The council approved 50 and 40mph limits on the B3348 Bracknell Road and A3095 Foresters Way on 6 October, after Crowthorne Parish Council asked for a lower limit.
Lower speed limits are coming to the B3348 Bracknell Road and the northern end of the A3095 Foresters Way at Crowthorne. Most of Bracknell Road will drop to 50mph, with a short 40mph stretch on the approach to the village.
The cabinet member for planning, transport and countryside, Councillor Guy Gillbe, signed the decision on Tuesday 6 October. It can be called in for scrutiny until Wednesday 14 October. After that the Borough Solicitor is authorised to make the order. (Bracknell Forest Council, decision 4381, installation of 50 and 40mph speed limits on B3348 Bracknell Road and A3095 Foresters Way)
Why the limits are changing
The request came from Crowthorne Parish Council. The officer report says new residents of the Bucklers Park estate, built on the old Transport Research Laboratory site, are walking to the woodland using the footpath and crossing Bracknell Road on this section. (Cabinet member report, 7 September 2026, PDF)
The council assessed the request and put money for a traffic regulation order into its 2026-27 highways and transport capital programme. The report gives two reasons for the change:
- to encourage more walking and cycling into Swinley Forest from the new developments next to it
- to bring vehicle speeds down, which the council expects to improve safety for everyone using the road
What the order does
The report describes the layout like this:
- a short 40mph section acts as a buffer before entering Crowthorne, and ties into the existing limit on Brookers Row
- the rest of Bracknell Road drops to 50mph
- the northern section of Foresters Way is included for consistency, and as an extra buffer before the existing 40mph on the approach to the traffic lights at The Golden Retriever
The exact extents are on drawing 5072/319 in Annex A of the report. The report does not say when the new signs will go up. The decision only authorises the order to be made; the council will need to install the signs before the limits are enforceable.
One comment, no objections from councillors
The order was advertised on 8 July 2026 for the statutory 21 days. Thames Valley Police, the parish council, bus operators and the freight and haulage associations were notified. Ward councillors for Crowthorne were consulted informally first and made no comments. (Annex B, objections and comments summary, PDF)
One response came in. The respondent, whose name is redacted, asked for the 40mph section to be moved further north of the Brookers Row junction, to give a safer approach for vehicles turning right into Brookers Row or leaving it towards Foresters Way.
Officers recommended proceeding as advertised. Their reasons:
- the 40 to 50mph change point already sits to the north-east of the Brookers Row junction
- the extents were chosen from existing speed data, with two sections where speeds are already consistent with the proposed limits
- that follows the Department for Transport guidance “Setting Local Speed Limits”, which the council has adopted as its own policy, and which says limits should be evidence led and encourage drivers to comply without enforcement
Because objections were received, the council had to consider them formally. The report says this type of order is outside the scope of Regulation 9 of the 1996 traffic orders procedure regulations, so no public inquiry was required, and officers did not think one was appropriate.
What it means for you
If you drive to Crowthorne from Bracknell. Expect a 50mph limit along most of Bracknell Road and 40mph as you reach the village, once the signs are in. The report says the costs come from the approved 2026/27 highways capital programme, with no extra spending.
If you live at Bucklers Park. The council’s stated aim is to make crossing to the forest footpath safer. The order does not add a crossing; it lowers the speed of the traffic you cross.
If you want to challenge it. The decision is subject to call-in until 14 October. Call-in is a request by councillors, not residents, so the practical route is to contact a Crowthorne ward councillor before that date. The report shows the call-in count at zero as of Sunday 11 October.
The council’s road closures page and our roadworks and travel page will carry any closure needed for the sign work. For other traffic orders in the borough, see our parking in Bracknell page.
Have your say