Margaret Road – plans for a zebra crossing and road humps

The County Council has published a notice of its plans to make changes to Margaret Road, and sets out proposals to  build a new zebra crossing, and to remove and construct road humps. The project is being funded from developer money relating to the proposed extension to Windmill School.
Comments need to be in by 1 August which doesn’t leave much time. Our understanding is that properties in the area have not been leafletted with the proposed changes, so we have sent them out by email to those in the area for whom we have electronic contact details and are publishing the plans on our blog.
A major concern is that rainwater gullies may need to be moved and extra ones put in as previous changes similar to this made in Old Road have resulted in puddles either side of the road humps.
 
There is a concern that traffic turning right out of York Road may get stuck half way if children run out across the crossing, so Altaf and Ruth have asked County Highways to double check this. Apparently there are different rules for pelican and toucan crossings re adjacency to a road  junction than there are for zebra crossings.
 
Lines of sight will be very important here. Officers say:
I appreciate the point you make about sight lines  – however given the low traffic speeds, in our judgement this should not present a safety hazard, but we have still to complete detailed design
We have asked County Cllr Roz Smith to make sure that no parking spaces will be lost in Margaret Road, as parking there is often under pressure. We have been given an assurance by an officer that the number of parking bays will not be affected:
I confirm that the proposed zebra crossing will not impact on existing  parking bays – the crossing (including the  proposed zig zag markings) will only extend where there are currently double yellow lines or school keep clear markings; however there will be a slight impact on loading / usage by disabled vehicles as such use would not be permitted on the crossing itself or along the zig zag markings.
Comments from residents and councillors are due to be reported to the Cabinet Member for Transport’s Decision meeting on  4th September and officers would be happy to include any comments you want to make on this proposal. The closing date for comments is 1/8/14.

OXFORD – MARGARET ROAD AND WHARTON ROAD: PROPOSED ZEBRA CROSSING AND ROAD HUMPS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Oxfordshire County Council proposes to construct a zebra crossing and road humps under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Highways Act 1980 as described below:

  1. a)  Margaret Road – a zebra crossing immediately east of the junction with York Road. The crossing will be sited on a new flat top road hump approx. 4.5m wide and 75mm high (ramp gradients to be 1:12)
  2. b)  Wharton Road – a flat top hump sited across Wharton Road at its junction with Margaret Road. The hump will be approx. 4.5m wide and 75mm high (ramp gradients to be 1:12). The radius of the kerbing at the junction will be reduced to narrow the width of the carriageway.
  3. c)  The existing round top hump on Margaret Road between York Road and Wharton Road opposite properties 14/16 will be removed.

Documents giving more detailed particulars of the Order are available for public inspection at County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, and at Headington Library, North Place, Headington, OX3 9HY from 9.15am to 1pm Monday & Wednesday, 9.15am to 7pm to Tuesday & Thursday, 9.15am to 5pm Friday, and 9am to 4.30pm on Saturday.

Objections to the proposals and other representations specifying the grounds on which they are made may be sent in writing to the address below by the 01 August 2014. The Council will consider objections and representations received in response to this Notice. They may be disseminated widely for these purposes and made available to the public.

Traffic Regulation Team (ref: CM/12.6.320) on behalf of the Director for Environment & Economy, Speedwell House, Oxford, OX1 1NE. Tel: 0845 310 1111.

 

Please see Windmill Primary School – SCHEMATIC PLAN for details

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public exhibition of Oxford Rail Station plans

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Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Network Rail, in conjunction with the Department for Transport and First Great Western (representing train operating companies), are working together to develop a Masterplan for Oxford Station.

The Station Masterplan Exhibition will take place on Friday 1 August (10am to 5pm) and Saturday 2 August (10am to 4.30pm) at the Exhibition Suite, Westgate Centre, Oxford (opposite ‘The Works’, by the entrance to Sainsbury’s).

This public exhibition that will allow people to find out more about our proposals for a greatly improved rail hub and interchange at Oxford, reflecting its status as a world class city and a global centre for innovation and learning. The exhibition is a two day event and attendees can drop-in at any time with no need to register. Staff will be on-hand to explain more about the proposals and there will be an opportunity to give feedback.

Here is an Oxford Station Masterplan Questions and Answers list for your consideration

App launched for our younger residents

An app has been launched for the under 25s in Oxfordshire which has activities and events for them to enjoy.

Bungee, Oxfordshire’s app for things to do and see for the under 25s, has been developed by young people at FilmOxford.  The app helps young people find things to do, places to go and where to get help, based on their location and their interests.

Young people have built Bungee with technical support from FilmOxford, information downloads from Oxfordshire Sports Partnership and promotions run by Jack FM.

Bungee will tell the user what’s on, how close, where on the map the event, activity or place is and how to get there by bus. This app will benefit everyone from the sports clubs, nightlife and events holders through to the people, the community and the economy of Oxfordshire.

Content is grouped into categories including:

  • Play = Sports ranging from the usual suspects to the more obscure and everything in between.
  • Visit = Places you might visit or things you might go to like gigs, community events or galleries and museums
  • Advice =  Does what it says on the tin
  • Do = Activities like arts workshops, Scouts and Guides… anything you can do that isn’t sport
  • Keeping Me Safe = Services that offer advice about personal safety i.e. Drug and Alcohol Awareness and Personal Abuse.

You can download the app for free from the Apple App Store and Google play on the Saturday 26 July and hear more about it on Jack2 and find Bungee at facebook.com/BungeeOxfordshire and @BungeeOxford and at 6 locations across Oxfordshire.

More improvements planned in North Place

North Place bench

Remember when the new bench was installed in North Place after the site inspection by Altaf, Ruth and council staff? We also requested that the paths were resurfaced as some of our less mobile residents find them a bit uneven.

We’re delighted to say that that the decision’s been made to upgrade the paths in this year’s round of maintenance projects, and some of our tenants have asked if the surface colour can be changed. We have agreed with council staff that all tenants will be consulted about this, and we will hold a site meeting if needed so that we get a balanced view of people’s preferences. We are mindful that some of our residents have sight problems so we are keen that any agreed outcome helps them too.

Thames Water news on Osler Road spills

Thames Water is sending down a team for a ‘lift and look’ exercise along the line from the Osler Rd sewer, otherwise known as a ‘visual assessment’.
This means that an engineer will lift up each of the manhole covers in Osler Road, the corner of LFC, and two in St Andrew’s Rd – one of which is near Old High Street. S/he will assess how high the levels are, and whether there are major fat deposits.
Depending on the result of this, they will organise sewer clearances or put down cameras for a more detailed survey.
There have been five instances of spills from that sewer line in the last 12 months or so. This may be caused from the wrong things being put down drains by folk living in flats nearby but this cannot yet be confirmed.
This visual inspection is currently listed on Thames Water’s database as ‘awaiting scheduling’ but will happen before 7 August

Oxonbikes are back. And here’s how to join!

OXONBIKE is a self-service bike hire scheme for getting around Headington quickly and cheaply. You can hire and return bikes at any OXONBIKE docking station.

OXONBIKE is now back in business. There are 30 bikes to hire around the Headington area including the Thornhill Park and Ride, London Road and The John Radcliffe Hospital. It’s only £1 to register, and journeys up to 30 mins are free

Were you a member last year? Want to know how to re-join?

For further details please click here