Re-lining in Bickerton and Stapleton Roads

We have followed up suggestions from the Highfield Residents’ Association for changes/improvements to the re-lining scheme and here is the advice (in blue) that we were sent by the County Council.

Arbitrary painting solid white lines in the road between houses where there is a gap but too narrow for a car, or not asked for by the owners:

  • Between nos 10 and 12
  • Between nos 20 and 22
  • Between nos 23 and 25
  • Between nos 44 and 46
  • Between nos 48 and 50

As you are probably aware the Highway Code tells motorists not to “obstruct” dropped kerbs. Since marking a parking bay across them seemingly contradicts this rule, we need to provide something to indicate the presence of an access and deter any obstruction. As the access protection line (APM) is only advisory and cannot be routinely enforced, it should not have a great effect on residents’ parking. Unless the access owner complains to the police that they are obstructed. However, this can only occur when they are trying to use it.

Consequently those who have the sole right of access can park over their own access/APM since they cannot obstruct themselves. In cases where the access is not owned by the driver, they would need to ensure that those with the right of access agree. Similarly with joint accessways both owners would have to agree.

I would also add that in addition to the access owners’ agreeing any parked car would also have to abide by the control in the parking bay (i.e. displaying the appropriate permit).

I also appreciate that the gaps between houses might be too narrow for most modern cars but there are other vehicles which might require and have the right of access. 

 

 

Continuous double yellow lines extended unneccessarily to include width of front of house

  • Outside nos 21A and 21
  • Outside no 37
  • Outside no 51

Yellow lines are not being extended at these locations. We are unable to make changes to the parking controls since this is only a maintenance scheme which does not involve any changes being made to the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which defines the controls.

Adjustments to existing double yellow lines:

  • Between no 28 and 30 there is an adjustment to the double yellow lines, yet the householder has asked for them to be removed  as the gap is too narrow for use and a parking bay inserted instead 

This corrects an error in the original markings. 

Existing double yellow line that should be removed:

  • Outside the being built 17A has no parking entitlement, so presumably the old double yellow lines and dropped curb will be removed?  Not marked as presumably builders’ lorries were parked there when the road was being marked up 

This length of yellow line is not marked to be refreshed since it is not defined in the TRO.

 

 

 

 

 

Parking bays to be re-painted

Following fierce lobbying by councillors over non-enforceability, the County Council has found the money to re-paint parking bays and double yellow lines in Bickerton Road and Stapleton Road

  • signs for “no parking” will appear next week
  • the work will be done in sections to maintain some parking in each of the roads
  • the work is likely to take 3 days
  • the work is scheduled for 3rd-5th October

It’s good to know that this will be done before the energy pipe works in adjacent roads.

Public exhibitions of Access to Headington Plans

There will be three opportunities for those who live, work and study in Headington to see the plans for the first set of roadworks and discuss them with the transport planner:

  • at the Headington Ward Focus Meeting on Tuesday 27 September from 6:00-7:30 at Headington Prep School Theatre, 26 London Road.
  • at the Cheney School Community Centre  on Friday 30 September between 4pm and 7.30pm
  • at the Cheney School Community Centre on Saturday 1 October between 10am and 1pm

The County Council expects work to begin on the first phase on Monday 17 October 2016 at the Old Road, Roosevelt Drive, Warneford Lane and Gipsy Lane junction. Traffic in this location will be managed under four-way traffic lights and there will be some evening and overnight road closures. Noise disruption will be kept to a minimum after 11pm. It will provide additional information closer to the time.

You can see the plans here at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/accessheadington

Visitor permits link for those affected by energy pipe works

The link is now live on the County’s website for those people wishing to request visitors permits in advance of energy pipe work outside their houses. You can find it here

You will be prompted to choose which CPZ area you would prefer.

HE covers Central Headington from Lime Walk  – New High Street and all points east

HB covers Highfield – Latimer Road and Stapleton Road and all points west

HA covers the area north of London Road around the Sandfield Road area

Your application will go straight to the County Parking Team in Kidlington where a dedicated member of staff will be able to help you and fast track your visitor permits back to you. Information to this effect will be included in a leaflet posted through your letterbox two weeks ahead of the works.

