News from Reading Borough Council
You are invited to have your say on the council’s second Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP2) which includes plans to maintain and improve the borough’s rights of way network in a bid to get more people using them.
A 12-week public consultation launched on 24 November and will close on 19 February 2023. Follow this link to have your say online. For further information or to request alternative formats please email transport@reading.gov.uk.
Some of the existing achievements outlined in the document so far include:
-Resurfacing of key routes in the borough including the River Thames and River Kennet footpaths, with bank repairs alongside the River Thames
-Construction of Christchurch Bridge, providing enhanced access between the Thames Path and Caversham
-A new pedestrian bridge installed in west Reading over the railway linking the Thames Towpath (Footpath 1) with the A329 Oxford Road (Footpath 29)
-Modifications at Fobney Lock for better access to cyclists and wheelchair users.
For the future, the action plan proposes:
-Identifying new paths – including creating new paths as part of new developments
-Reviewing suggestions for historic routes and exploring options with the aim to claim or reinstate them
-Focussing on removing barriers for cyclists – such as gates and narrow paths, and on paths for those with restricted mobility and visually impaired such as gates, surface, gradient, and width
-Long-term addition of street lights on existing dark paths.
The plans have been developed following a previous public consultation in 2021, when residents and local organisations were invited to have their say on how they currently use Reading’s network, and to highlight any barriers or issues to increasing its use as well as suggesting enhancements such as making it more accessible to all users, or better maintenance or signposting.
For more information on the council’s management of public rights of way visit the council’s public rights of way page. View the previous Improvement Plan and consultation results on rights of way improvement plan page.
We look forward to your feedback.