Car Cruising Public Spaces Protection Order consultation
We'd like to know what you think about a proposal to renew a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) tackling ‘car cruising’ in Wokingham Borough.
A three-year order would update an identical, existing PSPO, which has been very successful in reducing reported incidents of car cruising by 41 per cent annually.
Under the existing order, which was introduced in 2022, more than half of reported incidents of dangerous and anti-social behaviour, in relation to car cruising, resulted in offenders receiving a fixed penalty notice of up to £100.
In each case, nobody who received a fixed penalty notice reoffended and was caught car cruising again, showcasing the order's success and the wish to renew it in the borough.
The background
Since 2022, 144 incidents of car cruising (48 per year, on average) were reported to us or Thames Valley Police, and 73 fixed penalty notices were issued. Previously over a 12-month period, from January 2021 to January 2022, a higher rate of 82 incidents was reported.
At that time, the significant number of complaints we received from residents made a strong case for a three-year PSPO to be introduced.
Underlining that, 75 per cent of people, when surveyed in June and July 2022, supported the introduction of a PSPO to tackle this problem.
The regularity of incidents in 2021 detrimentally impacted nearby residents’ quality of life – and were concentrated, late at night. There were media reports of children who were so badly impacted that they hid under their bed when they could hear a car cruising incident close by.
In 2025, the reasons for a renewed PSPO tackling this behaviour are fundamentally unchanged.
What is car cruising?
Car cruising describes drivers who meet to race or show off their vehicles. In this context, PSPO’s tackle, among other things, dangerous driving, racing, aggressive acceleration and braking, sounding horns, and threatening behaviour.
Since 2022, there have been three hotspots for car cruising in the borough: Thames Valley Business Park in Woodley; Carnival Pool Car Park in Wokingham town; and Mereoak Park and Ride near Three Mile Cross.
You can have your say on this issue and its continuing impact in the borough, in a survey we've created. It's open until Sunday, 2 November.
Phases
Car cruising Public Spaces Protection Order consultation
Have your say on our proposal to renew a Public Spaces Protection Order tackling ‘car cruising’ in Wokingham Borough.