First phase of bus lane work set to last for weeks

Work is starting on a new bus lane aimed at making journeys on public transport quicker.

The lane on Reading's London Road, between Sidmouth Street and London Street, is part of a wider package of measures across the town.

A temporary lane closure between Sidmouth Street and Kendrick Road is expected to last until the middle of this month. The main part of the bus lane work is expected to resume in the New Year.

Reading Borough Council said it would do all it could to mitigate disruption during the work.

As part of the work in early 2027, the council said the Kendrick Road junction with London Road would need to be temporarily closed for between six and nine weeks.

But it said that would be phased to reopen Kendrick Road northbound onto London Road as soon as possible.

Robert Williams, Reading Buses' chief executive, said the scheme sought to improve bus corridors from the Royal Berkshire Hospital and University of Reading to the town centre.

"Predictable journey times are essential to ensure that our resources are used to provide the best service possible," he added.

He said the scheme would give "priority access" to thousands of bus passengers a day on Reading Buses' leopard 3, buzz 9, little oranges 19a/b/c, and claret 21 services.