Agenda item

Councillor Jean Fooks had given written notice of the following question to Councillor David Nimmo Smith:

“White lines are fading or all but invisible across much of Oxfordshire. I am told that the budget for this financial year is already overspent so no refreshing of existing markings can be done for at least another four months or even longer. As these lines and markings were largely installed for safety reasons, it is highly regrettable that they are not being maintained. Would you ask officers for a safety audit to be undertaken as a matter of urgency, before accidents occur which could be attributed to the lack of clear markings on the road?”

Councillor Nimmo Smith replied:

“Your concerns over the hazards posed by road markings not being maintained are very understandable, and priority is given within the limited resources available to refresh markings where the possible safety implications of not doing so are greatest.

In the reports on injury accidents received from the police, information is provided by the reporting officer on the contributory factors they have judged relevant to an accident. The factor relating to ‘inadequate or masked road signs or road markings’ is in fact selected only in a small minority of incidents (under 1%) and looking over the last 10 years (to 31 October 2015), there is no clear trend either upwards or downwards in the number of such accidents. This data however will continue to be very closely monitored.

Officers are correct in telling you that the budget for this financial year is already spent so no refreshing of existing markings can be done for at least another four months or even longer. That is because they have determined that the best way to stretch their limited resources is to carry out the majority of the re-marking in the summer months when the roads are dry and free from salt and other winter detritus.”

Supplementary: Asked whether in view of the mild winter it was possible that some of the money set aside for gritting could be used for white lining, Councillor Nimmo Smith replied that it was not possible to predict the weather for the remainder of the winter so he was not willing to do as suggested.

Councillor John Tanner had given written notice of the following question to Councillor Rodney Rose:

“The residents in my division would like to thank the Cabinet for the sensible recommendation and anticipated decision to keep open the Redbridge recycling centre in Oxford for the time being. Will Councillor David Nimmo-Smith now reconsider the inconvenient ban on pedestrians from the local area using the centre?”     

Councillor Rose replied:

“The County Council strive to ensure the Household Waste Recycling Centres are managed to protect the wellbeing of all visitors and operate reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent accidents from occurring particularly where a hazard is identified. 

None of Oxfordshire's HWRCs are able to allow pedestrian access because they do not have pavements that provide access, nor dedicated walkways around the site. As such, we are unable to guarantee the wellbeing of visitors arriving on foot.

As part of any future works at Redbridge or if the site is replaced pedestrian access will be considered but not guaranteed.”

Supplementary: Asked whether pedestrian access could be looked at, even if at specific times, Councillor Rose commented that the District Councils worked well and that he saw few occasions when someone would need to carry a bag to the recycling centres that would not be possible to recycle through the service provided.