Minutes:
Ms Jamila Azad had given written notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant
Can the Council explain how the proposed ANPR cameras in Cowley will mitigate against the increase in NO2 pollution in Cowley (relative to the rest of Oxford) since the Crowley LTN ANPR were installed?
Councillor Gant replied:-
The ANPR cameras are not proposed to mitigate air quality but to allow enforcement and exemptions for buses and/or emergency service vehicles
Mr Matthew Webb had given written notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
Can the council please provide any revenue estimates for the proposed Cowley LTN ANPR cameras for their first and second year of operation?
Councillor Gant replied:-
For each proposed Cowley LTN ANPR site, the projected revenue estimates are expected to be:
Year 1 - £59,568 (per site)
Year 2 - £99,280 (per site)
These figures are estimates based on income from similar sites. However, with expectations that residents would observe the Traffic Order we are hopeful that the projected estimates would be lower and any funds potentially raised would be reinvested in further initiatives to promote Active Travel. The consultation for the ANPR cameras ends on 17 April 2023 and a decision on the way forward will be made by the County Council in the summer.
Mr Saj Malik had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
How many of the emergency services in Oxfordshire have made representations to you (Andrew Gant) that they want ANPR cameras to replace planters in Cowley?
Cllr Gant replied:-
The LTN team have held regular meetings with stakeholders, including the emergency services during the stages of the Cowley LTN scheme. I have met with representatives of the emergency services on many occasions, both in meetings and on-site within Cowley.
In addition, as part of the preparation of the mitigations to the Cowley scheme, I requested and held individual one-to-one meetings with a senior representative of each of the emergency services to discuss their operational requirements. These discussions naturally form an important part of planning the scheme of mitigations and the proposals for ANPR at three sites, currently out for consultation.
Ms Jenny Wells had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
I would like to ask Andrew Gant why the council has targeted East Oxford and Cowley for the implementation of the LTNs in Oxford?
Cllr Gant replied
There are many key factors that recommend an area for a low-traffic neighbourhood. These include poor air quality, high traffic volumes, urban density, a high number of vulnerable road users, and a lack of green space.
Areas where there are a high number of schools, lower than average access to public transport, and a higher number of road traffic accidents may be suitable for LTN trials.
The eastern area of Oxford has a high population of young families and a mix of primary and secondary schools, as well as a large number of children travelling through to schools in other parts of the city, and outside the city.
Around 36% of households in the eastern area of Oxford do not own a car; the area needs better cycling and walking connections and safer roads for all users.
All of the above were factors taken into consideration before trialling Low Traffic Neighbourhoods firstly in Cowley, followed by east Oxford.
Ms Yasmin Qureshi had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
Can the council explain how the proposed ANPR cameras in Cowley will mitigate against the significant increases in traffic on Rose Hill and Henley Avenue which has occurred since the LTNs were installed?
Councillor Gant replied:-
A formal decision on whether or not to install ANPR cameras within the Cowley LTN areas is due to be made by the Cabinet Member for Highways Management at a meeting later in 2023. Officers will make recommendations based on a range of factors, including feedback received and monitoring data.
Mr Ian Yeatman had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
My father is 88 and registered disabled. Can the council explain how Oxfordshire County Council’s proposal to exclude blue badge and / or carers from the proposed Cowley LTN ANPR scheme is compliant with its public sector equality duty?
Cllr Gant replied:-
The consultation period for the ANPR is still open (closes April 18) and we encourage everybody to respond online at the link provided: Oxford: Cowley LTNs - ANPR Camera Enforcement & Littlemore Road Exemption Amendment | Let's Talk Oxfordshire. Or through a paper copy, which you can order by calling 01865 816000. The exemptions form part of the consultation and all responses will be considered as part of the reporting process.
A statutory Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted to assess the projected impacts of the LTNs on all groups with protected characteristics (such as disability, age and gender).
Dr Erdem Pulcu had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant
East Oxford residents were promised meaningful improvements to the LTN scheme by Spring 2023. Currently, the bollards and planters continue to block Crowell Rd, segregating Littlemore from Cowley center grocery shopping access. This specific location was opposed by more than 60% of responders to the original consultation. Now, the word on the street says there is another consultation going on, for installation of ANPR cameras in this location. Why is this consultation not being distributed in Littlemore, which remains the most negatively affected area, in paper format?
Cllr Gant replied:-
Our online survey for this exercise is open for everyone to respond and we understand that our proposals do have a far wider stakeholding audience than the streets the proposals concern. Alongside formal notifications and online media from the county council, we will write to those addresses located on those streets and adjoining or boundary roads to promote the survey and provide links to it.
