Sharing Our Roads Safely

Creating better road experiences for all

As part of our Local Cycling, Walking and Infrastructure Plan we have outlined some improvements we want to make to routes around our borough. These include better lighting, wider footpaths and improved crossings. We want to make active travel as easy and accessible to our residents as we possibly can.

Many of the road networks in the UK were planned in the mid-1900s and are not built to accommodate the levels of traffic that we see today. This means that modern roads face a lot of congestion and traffic flow issues. 

Did you know? In 2018, the average cost of congestion was approximately £1,300 per driver. Not only that, but higher levels of traffic means increased air pollution. This has links to health problems such as breathing difficulties and even an increased risk of depression.

At My Journey Wokingham, we want to make sure that the roads and routes work better for everyone and contribute to good health and wellbeing. That’s why we’re making these improvements, to benefit all of our residents - including people who need to rely on a car or van to travel around the borough.

According to a report by the European Cyclists’ Federation, if just 1 in 10 car trips under 5 km were replaced by cycling, road traffic could be reduced by up to 30%! By creating more shared-use paths and making walking and cycling routes more accessible for everyone, we reduce congestion on the roads and improve the flow of traffic. This means that our roads are freed up for people who need to use the car, our community is cleaner, and residents of the borough can travel more easily from A to B.

We know that for many people, it’s not always possible to swap the car for active travel. If this is the case for you, we encourage you to think about how you could reduce your car use, rather than cutting it out entirely. Could you combine two journeys into one, try out public transport, or swap your gym membership for a regular bike ride?

Using active travel when you can improves the travel experience for everyone in the borough - and you might find you enjoy the change in routine! Try out our journey planner to plan your active route today.