We have made sure that the change of pipe route has been taken into account.

We expect details of timings of each phase of the works to be published next week – this has had to be revised following publication of the Access to Headington works phase 1 in Roosevelt Drive

Access to Headington

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We have asked the County Council to update its Access to Headington website to show plans that were displayed at the Old Road Campus today. These show phase 1: works to the Roosevelt Drive Campus which are likely to take place from 17th October 2016 – the end of February 2017.

We have also requested that the County Council updates a special web page devoted to roadworks and road closures in Headington associated with both Access to Headington and the energy pipe works so that people can see at a glance which routes are useable.

We were not notified of the Old Road meeting until a resident brought it to our attention. We have asked when the public will be notified of future exhibitions and it seems that two are being arranged currently:

  • Headington Ward Focus meeting at Headington Prep School, 26 London Road on Tuesday 27 September from 6:00-7:30
  • another  venue possibly around the Cheney School area within the next two weeks, venue to be confirmed

The display boards were for the Roosevelt Drive and Old Road area works only.

We have given details of residents’ groups to Skanska so that communication can be enhanced.

It appears that minor tweaks may still be made following resident comment at these events, and we are hopeful that two parking spaces proposed immediately before the junction of York Road with Margaret Road will be dropped because of on-going safety concerns

Roz, Altaf and Ruth will attend a councillors’  meeting at County Hall on 28th September for a briefing on the Access to Headington scheme.

 

 

Latest on the energy pipe application

We have left an A3 hard copy version of the Construction Traffic Management Plan relating to the energy pipe application at Headington Library for residents to study. This is a work in progress and subject to change.

The planning committee meeting about the energy pipe application is going to take place on 7th September. The construction traffic management plan is being prepared now by the County Networks Team and the applicant and will only come into operation if planning consent is granted.

We are working closely with the County Networks Team which manages traffic when works happen. They have asked us some questions which we shall be talking to residents about:

  • Lime Walk South is likely to be one way only (downhill direction towards London Road) while works are ongoing in that area. Do residents consider that Bickerton Road and Stapleton Road could usefully be made one way while works are happening between London Road and Old Road?
  • Should access to the above area be signed “Access to frontages only” while works are on-going?
  • The works to All Saints junction would make it trickier for residents in New Headington to access their properties – do they think that the bollards at the end of Bateman Street should be removed temporarily so that people who live in Piper, Windsor, Wilberforce, Perrin, Bateman Streets and Kennett Road will have a second route in/out during the period these works are happening? (c3 weeks)

Please let us have your views on these issues as there is limited time to influence this traffic management plan to best advantage.

At present it seems that the County meeting held in public on whether consent should be granted for a street works licence will happen at 2pm on 5/9 with a City briefing on the legal implications to councillors in public very very soon afterwards (date to be confirmed) and certainly before 7/9.

Works at the Plain roundabout overnight 14/8/16

We have received the following advice from the County Council as follows:

On the night of Sunday 14th August 2016, Oxfordshire County Council will be carrying out roadworks on The Plain roundabout. Temporary 4-way signals will be set up at 21.00 until 05.00. Buses and bus stops will remain operational. We anticipate that there will be some delays on the network and to minimise disruption, the signals will be manually controlled.

Please be aware that we have also planned a diversion route through Circus and Temple Streets off Cowley Road to accommodate for any unforeseen events instead of the temporary 4-way signals.

The roadworks consist of remedial works to the coloured surfacing on the approach to The Plain and the installation of additional road markings.

Works on The Plain roundabout

We have received this statement by the County Council

We would like to advise that on the night of 1st August 2016, Oxfordshire County Council will be carrying out roadworks on The Plain roundabout. Temporary 4-way signals will be set up at 9pm for approximately 3-4 hours. Buses and bus stops will remain operational.

The roadworks consist of remedial works to the coloured surfacing on the approach to The Plain and the installation of additional road markings.

We anticipate that there will be some delays on the network and to minimise disruption, the signals will be manually controlled.

