Decisions

To determine speed limits after consideration of any formal consultation response

The Chair invited speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.

The Chair noted discussions between OCC, as a highways authority, and the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley happen regularly and have included speed limit proposals. The Chair was appreciative of the engagement on speed limit enforcement by TVP and looked forward to continuing constructive discussions.

The Chair made the point that 20mph speed limits are introduced where local areas ask for it, stating that over 80% of towns and parishes in Oxfordshire have asked for speed limit reductions to 20mph.

The Chair thanked officers for their work and approved the recommendation.

RESOLVED to:

a) Approve the introduction of 20mph speed limits in Little Faringdon as advertised.

To seek approval for the introduction of shared use footway/ cycleways associated with a S106 agreement for a development site

The Chair introduced public speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.

The Chair noted the support from Carterton Town Council, but acknowledged their concerns surrounding connectivity and the cycle paths being independent of one another. Officers noted these concerns and referenced the County Council’s Carterton Cycling and Infrastructure Plan that would come forward in the 2024/25 financial year.

The Chair thanked officers for their work and agreed to the recommendation.

RESOLVED to:

a) Approve the shared-use foot & cycleways on Upavon Way, Carterton Road, Marsh Way/Norton Way, and Brize Norton Road in Carterton as advertised.

To consider any comments arising from consultation and determine amended limits accordingly

The Chair introduced the item to the meeting.

The Chair noted respondents’ points surrounding the suitability of the A361 for this scheme. Officers noted the concerns and stated that the formal criteria was followed for 20mph schemes.

The Chair thanked officers and approved the recommendation.

RESOLVED to:

a) Approve the introduction of 20mph speed limits in Shipton under Wychwood as advertised.

Part of County-wide 20mph speed limit project.

The Chair introduced the item to the meeting.

The Chair referenced support from the local Parish Council and that local residents were supportive of the scheme.

The Chair thanked officers and speakers. The Chair agreed to the recommendation in the report.

RESOLVED to:

a) Approve the introduction of a 40mph speed limit on the A417 at Eaton Hastings as advertised.

To seek approval to proceed with an experimental order which allows cyclists to proceed along Sheep Street, Bicester

The Chair invited speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.

The Chair noted the point about policies being connected so as not to have potential harmful consequences, such as coach parking, in this instance.

The Chair referenced the perception of risk and stated that they didn’t want to discourage people who don’t want to take a risk.

The Chair stated that it was clear that Fridays were different to every other day on Sheep Street, due to the market set-up.

The Chair referred to an email from the Leader of Bicester Town Council.

The Chair noted that the majority of local County Councillors and Bicester Town Council requested that the item be deferred to allow for further public consultation.

The Chair requested that officers take the report away and have further public consultation, stressing that this does not change the policy, but adds in another layer of consultation with local residents and stakeholders.

The Chair thanked officers for their work and decided to defer the decision.  

RESOLVED to:

a)    Defer the decision on the introduction of an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order to permit two-way cycling throughout Sheep Street, Bicester and thus temporarily superseding the existing ‘no-cycling’ order.

To determine speed limits after consideration of any formal consultation responses

The Chair introduced the item to the meeting.

The Chair noted support from the Parish Council, except for objecting to the repeater speed limit signs. Officers noted in the report that repeater signs were needed to be effective as it was a ‘signs and lines’ initiative.

The Chair stated that visual signs were important, particularly in historic villages. Officers also pointed out that the guidelines were for signs to be every 250 metres, but that this was not proscribed in law.

The Chair stated that he was proud of the administration’s policies in this area as they provided meaningful change and benefit to the residents of Oxfordshire.

The Chair thanked officers and agreed to the recommendations.

RESOLVED to:

a) Approve the introduction of 20mph speed limits in Steeple Aston as advertised.

Bus service contracts associated with developer funding and council transport policy will be required to commence in Autumn 2024. This paper requests approval to proceed with a tender process to procure these services, as they exceed £500,000 in value and therefore require CMD approval as per our Key Decision protocol.

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting and introduced the item.

The report detailed plans for procurement processes to secure new and continued bus service provision in Didcot, Oxford and West Oxfordshire, aiming to improve services linked to the introduction of the Oxford Traffic Filters trial scheme.

The Chair emphasised that the decision was a technical one surrounding the procurement process and the acceptance of money from various sources, rather than the detailed design of the scheme.  

The Chair commented that it was a good example of partnership working with the bus operators and also of officers using the resources available to deliver high quality services.

The Chair noted that the report was a good example of policies working in conjunction with one another, citing the references to how the services would link in with the Oxford Traffic Filters trial scheme.

Continuing, the Chair stated that better bus services are apparent with more space on the roads and that can be done by reducing congestion on roads.

The Chair welcomed the proposed ‘600’ and ‘H2’ services that incorporated the John Radcliffe Hospital and noted that they would be well-used providing better connectivity to the hospitals in Oxford.

