Plans to introduce new bus lanes on six key routes in Reading are to be approved despite criticism from local businesses, the BBC reports, as part of a £26m investment in bus services in the city.
Reading Borough Council says the bus lanes will cut congestion and improve the environment, though local traders believe they will be damaging to their businesses. The Council says the bus lanes are in locations which have been identified as ones where services suffer from the most delays due to congestion, especially at peak times.
Lead councillor for climate strategy and transport John Ennis commented: “Reading already has a popular and well used bus network and it will become even more attractive to people if buses can avoid congestion and run even more reliably, faster and more frequently. Everybody knows there is limited road space in Reading and some of the proposed changes will impact on traffic flows in the short term, but this has been taken into consideration in the design of the new lanes and measures will be taken to mitigate this where possible.”
