17 by two minutes. 

Cllr Page continued: “In Reading, evidence shows that number 17 passengers are already benefiting from quicker journey times since the east and west sections of the red route went live in 2018.

“This council is determined to improve air quality in the town.

“We have  declared a Climate Emergency and with that comes our commitment to creating a net zero carbon Reading by 2030.

“There are nearly 100,000 individual journeys on the ‘purple 17’ every week and it is essential that we take every opportunity to reduce delays for passengers and encourage even more people to make use of our fantastic bus service instead of the private car.

“It is also important to note that restrictions have been through extensive public consultation  before introduction.

“A key part was designing a scheme which worked for residents and local businesses, as well as for road users.

“In almost all cases, existing parking, loading and disabled bays have been maintained, which applies to the new town centre section, as well as the east and west stretches of the route.”

When do the new red route restrictions start?

The new town centre section of the red route will go live on Monday, March 23.

For a short period of time, drivers who fall foul of the red route will only receive warnings that they have broken the rules.

This will be to ensure drivers are completely clear about the new restrictions and that they will be fined in the future if they ignore them.

Fines will then replace the warning notices.

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Who can stop on red routes?

Only disabled blue badge holders, black cabs and private hire vehicles licensed by Reading Borough Council are allowed to stop to drop off or pick people up.

The restrictions also do not apply to the emergency services, refuse vehicles or universal postal services (Royal Mail).

Where single red lines are marked, drivers are able to stop or park, but only in accordance with the signed restrictions.

Parking, loading and disabled bays along the route have been retained where possible, following feedback from drivers during a public consultation.

How are drivers caught on the red route?

The red route will be enforced by the council’s army of parking officers and its mobile CCTV van.

How much is the fine for stopping on a red route?

Drivers caught stopping on the red route can receive a fine of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

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Reading’s red route

The first part of the red route was introduced in East Reading in February 2018.

It runs from Kings Road in the town centre, through Cemetery Junction into Wokingham Road and ends near to the Three Tuns crossroads.

The western stretch of red route was implemented from Mayfair in Tilehurst to the IDR, in summer 2018.