The Chair thanked officers for their work and agreed to the recommendations in the report.

RESOLVED to:

a)    Approve a procurement process to secure new and continued bus service provision in Didcot, Oxford and West Oxfordshire;

b)    Approve use of surplus ENCTS and LABSG for new contracts as detailed in Annex A; and

c)    Delegate approval of final contract awards, and the use of ENCTS and LABSG on additional services as necessary, to the Director of Transport & Infrastructure.

We ask the Cabinet Member to approve the prioritised straight desire line network (p.55 of the report) and the proposed next steps to begin implementation.

A proposal is being brought forward to change the parking restrictions in the access road, close to Long Hanborough train station. The current single yellow line restrictions impact residents living in the road who have no off-street parking and so the restrictions can be properly enforced a change to permit holders parking is being promoted to better fit the needs of residents.

The Chair introduced the report to the meeting.

The Chair picked up on respondents concerns about why parking would not be enforced on Sundays. Officers replied that this was seen as too onerous based on the history of the site and feedback received. It was made clear that the scheme would be kept under review depending on how it performs.

The Chair thanked officers for their work and agreed to the recommendations.

RESOLVED to:

a) Proposed permit bays – Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm in the Main Road service road between No.228 (Windrush) and No. 222 (Evenlode Cottages) and adjacent to Nos.220a & 220b, and

b) Replace the existing single yellow lines `No Waiting Monday to Friday 11am-12noon` in the Main Road service road, with Double Yellow Lines (No waiting at any time), except the section of road adjacent to the access of No.220, where an access protection marking (white line) will be provided.

Key Decision required to approve OCC expenditure of £1.26m DfT grant for highway safety improvements in vicinity of RAF Barford St John

The report detailed funding provided from the Department of Transport of £1.26m to the County Council to improve highway safety at RAF Barford St John, as part of the United States Visiting Forces Road Safety Review, following a road traffic collision in 2019 whereby a United States citizen was driving on the wrong side of the road.

The Chair noted the technical nature of the decision due to the level of funding.

The Chair explained that the government had made funding available to look at safety around bases used by United States visiting military personnel and that the funding in the report was part of Oxfordshire’s allocation of those funds.

The Chair thanked officers for their work and approved the recommendations.

RESOLVED to:

a) Accept on behalf of the County Council the DfT provided grant of £1.26m

b) Approve the full scope of proposed works as provided in this report.

c) Permit Officers to make reasonable adjustments, inclusions, omissions etc to the package of works as may be considered appropriate/necessary during the scheme’s development / delivery.

As part of the planning approval for the development, Condition 44 states The development shall not be occupied until double yellow lines have been painted on both sides of Blackbird Leys Road for the entirety of the section between the northern most extent of Blackbird Leys Road, as shown on approved plan DC_00_DR_A_1210 P2, to the junction between Blackbird Leys Road and Pegasus Road. These should also continue for 10m along any side road which adjoins this land. In the interests of Highway Safety.

The Chair invited speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.

The Chair made a general point about cyclists and pedestrians in 3 of the reports that came to today’s meeting, referencing when they come into proximity with each other and stating that it would lead to accidents, without quoting incidents where it had happened. The Chair made it clear that his point did not mean that accidents have not happen, do not happen or will not happen.

The Chair emphasised that the scheme had planning permission, which meant that the design had been approved. The Chair made the point that three of the recommendations in the report are there to action Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to enable designs that are part of the planning consent. Thus, the Chair made clear that he didn’t have any discretion to change these at this stage. This was confirmed by the Director of Highways and Operations, who agreed that the Chair’s remit was quite narrow.

The Chair stated that the formal opportunity to consult on the design of the scheme was during the planning process. The Chair noted the considerable number of objections in this report about the loss of parking and the introduction of double-yellow lines. The Chair noted that the double-yellow lines were a condition of the planning approval.

The Chair referenced that Thames Valley Police had no objection to this proposal, providing that traffic monitoring had taken place. Officers stated that they would find out about that specific point.

The Chair noted that the report stated that concerns throughout the process had been raised by Oxfordshire County Council officers to the developers and Oxford City Council planning team, but that the suggestions were not taken forward when finalising the design.

The Chair stated that the report suggested that wider connectivity was outside of the project’s scope.

The Chair noted the difficulties in this scheme around communication, timeliness and design, and that considering the nature of issues were made publicly, feedback on issues in a future meeting would be appropriate. Senior officers agreed with the Chair and stated that a report would be brought back to a future meeting.

The Chair reiterated that the only grounds that he would have to reject this report would be if it did not fulfil Oxfordshire County Council’s statutory obligation, under Section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984.

Section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984, states that:

‘(1) It shall be the duty of every local authority upon whom functions are conferred by or under this Act, so to exercise the functions conferred on them by this Act as (so far as practicable having regard to the matters specified in sub-section (2) below) to secure the expeditious convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic (including pedestrians) and the provision of suitable and adequate parking facilities on and off the highway.

