Issue - meetings

Forward Plan Ref: 2019/173

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

Report by Director for Community Operations (Interim) (CMDE14).

The report presents responses received to a statutory consultation to provide amended traffic calming measures (originally installed in 1990 as a safety scheme) as a result of a major maintenance scheme for the road The amendments put forward by the Area traffic team in consultation with the local member and other officers will be funded by the Oxfordshire County Council major maintenance programme.

The Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED to approve the proposed amended traffic calming measures on Northcourt Road, Abingdon as advertised.

Approved

Recognised that this was first and foremost a maintenance scheme to protect the life of the surface of the road and it was not a comprehensive improvement scheme. However, it was noted that while there was no identified finance for major and substantial improvements officers would where possible investigate what could be added to help cyclists.

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered (CMDE14) responses received to a statutory consultation to provide amended traffic calming measures (originally installed in 1990 as a safety scheme) as a result of a major maintenance scheme for the road The amendments put forward by the Area traffic team in consultation with the local member and other officers would be funded by the Oxfordshire County Council major maintenance programme.

Graham Paul Smith, Cycling UK had submitted comments setting out concerns regarding the scheme. He considered it should not be approved in its present state and listed a number of issues including its design which he considered would fail at reducing speed and be less effective than the current scheme and likely to speed-up motor traffic. The face-to-face consultation had seemed inadequate for a roadwith many frontages and mixed uses, particularly at the Oxford Road end. A top-down Highways schemeapproach was not appropriate for a residential street with two schools, a College and two community centres, two shops and a Public House. It would worsen the environment for cycling, contrary to County Policy and he considered that the proposal squandered Major Maintenance Scheme money, focusing merely upon reconstruction.

Robin Tucker spoke on behalf of Oxfordshire Cycling Network and as an Abingdon resident. They hadobjected to the proposals because they failed to consider the context of the street, safety and the Council’s policy to encourage modal shift to low carbon transport and make the street less safe. Northcourt Road was a residential street with a Nursery, Primary School, Secondary School, Further Education College, Community Centre, café, 2 shops and a pub all directly accessed from the road.  It was very busy at school times with evidence of ‘rat running’ between Wootton Road and Oxford Road, and antisocial driving.  The current measures were insufficient to assure safety and Crashmap.co.uk had shown 8 Incidents in only 5 years. In 4 of them a cyclist had been a casualty, in 3 a pedestrian was a casualty and in 3 a child had been a casualty. All this on a residential road ½ a mile long.  The proposal replaced 5 full-width humps that were only comfortable at 20mph, with speed cushions that can be driven over in many cars at 30mph hardly feeling a thing. It would encourage people to buy wider cars, increase speeds and, therefore, danger on this street, even before you considered what happens when children return to school all trying to stay 2 metres away from each other. Contrary to the officer’s report, there were only 3 (14%) of consultation responses in support. One was supporting their proposal of a speed reduction to 20mph.  The Police noted the ineffectiveness of speed cushions at slowing motorcycles.  Additionally, 17 (81%) of responses to the consultation objected or raised concerns. In the last several weeks, Northcourt Road had been transformed with a surge in families walking and cycling together to take their daily exercise.  They would like to keep that when children returned to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14