Options for Old Road cycling and walking

I attended a meeting last night at which the County’s transport planning officers set out some options for improvements to Old Road. There is £90K developer funding available to make improvements for cyclists and pedestrians, and it may be possible to obtain some extra funding in a bid to Sustrans for some of options 2 and 3. The planners are talking to representatives from all different agencies and groups including those representing cyclists and pedestrians, and local residents’ groups. Further consultation will follow later.

I thought I would outline some of the suggested options here. An overall aim is to encourage people back onto their bikes by enabling them to feel confident and safe when cycling to school and work.

Option 1

  • Install zebra crossing between Bickerton Rd/Stapleton Rd across Old Road
  • Install dropped kerb outside Old Rd cycle/pedestrian entrance
  • Shared use cycle path from Old Rd entrance to the NOC to Windmill Rd junction
  • Off-carriageway shared use cycle path in eastern part of Old Road
  • Short section of cycle by-pass leading to northbound Windmill Rd cycle lane
  • Remove centre line in Old Road except for Windmill Rd and Gipsy Lane junctions
  • Upgrade crossing facilities at Windmill Rd/Slade/Old Rd junction
  • Advisory cycle lane on Old Rd westbound from the Slade to Roosevelt Drive

Option 2

  • Cycle by-pass at Gipsy Lane lights leading to a shared use path to Finch Close
  • Entry treatment at Valentia Road to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists
  • Shared use pavement off-carriageway between NOC entrance and Windmill Rd
  • Advisory cycle lane (see last point in option 1)

Option 3

  • Cycle by-pass (see top bullet point in option 2)
  • Off-carriageway shared use path Gipsy Lane to Windmill Road (west-east)
  • Side road entry treatements on all side roads from Gipsy Lane to Windmill Road
  • Footway delineation lines at NOC entrance to formalise junction
  • Improvements to Old Road/Windmill Road junction(see options 1 and 2 above)
  • Advisory cycle lane (see last point in option 1)

Other points that were raised included: should this not be linked in with a longer term transport plan?, would it be better to spend all the money on the single most dangerous part of Old Road?, should we look at a cycle by-pass from the Slade into Old Road?, how do we reconcile the differences in height between cyclists on a higher shared path and motorists below? would it be better to hang onto the money and wait till a later funding source becomes available?

Which option do you prefer? Please click the comments box below the subject line and let us know your views.

Good news for Margaret Road/York Road residents

The corners of this junction are going to be tightened, so that pedestrians crossing York Road at the junction will have a shorter crossing, and vehicles turning left into York Road will go more slowly, reducing the risk of accidents.

Where pedestrians cross Margaret Road, the kerbs will be lowered and tactile paving will be laid. On the east corner, the existing footway will be rebuilt, and on the west corner the existing footway will be resurfaced.

The junction alterations are part of the “Better ways to school” initiative, its main aim is to encourage pupils to walk or cycle to school rather than to travel by car. Best of all, the efforts of Cllr Roz Smith and I in having a School Crossing Patrol have succeeded, and s/he will help school pupils and escorting adults to cross Margaret Road safely.

The work will start on 24 February and is expected to finish on 5 March

Margaret/Wharton Rd proposals shelved

Cllr Roz Smith and I made a site visit to Wharton Road/Margaret Road recently and a number of local residents came along gave us their views. We sent the feedback we’d had both from the site meeting and from emails sent to us by residents of nearby roads, and the County has decided not to proceed with the proposed works.  

A substantial number of people we spoke to felt the proposed build-out in Margaret Road would not be a cost-effective use of money which could be better spent on infrastructure improvements elsewhere.

Having analysed the responses from local people, the County Officer has said they will be undertaking an improvement to the Margaret Road/York Road junction instead, and are hopeful that this will take place in this financial year.

Your local councillors are pressing for a lollipop crossing person in Margaret Road following discussions with parents of children who attend Windmill School – at the moment this is looking promising, but we must wait and see.

Trial road closures will NOT go ahead

As you know, local councillors were asked just over a week ago to provide comments on the suggestion of trial road closures in Highfield and I advised the County that I would be collating responses and getting back to them by the end of this week. However, to my surprise and (to be honest) annoyance, the County has not waited for that feedback but announced a decision. The e-mail  which I have just received sets out in detail their argument and decision. To cut the chase: the County has decided not to carry out trial closures in the Lime Walk area, primarily  because of lobbying from the emergency services.

Many residents  have expressed an opinion on this issue. Some  will be relieved, others dismayed, others downright angry — there is a wide variety of views within the area to be affected by the closures and adjoining streets. Some will feel that the area has been robbed of possible closures after the press coverage a couple of months back but, as I have said before, the newspaper was misinformed by the present MP for Oxford East: he went to the press claiming that trial closures were definite without either having a written guarantee that they were to take place and without thinking through the controversy his action would cause. He should have known better. But that is behind us and the question now is how we move forward.

I am determined that we do not lose the opportunity actually to get measures to help the Lime Walk area. I have represented Headington for over seven years and in that time I have seen detailed proposals drawn up, then torn up, followed by a refusal to consider any changes in the area. What has happened has now put the issue back on the agenda and we must capitalise on that. The County is now, after years of saying ‘no’, offering to come up with measures for the area, within what seems to me a curiously short time period. I welcome that but what I will welcome more is fuller consultation with all local residents so that they can be engaged in the solutions to the problems that they have to face.

