Issue - meetings

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/026

Contact: Tim Shickle, Group Manager – Traffic & Road Safety Tel: 07920 591545 / Geoff Barrell, Senior Infrastructure Planner Tel: 07392 318869

Report by Corporate Director for Environment and Place (CMDE7).

Formal consultation objections were received following proposed bus stop build outs in Witney and Eynsham as reported to the Cabinet Member for Environment Delegated Decisions meeting on 17 December 2020. The proposals responded to passenger access concerns and operator needs to improve journey time reliability and help meet the Equality Act (2010) strictures. A decision was deferred to enable further consultations with local County Councillors, parish/town Councils and bus operators. The report covers those discussions.

The Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED to approve the two amended smaller permanent bus stop build outs in Witney and a year trial for the amended bus stop build out in Eynsham.

Approved

Following formal consultation objections received in respect of bus stop build outs in Witney and Eynsham, proposed in response to passenger access concerns and operator needs to improve journey time reliability and help meet tEquality Act (2010) strictures the Cabinet Member for Environment had on 17 December 2020 deferred a decision on the matter to enable further consultations with local County Councillors, parish/town Councils and bus operators. The report (CMDE7) now before the Cabinet Member set out the outcome of those further discussions.

Councillor Charles Mathew advised that following deferral he had consulted locally further on the options available for the Eynsham element. Although there had been 35 responses unfortunately no favourite option had emerged with all options having serious handicaps.  Therefore, as there was no ideal solution he had reluctantly accepted the temporary solution as proposed by officers and with a review of the scheme after one year.

Officers accepted that there had been no stand-out scheme but considered what was now proposed was a good compromise with an opportunity to review any issues after one year.

Thanking the local member and officers for their careful follow up on this the Cabinet Member for Environment accepted that the Eynsham proposal represented a compromise scheme which would be monitored over the first year to evaluate any congestion issues that might occur. She noted that the schemes in Witney would progress on a permanent basis. Therefore, having regard to the information set out in the report before her together with the representations made to her at the meeting she confirmed her decision as follows:

to approve the two amended smaller permanent bus stop build outs in Witney and a year trial for the amended bus stop build out in Eynsham.

Signed…………………………………………..

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing………………………………..