Thanks for the comments while we were away. Now, back in Abingdon, there is a chance to catch up with some of the happenings …
Preliminary work has begun on the development for 158 dwellings off Drayton Road. The first of the new pedestrian lights, funded by the development, on Marcham Road is underway. This is intended as a traffic mitigation measure.
10 Lime Trees have also been cut down to make an entrance to the Morland Gardens development.
Resurfacing work on Drayton Road from near Caldecott Road to Marcham Road has been completed. That was funded by Oxfordshire County Council not by the development.
Excellent mitigation: traffic queues all the way back to Preston Road most of the day yesterday. Of course (!), it will all improve when the job is complete…
I hadn’t quite realised that that was where they were relocating the lights to. Moving them so far up Marcham road will doubtless lead to children being run over as they try to cross the road at the double-mini to go up Spring Road to school rather than walk up to the lights and back – or will there be new lights on the Ock St side too? Whatever, it will make turning out of Spring Rd in the mornings (esp right) even harder, let alone getting out of Drayton Rd.
As I understood it they are putting traffic lights in on the other side of the roundabout plus more along the Marcham Road. Well that is going to solve the Drayton Road traffic problem. (I don’t think). I see on the Drayton Road they have started cutting down the mature trees to make way for the hideous 3 story high houses. They call it Morland Gardens but there will not be much garden about it. More like concrete and car parking. It brought home how much of our green belt it disappearing. How much of our countryside will be left in future one asks.
…but just think of all the needy or first time buyers these 3 story, privatley owned houses are going to help.
Given inevitable further development between Drayton and Abingdon I don’t see why ‘Morland Gardens’ couldn’t have been connected to the Oday Hill junction and that turned into a roundabout. One assumes that the 30 limit will be extended out past Morland Gardens and the present 50 beyond that to Drayton reduced to 40 allowing OCC to maintain the road to a lower standard.
I tried to go into Abingdon on Tuesday , Wednesday and today at around 12:30 the Drayton Road was blocked all the way to Saxton Rd. But I believe in the survey the planners must have taken prior to agreeing to the new crossings now being built in Marcham Road and Ock Street. So by mid September the Drayton Road will always be clear for ever. Strange just seen a pig flying down Drayton Road.
Oxford County Councillor David Nimmo Smith is the chap who had the power to stop these crossings, but, having come to view how bad the traffic actually was (on a Saturday) decided, in his deep wisdom and as an expert on such matters, that it was OK.
Come the completion of the crossings..should the traffic actually be no better, or, perhaps worse, please ensure to drop Dave a line at the County Council to let him know how poor his decision was.
david.nimmo-smith@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Of course….let him know how good his decision was too…of it proves to be!
Was full planning permission for the new dwellings not dependent on the demonstrable success of the revised crossing installation in reducing road crisis ? Or is that the ramblings of a naive yokel lacking the insight of a PhD in Traffic Engineering ?
I regret that Abingdon was envisaged as becoming a dormitory town soon after Dr. Beeching did his thing. It seems that even that aspiration is now doomed by gridlock.
Hi Spike. No. It was put to the Vale Planning meeting that we should wait to see if the new 2 crossings were effective before the planning permission be given and this was thrown out. Planning permission was given just on the erection of the two crossings. Not on whether they were effective or not. Even if they make the situation worse the houses and development will go ahead. Smoke and mirrors dear fellows.
Hi Spike. Sadly Janet is right. I and others argued that they should conduct a trial first to see whether the plan would work before allowing the scheme to go ahead permanently but the County Council Cabinet refused that suggestion.
….remember to keep Dave updated with photos and feedback regarding the traffic. He said ‘yes’ to it, for good or ill….
david.nimmo-smith@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Soooooooo … if the new location of the crossing PLUS the new crossing on Ock St doesn’t alleviate traffic on Drayton Road … who do we all say ‘I told you so’ to?
Daniel, you may be pleased to learn that it’s not just Abingdon to suffer from Dave’s traffic management skills
see
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/13645160
Whichever way it goes, and so he can be suitably proud, perhaps it should be locally designated as the “Nimmo-Smith Crossing” with a suitable sign on the posts ?
A formal naming ceremony (live on South Today ?) would be a good start to any monitoring programme.
rThe traffic is dreadful..No one knows anything about several empty shops,the three Restaurants to let or what is happening to the Upper reaches.All very sad
…but the flowers look good Margaret.
Houdini, direct you concerns to Dave;
david.nimmo-smith@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Thanks Daniel … will do 🙂