Reading bus lane taxi access plan consultation launches
- Published
The council wants to allow more vehicles to use the outbound bus lane in King's Road
A council has launched a public consultation on its plans to allow more vehicles to use a crash-prone bus lane.
Reading Borough Council (RBC) wants private hire taxis and hackney carriages licenced by the council to have access to the outbound bus lane in King's Road, Reading.
Currently, motorbikes, bicycles, buses and wheelchair taxis are allowed to use it.
Private hire drivers in Reading applied to use the bus lane in 2022.
The council will decide whether to implement the proposed changes at its next meeting in March
Council officers told a meeting last month that improving the traffic flow could make the road even less safe.
Peter Seymour, of the Reading Motorcycle Action Group, told the same meeting it was a "known blackspot" and warned councillors they were "looking at a disaster zone".
Nevertheless, the authority's traffic management sub-committee unanimously agreed to consult on the plan.
RBC said that, after reviewing feedback from an informal consultation in November, it had decided to proceed with the proposal.
It added that it expected the results of the public consultation to be presented at its next meeting in March, when a decision would be taken on whether to implement the changes.
The consultation closes on 21 February.
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