We do not distribute paper copies to all addresses as this would be unfeasible in terms of cost and carbon footprint. However we are happy to, and do, provide limited numbers of hard copy surveys to groups and individuals who cannot easily access the survey online.
For anyone who needs a printed copy of a survey or require information in an alternative format, they are invited to email us (activetraveloxfordcity@oxfordshire.gov.uk) or call our customer services team or call the council’s customer services team on (01865 816000).
Mr Richard Parnham had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
Is the council aware of provisional city council data, that appears to show that full-year average NO2 pollution levels rose above legal limits during 2022 - on both Hollow Way and Oxford Road / Between Towns Road i.e. after the Cowley LTNs were installed
Cllr Gant replied:-
We continue to monitor air quality and traffic dispersal on arterial roads and roads connecting to the low-traffic neighbourhoods. Low-traffic neighbourhoods are just one aspect of the wider programme that is supporting healthier, more sustainable travel, as outlined in the?Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.
There is more detail about how we capture and analyse the date on our website: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-and-transport/connecting-oxfordshire/low-traffic-neighbourhoods/east-oxford-ltn-air-quality”
In response to a supplementary question from Mr Parnham, Councillor Gant said that he would provide a written response giving the date that the Council first became aware that pollution levels on Hollow Way and Oxford Road / Between Towns Road may have been breached, according to provisional city data.
Mr Peter West had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant:-
Is OCC now in possession of the traffic filters modelling analysis for the A40/B4150 Marsh lane junction Cherwell drive/Marsh Lane/Marston Road/Headley Way Junction and can he provide data for the following periods?
i) AM peak data
(ii) PM peak data
(iii) the weekend off-peak data
Cllr Gant replied:-
The county council has published a Forecasting Report which provides details of transport modelling of various traffic filter scenarios. This was published ahead of and to support the Cabinet decision in November 2022.
The transport model used to forecast the effects of the traffic filters covers Oxfordshire in some detail and also extends in less detail to the rest of the United Kingdom. A model of this kind is good at estimating overall changes in people’s travel patterns and mode choices, but there is more uncertainty in forecasts of changes on individual roads and junctions, and these more detailed outputs are inherently less reliable. This is one reason why the county council has decided to introduce the scheme as a trial in the first instance.
Please note, the transport model represents AM peak and PM peak hours and an average inter-peak hour during an average weekday. There are no model forecasts for a weekend (AM, PM or off-peak).
The following tables show the estimated 2024 total traffic levels approaching the two junctions for the AM and PM peak hours. As above, there is more uncertainty in forecasts of changes in traffic at this level. The Do Minimum (DM) scenario is without the traffic filters; the Do Something (DS) scenario is with the traffic filters (and is the scheme that was consulted on and referred to as TF1 in the Forecasting Report).
Marsh Lane/Cherwell Drive Junction (total traffic approaching junction)
|
AM peak |
PM peak |
||
|
DM (no TF) |
DS (with TF) |
DM (no TF) |
DS (with TF) |
|
1730 |
1497 |
2030 |
1819 |
Marston Road/Cherwell Drive/Headley Way Junction (total traffic approaching junction)
|
AM peak |
PM peak |
||
|
DM (no TF) |
DS (with TF) |
DM (no TF) |
DS (with TF) |
|
1678 |
1500 |
1969 |
1763 |
Ms Bernadette Evans had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant
Why was the Traffic Filters Business Impact Assessment, produced by Steer, released ahead of the Steer Atkins Oxford Trial Traffic report when the BIA forecast the impact on businesses of the traffic filters but without using any traffic reduction data
Cllr Gant replied:-
The Business Impact Assessment report, and separately, Transport and Traffic Forecasting report, were published on the same day, 21st October 2022.
The assessment of business impacts is a qualitative assessment that considers the scale and nature of potential effects of the trial traffic filters on different types of business across Oxford. This included consideration of changes in travel times e.g. from reduced/increased congestion and/or rerouting as result of traffic filters, as well as impacts on deliveries and servicing, and the catchment of and demand for a business’ services, for example.
Mr Edward Glover had given notice of the following question to Cllr Andrew Gant
Given the increased speed and volume of traffic, why has the newly restored (2022) traffic awareness monitor on Henley Avenue been removed?
The strips were installed to monitor the impact of the Quickways cycle routes and the LTNs, where there are no Vivacity cameras for this purpose. They are set to record cycles and motor vehicle numbers and traffic speeds. The strips are put down for two weeks and this was the third measurement of four, with the final recording to take place in June 2023 before a comparative monitoring report is produced against baseline data taken before their implementation