BARRIERS installed in Wokingham’s town centre to help with social distancings are to be removed from this Sunday.
Rectory Road is to be restored to two lanes of traffic in time for Monday morning’s school run.
The work will take place from 6pm on Sunday, September 6 and Wokingham Borough Council is promising that the road will be kept fully open throughout the barrier removal.
The barriers had originally been installed in June, under government guidance.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said: “The barriers were originally installed to create more space for pedestrians to walk into town safely and as part of the wider measures to help reduce traffic speeds across the town centre.
“Over the last few months we have continued to monitor usage and believe now is the right time to remove the barriers on Rectory Road.
“With more people returning to the office, and schools reopened, we are keen to return the road to two-lane traffic to provide additional capacity.
“The remaining town centre restrictions continue to remain under review and will be removed at the appropriate times.”
And the leader of the council, Cllr John Halsall said: “The barriers have started to come out. When they were put in, we were dealing with two-metre social distancing, which is very, very different circumstances from that we have now.”
He added that this included the change to make people wear face coverings when out and about, and the two-metre rule being relaxed to one metre.
“We did what the Government said we needed to do,” he said of the barriers’ initial installation. “In some cases it worked, but we really need to go back to normal.”
He also thanked residents for their efforts in trying to minimise the spread of coronavirus.
“Covid is still here,” he said. “We have one of the lowest rates in the country and I think we will maintain that low rate – but it requires everyone to play their part.”