I and my ward colleague, Ruth Wilkinson, will be meeting members of the Highfield RA traffic group later this evening. We expected the meeting to be about our response to the County in consulting on trial closures. The agenda will be different now. What remains the same is my determination — and that of everyone around the table, I am sure — to get to solutions of the situation and not to allow this very real issue once again to disappear from the County’s view.

As always, if you want to contact me or Ruth, please do drop us a line.

What do you think about trial road closures for the Lime Walk area?

It’s fair to say that one of the most controversial proposals to have come up recently is the suggestion that there should be trial road closures in the Lime Walk and Latimer Road area. Ruth and I have received a very large post-bag (yes, even during the strikes) from people both in favour and extremely worried about the suggestion.

As we have said before, the County has not made any firm commitment to going ahead with closures. Last week, we received the latest communication about the proposals from the County. They have asked for our opinion and we will be sending a formal response but before we do so, we’d be interested to hear from you. We certainly intend to emphasise to the County the importance of seeing any trial closures in the context of wider traffic management measures — we certainly do not want to get into a situation where, if there are trial closures and the County judges them as a failure, that there are no other options on the table. We will also stress that the range of possible measures should be put to the local population for their comment, with the intention of making sure we do get action to help deal with the traffic problems in the area. Of course, that consultation will also need to make clear what would be judged a success or failure for any trial closure.

Any there other comments you’d want us to add? We already have a sense of the range of attitudes in the area, but are always ready to hear from more of you! You can respond by leaving a comment here, or by e-mailing myself, Ruth or Altaf.

Road accidents …and what happens next…?

 I have asked the county officers to explain the procedures they take when a road accident is reported, and I thought you might be interested…

When accidents are loaded onto the system, they keep a track on whether there are any developing problem sites requiring investigation. These are identified taking account the number and severity of accidents, the type of accident  (e.g. if there are common patterns in terms of vehicle movements or road users involved) and the traffic flows.

They currently have around 200 problem sites where at least 5 accidents over a 5 year period have been recorded, and these form the focus ofthe County’s  accident remedial programme. They will of course also review possible safety measures at sites with a lower accident history, and also – in the case of new schemes – monitor closely their safety performance to confirm that they are operating acceptably.

I have found out that the County logs only those accidents reported to them by the police, and this can take up to four weeks. David and I would be interested in your views…

Proposed changes to Margaret Road junction

The County has proposed to make some alterations in Margaret Road: they are asking for comments on proposed changes to the junction of Margaret Road and Wharton Road, and also on a build-out in Margaret Road.

County Cllr Roz Smith and City Cllr Ruth Wilkinson are making a site visit at 6 pm tomorrow Friday 2 October to discuss these proposals with local residents. If you would like to come along and give us your views, you will be very welcome.

If you cannot come to the meeting but would like a copy of the proposals, please email Ruth for details

Trial Road Closures: the facts

A large number of residents who live south of London Road have contacted us about the newspaper stories concerning planned road closures in Lime Walk and Latimer Road. We have been looking into this and have written to all residents with an update. Here’s the text: 

We were as surprised as many of you to hear from the press that it had been decided to close Lime Walk and Latimer Road for a trial period of a month. The press story has created a lot of controversy and we have been investigating exactly what has been decided. Here are the facts:

 

  • There has been no decision made to close any roads.
  • Highfield Residents Association has, for a long time, been rightly raising the traffic problems in the Lime Walk / Stapleton / Bickerton Rd area. One of their suggestions, among many, has been to close Lime Walk and Latimer Rd.
  • The County has agreed to look at the feasibility of trial closures but made no commitment to do them. There is no timescale or detailed plan for them.

 

We have talked to residents regularly and know that some of you are keen to see road closures and others are dead-set against them. Whatever your view, you have all been let down by the way the press was persuaded to run with an inaccurate story. It has only served to heighten both expectations and alarm.

 

But we need to look ahead and consider what are the next steps. Our position, as your local councillors, is clear: road closures should not be the only proposal on the table. And any proposal must go to proper consultation with all affected residents between London Road and Old Road.

 

There is, of course, a danger that a trial closure could prove a dead-end. The County could judge the experiment a failure. If no other proposals were on the table, Highfield area would be left back at stage one, with no answer to the real problems residents endure. The solution that will work is one which helps Highfield but does not put extra strain on Windmill Road, which is already congested, or on smaller residential roads. We are committed to working with you to find that solution and get it put in place.

 

We have also been in contact with the traffic group of Highfield Residents Association to discuss with them their meeting with the County and how best to get a result which works for all of Headington. This is, of course, a big issue that won’t be decided with one news story: we’ll be here to carry on working with all residents on the very real traffic problems in our area.

20 mph speed limits

A number of residents have asked us when the new 20 mph speed limits will come into operation. Our latest news from the County is as follows:

We’re anticipating the speed limit will come into effect in late August / early September but have yet to confirm the exact date (as you can appreciate, there is a lot of signing work) – the contractor is making very good progress with installing the poles, and we expect the signs themselves to be installed in the latter half of August.

Gas leak in Osler Road

Our latest information from Southern Gas is that there may be a gas leak where the main in Osler Road joins the main in St Andrew’s Road i.e. in the middle of the road junction

It would appear that traffic lights will not be appropriate in this location, and there are moves to obtain a road closure order, we will keep you posted.