Reading's Greens have launched a campaign to make a busy Newtown crossing safer for walkers and cyclists. The group says the major crossing at Cemetery Junction is an accident waiting to happen.

Rob White told us: "We acknowledge that there haven't actually been any accidents at this crossing yet, but it's bound to happen now that we're blocking access in order to hassle people to fill in our survey.

"We have a fully costed and workable solution: A Greater Reading Park’n’Bike scheme. We’ll simply wall up the end of the A3290 and give everyone a free bicycle, no exceptions. Just think how much safer the area would be if articulated lorries were banned? I'm sure if the whole community pulled together and we got enough bikes with those little baskets on the front, we could restock an entire Tescos in a few months."

The Greens also plan to make Reading's streets safer for walkers. "Walking is the most sustainable form of transport," continued Rob, "just think of by how much we could reduce the carbon footprint of Reading if we forced accident victims, the old and angina sufferers to walk to the Royal Berks instead of swaning around in their fancy 'ambulances'. Just an extra heart attack or two a year would make a significant contribution to help save the planet."

One Newtown resident commenting on the Greens' campaign told us: "I think if they concentrated on the real local issues, like drive-by shootings and attacks with baseball bats, they might do a lot more to make Newtown a safer place. Rob's probably just upset that no-one could be bothered to beat him up during the local elections. And I wish he’d stop removing his shirt in public."