(2) The matters referred to in sub-section (1) above, as being specified in this sub-section are:

(a) The desirability of securing and maintaining reasonable access to premises;

(b) The effect on the amenities of any locality affected and (without prejudice to the generality of this paragraph) the importance of regulating and restricting the use of roads by heavy commercial vehicles, so as to preserve or improve the amenities of the areas through which the roads run;

(bb) The strategy prepared under Section 80 of the Environment Act 1995 (national air quality strategy);

(c) The importance of facilitating the passage of public service vehicles and of securing the safety and convenience of persons using or desiring to use such vehicles; and

(d) Any other matters appearing to …the local authority…. to be relevant’

The Chair, having confirmed with officers, did not think there were any grounds to reject this proposal based on Section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984.

The Chair asked officers to confirm whether one-way cycling was advisory. The Vision Zero Team Leader confirmed that off-road one-way cycle tracks were advisory.

The Chair asked if it was feasible to introduce two-way cycle tracks in the sections where it was currently one-way, as shown in the report. The Senior Engineer (Central) stated that he didn’t think it was feasible but was happy to look at the suggestion.

The Chair asked about junction treatments and access into cycle lanes from side roads, following some of the responses in the report and whether it could be looked at in the final design and implementation process. Officers responded that they had asked the contractors to take a look at this suggestion. The Chair asked officers to continue these discussions with the contractors. Officers highlighted the issue of the scheme not being led by Oxfordshire County Council, but by developers.

The Chair raised the issue of a lack of co-production in this scheme and questioned why it was the case. The Director of Highways and Operations highlighted the lack of framework surrounding co-production, noting that work was underway to create a co-production handbook to provide advice.

The Chair noted a response from the Royal National Institute of Blind People, who strongly opposed the proposal for shared-use cycle paths. Officers noted the space constraints that were apparent in the design of the proposal. The Chair and officers agreed that it was about the actual risk, such as accidents, as well as the perceived risk that people feel.

The Chair reiterated that objections to the double-yellow lines were outside of the scope of this meeting, as it was part of the planning consent.

The Chair asked if the provision of disabled persons parking was changing due to this report. The Team Leader – TRO and Schemes – noted that blue badge holders can park on double-yellow lines for up to 3 hours. The Chair stated that this could be kept under review, as is the case with other schemes.

The Chair noted comments from respondents on the loss of parking and that Blackbird Leys was not covered by a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). Officers responded that this would be looked at in a potential Blackbird Leys CPZ.

The Chair agreed the recommendations in the report.

RESOLVED to:

a)    New ‘No Waiting at Any Time’ (double yellow lines) parking prohibition on both sides of Blackbird Leys Road,

b)    Two new ‘Tiger’ crossings for use by pedestrians & pedal cycles on Blackbird Leys Road,

c)    New ‘Zebra’ crossing (for use by pedestrians) on Cuddeson Way, and

d)    Sections of new shared & segregated cycle paths along both sides of Blackbird Leys Road.

There were 3 public addresses to the meeting.

There were none.

There were none.

There were 5 registered speakers, some of whom registered to speak on multiple items and were heard when the agenda item was reached.

There were none.

There were none.

Recommendations approved with one amendment to the membership of committees:

Audit & Governance Committee – Councillor Champken-Woods to replace Councillor Constance.

The time being 3.30 pm, Items 17 to 28 were considered dropped in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 5.2.

Recommendations in the exempt report approved with 20 votes in favour, 12 against and 15 abstentions.

Recommendation approved with 2 abstentions.

Recommendations approved.

Recommendation approved.

Recommendation approved.

Recommendation approved.

Approved.

Noted

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2024 were approved as a correct record.

There were none.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Dan Levy

There were none received.

Report on variation to the capital programme for approval (as required).

Recommendations approved.

This report updates Cabinet on progress on Climate Action.

Recommendations approved.

For Cabinet to agree to the adoption of a Future Generations mission statement

Recommendations approved.

Follow the retender exercise of the current Comensura contract and evaluation of bids for the new contract, we would like to seek cabinet approval to proceed to award stage

Recommendations approved.

To seek approval of the Vision Zero Strategy

Recommendations approved.

Noted.

Cabinet received the Scrutiny reports and will respond in due course.

There were none to report.

8 Vision Zero Strategy

Danny Yee

Kate Fuller

Alison Hill

Alison Hill (on behalf of Robin Tucker, CoHSAT)

9 Future Generations Mission Statement

Cllr Charlie Hicks

Cllr Brad Baines (at start of meeting)

Approval to proceed with this programme to reduce risks and mitigate the impacts of the withdrawal of Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) Services.

This is the legacy telephony network that connects calls via physical copper phone lines.

None.

None.

None.