Find out more about Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts on 20 July 2016

 

Anyone interested in the progress that has been made so far on the roundabouts and approaches at Cutteslowe and Wolvercote are invited to a drop-in event on 20 July 2016 at the Jury’s Inn, Wolvercote, between 11am and 6pm.

Progress so far

As you may have read in the Oxford Mail, or heard on BBC Oxford, work is now entering the final stages and the finish date has been brought forward from late- November to mid-October.

Members of the team will be on hand to talk through what has been done so far and what is still to be done.

Safety improvements

The County Council has looked again at the final layout of Cutteslowe roundabout and found a way to further improve its efficiency and safety. It now plans to include a separately signalled left turn lane from the Banbury Road for cars wanting to head down the A40 towards Headington.

The changes have no implications in terms of cost or the time it will take to complete the work but does bring a number of improvements on the previously proposed layout.

It is also reducing the approach on the A40 to Cutteslowe roundabout from the originally proposed 4 lanes to 3. This should improve safety on the roundabout and approaches without reducing the capacity of the junction because Council officers can then improve the signal arrangement on Banbury Road allowing more turning movements to happen simultaneously.

Temporary prohibition of through traffic – affects Green Road roundabout

We have just been informed of the following by the County Council

Temporary Traffic Regulation Order – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

Temporary Prohibition of Through Traffic

On the A40 Northern Bypass (South and North sides) – Oxford – adjacent to the Barton Park Development

UPDATE ON WORKS – June/July 2016 – Further ten overnight closures – 8.00pm to 6.00am to enable works to be completed

This Order was introduced for works in association with the construction of a temporary and then permanent access for the Barton Park development across the Marston bound (South) and the Headington bound (North) sides of the A40 Northern Bypass (the works) which are anticipated to take a further ten nights in June and July 2016 to complete.

The effect of the Order is to temporarily prohibit any vehicle proceeding in the length of the A40 Northern Bypass as described below.

Appropriate traffic signs will be displayed to indicate when the measures are in force.

A request was received from CABlackwell (Contracts) Ltd for a Temporary Prohibition of Through Traffic to apply to a section of the A40 Northern Bypass.

A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) was made in March 2016 to implement the Temporary Prohibition of Through Traffic as detailed below:

Location: A40 Northern bypass (South)

Closure Direction: Northwest -from the Headington Roundabout to the Marston Interchange

Five Overnight Closures: 

27, 28, 29, 30 June, 1 July 2016 (ending 6.00am 2 July) 8.00pm to 6.00am

Diversion:

From the Headington Roundabout – For Northwest bound traffic

South on A4142 Eastern Bypass, Heyford Hill Roundabout, A423 Southern Bypass, Hinksey Hill Interchange, A34 Southern Bypass, Botley Interchange, A34 Western Bypass, Pear Tree Hill Interchange, A44 Woodstock Road, North Way, Elsfield Way, A40 Northern Bypass, Marston Interchange

Note:

The above overnight closures will happen during the overnight closures of Westbound A40 Elsfield Way, as part of the Northern Gateway Scheme; therefore there will be NO access to North Oxford, via the A40 Northern Bypass from the Marston Interchange. Access to the A40 from the Marston Interchange will be for Southeast bound traffic ONLY (towards Headington Roundabout and South Oxford). This will also be the diversion route for Northwest bound traffic.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Location: A40 Northern Bypass (North)

Closure Direction: Southeast – from the Marston Interchange to the Headington Roundabout

Five Overnight Closures: 

4, 5, 6, 7, 8 July 2016 (ending 6.00am 9 July) 8.00pm to 6.00am

Diversion:

From the Marston Interchange – For Southeast bound traffic:

Northwest on A40 Northern Bypass, Elsfield Way, North Way. A44 Woodstock Road, Pear Tree Hill Interchange, A34 Western Bypass, Botley Interchange, A34 Southern Bypass, Hinksey Hill Interchange, A423 Southern Bypass, Heyford Hill Roundabout, A4142 Eastern Bypass, Headington Roundabout

The maximum duration of a TTRO on a road is 18 months and on a footpath is 6 months, or until completion of the works, whichever is the earlier.

Notice of intention to make the Order will be published in the Oxford Times.

Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles, subject to the progress of the works.