'Rat run' road could get new speed limit

Local resident Derek Daniels said people used Northcourt Avenue as a "rat run"

Residential roads near a university could be given a 20mph (32km/h) speed limit after reports of motorists driving at "stupid" speeds and using it as a "rat run".

There is currently a 30mph (48km/h) limit in place along Northcourt Avenue and Wellington Avenue, near the University of Reading.

The speed limit could be reduced if a project by Reading Borough Council goes ahead.

A decision on whether to carry out a consultation will be discussed at the traffic management sub-committee meeting on Wednesday.

Local resident Derek Daniels said he had frequently seen cars going at "crazy, absolutely stupid" speeds and using it as a "rat run".

He said he had seen at least "30 or 40 cars excessively speeding" since May this year and added it was a "really dangerous" area to walk his dog.

"I look both ways three of four times before I take him across the road just in case because they come out of nowhere," he said.

The road could get a new 20mph speed limit

Councillor Paul Woodward, who represents the area, said there had been "lots of incidents where we were getting people going as fast as 50mph (80km/h)".

A speed reduction was discussed and approved as a project for traffic management measures at the council’s traffic management sub-committee meeting in March 2022.

Since then, the council's highways team has devised a project to make the two avenues 20mph at a total cost of £200,000.

Councillors are being asked to approve a statutory consultation that must be conducted before the project is implemented.