Road user charging in Reading on the cards for rat-running lorries

The issue was raised last week in a recent House of Commons debate, during which Reading MP Matt Rodda said a lack of co-operation between Oxfordshire county council and Reading borough council meant the former was allowing HGVs to travel through the centre of the town.

Reading is considered a convenient route for lorries and other modes of transport accessing the M4 as it has three motorway junctions.

Rodda said: “There is a serious problem with a lack of co-operation between Oxfordshire county council, as the neighbouring local authority, and Reading borough council.

“Sadly, Oxfordshire, despite requests from Reading, has allowed heavy goods vehicles to go through a Reading suburb called Caversham and into Reading town centre when they could be diverted on to much safer routes.”

In a forward for Reading’s transport strategy by lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, John Ennis, he said it included schemes some could find controversial: “I make no apology for that,” he said.

“The only way we can hope to tackle the congestion and pollution which blights some areas of Reading is by doing things differently.

“It is not acceptable for the many thousands of vehicles and lorries who have no origin, destination or purpose in Reading to continue to use the town as a short cut, causing additional congestion, polluting our air and damaging our health.”

The strategy included looking at road user charging as a method for targeting highly polluting vehicles and through traffic: “Road user charging schemes could be utilised to address specific issues, such as through traffic, more polluting vehicles, or inappropriate HGV movements,” it said.

“Early evidence suggests that there are high levels of through traffic with no purpose in Reading, therefore this scheme will investigate measures to manage this demand and encourage the use of more appropriate routes on the strategic road network for this traffic.”