Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/035

Contact: Hugh Potter, Group Manager – Area Operations Hub Tel: 07766 998704

Report by Interim Director for Community Operations (CMDE11).

The report presents responses received to a statutory consultation to extend the 40mph speed limit on the northbound carriageway of the A41 on the approach to its roundabout junction with Vendee Drive and also to introduce a 50mph speed limit to the south of the extended 40mph put forward following a review of the recent accident history and specifically at the A41 roundabout junction with Vendee Drive, where there has been a significant record of injury accidents involving northbound vehicles on the A41 travelling at excessive speed and, if approved, would be funded by the Road Safety budget within the County Council’s Capital programme.

The Cabinet Member for the Environment is RECOMMENDED to approve the extension of the 40mph speed limit and introduction of a 50mph speed limit on the A41 as advertised.

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered (CMDE11) responses received to a statutory consultation to extend the 40mph speed limit on the northbound carriageway of the A41 on the approach to its roundabout junction with Vendee Drive and also to introduce a 50mph speed limit to the south of the extended 40mph put forward following a review of the recent accident history and specifically at the A41 roundabout junction with Vendee Drive, where there had been a significant record of injury accidents involving northbound vehicles on the A41 travelling at excessive speed.

Tim Hibbert (Wendlebury PC) advised that Wendlebury was a small village of 180 households with no street lighting, or pavements and was a vibrant community that tried to maintain a quality of rural life. It was vital that the current physical containment of the village was understood. The M40 to the West, the A41 to the North and the Chiltern Railway line to the South.  Junction 9 fell within the parish boundary as well as part of the A41. The remainder of the A41 fell within the parameters of Chesterton Parish Council, the neighbouring Parish.  To set the context in relation to the proposed speed reductions in this report the A41 and Bicester itself were already experiencing operational stress and a number of serious collisions and fatalities had been reported at the A41/Vendee Drive junction and on the A41 near Wendlebury in recent years. Both Junctions 9 and 10 of the M40 were already operating at capacity and when accidents occurred, significant queueing and rat running occurred on surrounding roads. Wendlebury suffered from severe ‘rat running’ through the village from traffic being diverted to avoid Junction 9. For safety reasons, the Parish Council, supported by OCC had introduced a speed limit of 20 mph. There were a number of major commercial developments as part of Cherwell Local Plan Policy Bicester 10, not only on the A41, but particularly adjacent to the Vendee Drive roundabout. The Parish Council was particularly concerned with the real impact of traffic congestion from these developments as they would inevitably generate a significant amount of extra travel.

Their concerns over the proposals centred on an absence of appropriate data which prevented the PC being in a position to make a judgement. A further concern was there was no information to show that the impact of developments around the Vendee Drive roundabout had been considered, or the impact of Tritax Symmetry warehouse proposals. To what extent had the traffic from the future developments been taken into account? Enforcement options were also critical, to help us make a judgement it would have been helpful to see this data as well. Had a cost benefit analysis been carried out? In August 2018, there was a fatal accident on the A41 by the pedestrian crossing at Wendlebury. The Inquest concluded that death was caused by excessive speed. Following that accident, OCC were to look at proposals for a bridge crossing, funded by a third party. To date there had been no progress some 20 months later.

In summary the Parish Council supported a comprehensive review of the A41 from Junction 9 to Vendee Drive roundabout but saw the rebuilding of this roundabout as the priority to improving traffic management. The committee report talked about this in vague terms, with no indication of time scale or funding.  They had been unable to comment on the proposals due to the lack of evidence and enforcement options. Had this been available, they could have offered a clearer response. The question also arose as to why only one side of the A41? Also had the traffic impact of all the potential developments being considered?

County Councillor Ian Corkin referred to the well documented history regarding the section of the A41 from Junction 9 of the M40 and the roundabout at Vendee Drive.  In more normal times, the route was very well used for traffic accessing Bicester with a history of speeding and the Vendee Drive roundabout was recognised by very many local residents as being poorly designed and difficult to use. The immediate area around it had increasing levels of significant development, as well as the entrance and exit to Bicester Park & Ride.  In the past couple of years, there had been 3 fatal road traffic collisions on this short stretch of the A41, the most recent a double fatality on the roundabout itself between a vehicle using the roundabout and another entering it from the north bound leg of the A41. Having discussed the issues on numerous occasions with Oxfordshire County Council officers and Thames Valley Police, he had no doubt at all that these changes would make a very significant improvement to this section and he strongly supported them, as did many local residents.  Not only would it improve the layout and signage, but also facilitate space for active speed enforcement, something that could not currently take place on this stretch of road.  He also welcomed Thames Valley Police’s commitment to make sure that this happened on a regular basis. 

He accepted that this was only a very small part of the overall solution needed on the A41 through Bicester and he would continue to pursue those, including the ongoing Options Report that was looking at the specific issues by the Wendlebury bus stops, the wider A41 Bicester review, the emerging Bicester active transport strategy and the work by officers to tie this in with the actual and proposed development around this stretch of the A41.  A much more holistic solution would be required to satisfy all of the safety concerns of local residents, and he concurred with the comments from Wendlebury PC that this was not happening quickly enough.  However, the question for today was would this specific proposal help or hinder the aim of making the A41 safer for all residents to use and the resounding answer to that was that it would and in endorsing the officer recommendation asked that it be approved.

County Councillors Les Sibley (Bicester West), Michael Waine (Bicester Town) and Lawrie Stratford (Bicester North) submitted the following joint statement to say reducing the speed limits from J9 heading North on the A41 to the Vendee Drive roundabout would have minimal if any benefits at this time.  Most traffic accidents occurred at either the poorly designed 7 arm Vendee Drive roundabout or the A41 Pioneer Way/Premier Inn traffic light junction.  Following the A41 Safety and Audit review Highway Officers were currently looking into various options to help improve road safety at these accident hot spots as a priority and so they were reluctantly suggesting that the proposed extension of speed limits be deferred until the various issues regarding the A41 Vendee Drive roundabout, the access and exit issues of the Bicester Park & Ride, the A41 Pioneer Way/ Premier Inn traffic light junction, and the impact of cumulative development in the area on the local road network had been addressed and that should happen as a matter of urgency. Additionally, they were still waiting for an update particularly with regards to the status of the proposed Bicester South East Link Road and the proposed route for the Oxford - Cambridge Express way which would have a major impact on Bicester's road network.

The Cabinet Member thanked everyone for their full and comprehensive submissions. She understood from officers that the intention was to have a comprehensive review of this area including the Vendee Drive roundabout which would include further developments proposed for that area and officers would ensure future engagement with local stakeholders regarding that ongoing review in the longer term. However, this proposal had been a specific response to a number of serious traffic incidents including 3 fatalities to achieve an immediate safety gain and as such would be funded by the Road Safety budget within the County Council’s Capital programme. Therefore, having regard to the information set out in the report before her and the representations made to her at the meeting including officer advice regarding the immediate safety issues the Cabinet Member confirmed her decision as follows:

to approve the extension of the 40mph speed limit and introduction of a 50mph speed limit on the A41 as advertised.

Signed…………………………………………..

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing…………………………………