Calls to stop lorries using town centre short cut

A push has been made to stop lorry and HGV drivers using a town's roads to shorten journey times.

HGV and lorry drivers have been observed using roads in Caversham and Reading to access the M4, sparking concerns about road safety.

There were reports of lorry crashes in Reading in the autumn, including incidents where lorries got stuck under bridges.

Now a push has been made to encourage lorry drivers coming from Oxfordshire to use alternative routes such as the A34 to get onto Junction 13 for Chieveley.

Separate lorries got stuck under Caversham Road railway bridge in September and October last year, and in December a lorry hit a wall for a University of Reading building in Redlands Road.

Reading MP Matt Rhodda said he hoped government reforms to road safety and devolution powers could dissuade lorry drivers using roads in the town, during a debate on road safety in Parliament.

He called for a "preventative approach" to road safety to "avoid unnecessary injuries and deaths"

Rodda said: "In my own area there's a serious problem with a lack of cooperation between Oxfordshire County Council, a neighbouring local authority, and Reading Borough.

"Sadly Oxfordshire, despite requests from Reading, have allowed HGVs to go through a Reading suburb called Caversham and into Reading town centre when they could be diverted through much safer routes.

"There have been repeated requests for Oxfordshire to perhaps work more constructively with Reading."

He then called for a "preventative approach" to road safety to "avoid unnecessary injuries and deaths."

Reading Borough Council is considering some form of travel charging for vehicles, including lorries, that do not have a destination in the town.

In his foreword to the Reading Transport Strategy, lead councillor for climate strategy and transport John Ennis said early evidence suggested a "significant proportion" of traffic in Reading was through-traffic, something he said was "not acceptable".

He said it worsened air quality and added to congestion.

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