We have just heard this lunchtime that the county council has put the Highfield Traffic Management Scheme proposals on hold, and that the County officer responsible for the scheme has given apologies for this evening’s area committee meeting

The responses from local councillors on the current scheme will still be sent to the County’s transport planning officer for consideration in the drafting of the report, and the responses from residents will still be collated, analysed and made public at some unspecified point in the future

More importantly there is an implication that the money for this proposed scheme may be spent elsewhere in Headington rather than in the Highfield (and New H) area, so long as it helps reduce through traffic in and around developer sites at the NOC and the Brambles, Latimer Road. This will be decided in line with the capital spending review. It would be possible, for example, for the County to decide that this money should be used as part of the Park and Ride expansion at Thornhill to run public transport to and from hospitals in Headington thus reducing through traffic by drivers through Headington residential streets. Please note: this is only one alternative option

The discussion of options arising from the Highfield Traffic Management Scheme consultation at the Cabinet Member for Transport’s meeting in September has been pulled from that agenda