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ITEM TIC9

WHEATLEY TRAFFIC CALMING: PHASE 2A: CHURCH ROAD

1. This report describes a scheme to raise the kerb height of the south footway of Church Road, Wheatley (from Holloway Road junction to east of No 84) and the widening of its narrow sections. The background to the scheme is given in outline.
2. This report summarises the comments received during public consultation and seeks authority to proceed with the scheme.

Background

3. Wheatley is a large village which is bypassed by the A40 dual carriageway. The centre of the village is characterised by narrow streets. Unfortunately many car drivers travelling between the M40/A40/A418 junction and the Oxford Eastern Bypass travel through the centre of Wheatley in order to avoid delay at the A40 Headington Roundabout. Also many vehicles (both through traffic and local traffic) travel in Wheatley at speeds which are excessive for the road conditions.
4. In July 2002 a public exhibition showing proposals for traffic calming measures for Wheatley was held in Wheatley village hall. Subsequently the proposals were modified in the light of comments received. Construction of Phase 1 was completed in the summer of 2004. Streets included in Phase 1 were London Road (Church Road junction to The Triangle), Friday Lane, High Street (east end) and Ladder Hill.
5. Phase 2a was planned in 2004 to comprise the proposed scheme in Church Road and two other schemes in London Road (between the two junctions with Old London Road) and Old London Road. However, following public consultation, it became necessary to reappraise the two other schemes because there were many objections to them. Also a review of the County Council’s Transport Capital Programme permitted construction of only one scheme in Wheatley in the financial year 2005-06. The proposed scheme in Church Road was the obvious choice for further work, as there were no objections from local residents and businesses, only from bus operators.

The Proposed Scheme

6. In Church Road, the south footway is the more heavily-used footway. However, it is very narrow in two locations and almost non-existent at the corner of Holloway Road. The kerbs are low, and when parked vehicles make it difficult for moving vehicles to pass each other, westbound vehicles tend to mount the south footway. Most of the buses serving Wheatley pass along Church Road; the majority also use the northern section of Holloway Road, turning left in to Church Road and right (when going in the opposite direction) into Holloway Road. For most of each day in the Oxford Brookes University term (except Sundays) there are six or seven buses per hour in each direction along Church Road.
   
   
7. The proposed scheme would increase the kerb height generally to 100mm and widen the narrow sections of footway to 1.5 metres (but only 0.9 metre alongside the building at the corner of Holloway Road). The footway widening would reduce the carriageway width with three pinch points. The extent of the proposed scheme, and the locations of the pinch points (marked A, B and C) are shown on the plan attached at Annex 1 (download as .doc file). The area around pinch point A is shown at a larger scale on the plan attached at Annex 2 (download as .doc file).
   
   
8. At pinch point A, where the footway width would be only 0.9 metres, the carriageway width would be 5.015 metres. At pinch point B the carriageway width would be 4.925 metres and at pinch point C 5.1 metres.
   
   
9. The only bus stop within the proposed scheme is the westbound (ie Oxford-bound) stop in Church Road about 30 metres from pinch point A and about 40 metres from the junction with Holloway Road. Here, as agreed with bus operators, the kerb height will be about 140mm so that wheelchairs and pushchairs can be easily pushed on and off the low-floor buses. Also the floor of the adjacent bus shelter will be given a new surface finish.

Consultation, Objections and Officer Comments

10. Public consultation on the proposed scheme was carried out in December 2004 and January 2005. In addition, residents and businesses in the affected length of Church Road received an update, inviting further comments, in May 2005.
    
    
11. Two responses have been received. One from operators of buses serving Church Road and the other from the Vicar of Wheatley Parish Church. The objections were expressed verbally at a meeting held on 24 February 2005 to discuss bus operation problems in Wheatley. The bus operators’ concern is that the three pinch points in the proposed scheme would make it impossible for a bus to pass another large vehicle and would therefore cause delay to services.
    
    
12. At present, parked cars reduce the width of available carriageway to a single lane intermittently along almost the whole length of the proposed scheme, including at pinch points B and C and buses frequently have to stop in order to give way to oncoming vehicles. Parked vehicles rarely take up more than 2 metres of carriageway width. Even at the proposed narrowest point (pinch point B), where the width of carriageway would be reduced from about 5.5 metres to 4.925 metres, there would still normally be 2.9 metres available for a bus (of maximum width 2.55 metres) to pass a parked vehicle.
    
    
13. A late objection has been received from the vicar of St Mary’s Church. His concerns are that the proposed widening of the footway opposite would make it more difficult for buses to pass funeral corteges and wedding cars parked outside the church and that vehicles would then be more likely to mount the south footway opposite the church in order to avoid having to wait.
    
    
14. However the narrowest point in the carriageway outside the church would be at pinch point C, where the width would be reduced from about 5.45 metre to 5.1 metre. Even if the special cars, parked against the north kerb of Church Road, take up 2.2 metres of that width when parked, there would still normally be 2.9 metres available for a bus (of maximum width 2.55 metres) to pass them. Also the increased kerb height on the south side would greatly discourage vehicles from mounting that footway.
    
    
15. At pinch point A, large eastbound vehicles which have turned left from Holloway Road have not fully straightened up and on both sides of the carriageway there is a parking prohibition ("No Waiting at any time"). Eastbound vehicles wait here when giving way to westbound vehicles, because there are usually parked cars on the north side from about 6 metres further east (Annex 2). The proposed footway widening would reduce the carriageway width from about 5.65 metres to 5.015 metres, making it necessary for large eastbound vehicles turning left from Holloway Road (such as buses) to wait a few metres further back.
    
    
16. The proposed south footway widening to 0.9 metres at pinch point A would cause additional delay to some eastbound buses – anything from a few seconds to more than a minute. However many local people have requested that the almost non-existent footway be widened to a usable width, and 0.9 metres is the minimum width which can accommodate most wheelchairs and child-buggies. Therefore the recommendation is that the proposed footway widening at this point should be included in the proposed scheme.

Other responses to the public consultation

17. Several local residents commented in favour of the proposed scheme but in addition expressed concern about excessive parking and/or the large number of buses. Both of these concerns are under investigation and discussion with interested parties. In the short term, consultation on proposals for minor extensions of the parking prohibitions in Church Road is expected with a report to this Committee within the next few months.

Financial and Staff Implications

18. The predicted total out-turn cost of the scheme is £130,000, comprising £76,000 for construction and £54,000 for fees, £12,000 of which was spent in the financial year 2004-05. £110,000 is allocated for this scheme in the 2005/06 Capital Programme: Community Safety-related schemes budget, leaving a possible shortfall of £8,000. The construction estimate includes 20% of contingencies equated to around £13,000 and it is anticipated that the possible shortfall in funding will be covered by those contingencies.
19. Supervision of construction will be carried out by the County Council’s term consultant, Jacobs-Babtie. Management of the schemes can be accommodated within existing Environment & Economy staff resources.

RECOMMENDATIONS

20. The Committee is RECOMMENDED to authorise implementation of the scheme as set out in this report and Annex 1 (download as .doc file) to it.

RICHARD DIX
Interim Head of Transport

Background papers: Copies of letters and e-mails received about the scheme in response to consultation. Notes of the meeting between representatives of Oxfordshire County Council, Wheatley Parish Council, Oxford Brookes University and four bus companies, held on 24 February 2005.

Contact Officer: David Deriaz Tel: Oxford 815666

June 2005

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