We’ve just received some answers to further questions raised at last night’s Headington Ward Focus meeting from the project team. Here they are.
London Road
Is there enough space for a buggy on the crossing island?
Yes – the island will be 2m wide
Can there be CCTV enforcement to ensure drivers observe yellow boxes?
Down the line – possibly. The council is seeking powers to do this but is currently not able to do it. At present only TfL have been granted delegated powers to enforce yellow box infringements which are otherwise the preserve of the police.
Headley Way
People are concerned about tree felling in the nesting season
- We’ll have a qualified ecologist checking every tree to be felled, if it has an active nest we can’t touch it until the nest has been proven vacated.
- For absolutely clarity, the presence of a nest in itself is not enough to stop the felling of a tree. Occupancy is the key (Ecologists are trained to tell signs if a nest is “active” and if they’re not sure the tree doesn’t come down until they are certain)
- The project team will not cut corners on this – a blackbird’s nest has previously delayed completion of a major scheme for 4 months whilst we waited for the bird to leave
- If we find that a significant number of trees are occupied then we’ll need to re-programme the works (either starting elsewhere/later but it’s entirely dependent on what we find)
Concerns about cyclists being “car doored”
- We’ve included a buffer zone between parking and marked cycle lanes but even so both cyclists and motorists will have to be mindful (as with any cycle lane passing parking)
- Those cyclists not wanting to use the road can still legitimately use the shared facility on the uphill section which would avoid this risk.
Safety concerns re drop off/pick up at St Joseph’s
This is an existing issue. Any parking provision intended for use by parents might get abused by hospital goers so the situation would have to be led by the school (parent parking charters / walking buses / cycling initiatives)