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Oxford: East Oxford - Proposed Low Traffic Neighbourhoods - December 2021

Meeting: 16/12/2021 - Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Highway Management (Item 25)

25 Oxford: East Oxford - Proposed Low Traffic Neighbourhood pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/182

Contact: Naomi Barnes, Project Manager Tel: 07824 528681

 

This item will be considered and determined by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Liz Leffman. 

 

The Council’s Constitution (Article 6, paragraph 7(b)) enables the Leader to take a decision herself, or to nominate another member of Cabinet, if the designated Portfolio Holder is unable for any reason to take the decision.

 

 

In a report to the Cabinet Member Decision (CMD) meeting on 29 July officers recommended that the Cabinet Member (a) note the responses to the non-statutory public consultation on the East Oxford low traffic neighbourhood including Quietways, (b) agree that officers review the options based on the consultation output, update the proposals and reconsult, (c) agree that the outcome of consultation on revised proposals be reported to a future CMD meeting and (d) instruct officers to fully assess the impact of the delay on resources and budget on the wider Active Travel programme. These recommendations were accepted by the Cabinet Member. As a result of the CMD decision the following stakeholders were contacted to discuss their concerns and alternative options: local mosques; local taxi companies; disability groups; local schools; the council’s Special Educational Needs Transport team; the Emergency Services and waste collection services. A targeted consultation exercise on the position of the traffic filter and overall design was also undertaken with the residents and businesses of Howard Street. Feedback from the engagement with stakeholders has been used to develop the recommendations of this report.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Approved

 

 

Approved

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Highway Management advised that in the light of some concern about recent comments he had made regarding this item, which some members of the public had considered might affect his impartiality, Councillor Liz Leffman the Leader of the Council would, under the provisions of Article 6 of the Council’s Constitution, take the Chair for Item 4. Although he was very clear as was the Leader of the Council that he did not have a predetermined view on this matter he was stepping away from this particular item because he wanted the public to have every confidence in the decision making of the Council and demonstrate his impartiality. He would then resume the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

 

The Leader of the Council then took the Chair for the duration of Item 4.

 

On 29 July 2021 the Cabinet Member for Highway Management had resolved as follows:

 

(a) to note the responses to the non-statutory public consultation on the East Oxford low traffic neighbourhood including Quietways,

(b) agree that officers review the options based on the consultation output, update the proposals and reconsult,

(c)     agree that the outcome of consultation on revised proposals be reported to a future CMD meeting and

(d)     instruct officers to fully assess the impact of the delay on resources and budget on the wider Active Travel programme. 

 

In accordance with that decision the following stakeholders had then been contacted: local mosques; local taxi companies; disability groups; local schools; the council’s Special Educational Needs Transport team; Emergency Services and waste collection services. A targeted consultation exercise on the position of the traffic filter and overall design had also been undertaken with residents and businesses in Howard Street. Feedback from that engagement had been used to develop the current recommendations of the report now being considered by the Leader of the Council.

 

City Councillor Katherine Miles also speaking as a local resident in one of the proposed East Oxford LTNs said that failure to implement the LTN would undermine both the county and city council’s plans for sustainable transportation and climate change related infrastructure initiatives and risk bidding for future rounds of central government funding. The East Oxford LTNs were a learning pilot exercise founded on growing evidence based on the benefits of LTNs elsewhere and so implementing them now would confer new insights not just for East Oxford, but for the whole of the city and help inform the development of a strategy for sustainable traffic management in the city. It would also benefit the health, safety, and wellbeing of city residents including children who would be able to walk and cycle safely through the neighbourhood providing cheap, efficient and good exercise as well as benefitting the environment. Sadly many people did not cycle with children due to the current levels of traffic and although cycling was not in itself dangerous through traffic in East Oxford with traffic aggressively cutting through from the Iffley to Cowley Roads made it so as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25