Queues Return – Briefly – to West St Helen Street

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Looking out of the window at around 11 am, there was a queue of traffic heading up West St Helen Street. One driver said she had not moved for 15 minutes. This was the first traffic problem in the street after weeks of relative quiet during the road closure, and it occurred during half term, when traffic is usually lighter.

On this occasion, the disruption was caused by an accident or medical emergency.

Traffic tailed back along Bridge Street, Stert Street, The Vineyard, and Stratton Way.

Within about an hour the incident had been dealt with and traffic was moving freely again. For a while, a person from the company who look after the car parks on behalf of Vale of White Horse District Council took on the role of directing traffic at the junction of West St Helen Street.

One Road Reopens, Another Closes

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Yesterday’s post celebrated the reopening of West St Helen Street. Today, another key route, Radley Road, was unexpectedly closed for several hours.

An emergency crew from Oxfordshire County Council shut Radley Road between St Peters Road and Kennet Road. What had appeared the previous day to be a large pothole near the centre of the road was dug out amid worries it was caused by a sinkhole.

By around 15:40 these photographs show the hole already filled.

Fortunately, it is half term, which spared Radley Road the traffic chaos that would have accompanied the school runs. There are three schools along the Radley Road. During the closure, the 35 bus was diverted via Audlett Drive.

Lines Redrawn as West St Helen Street opens again

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In West St Helen Street, and nearby roads, a crew with a line-painting lorry have been redrawing and replacing the road markings. The marking paint is melted in a tank and extruded onto the road surface before cooling and hardening.

Old lines are removed by heating them to soften the material, then it is scraped away.

The double yellow lines near the Co-op are being replaced with a parking bay. Opposite, the parking outside the Salvation Army has been replaced by double yellow lines. These parking changes were agreed on 22 January by Oxfordshire County Council following an earlier consultation.

‘Residents Parking’ lettering and bay markings were redrawn elsewhere and added in St Edmunds Lane. There are new double yellow lines, particularly at corners.

The holes in the road either side of the iron bridge have been filled in and the barriers removed so for now West St Helen Street is open to through traffic from South Abingdon.

River Thames and Sunshine at Margaret Brown Gardens

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Today’s sunshine was a welcome contrast to yesterday’s rain. From Margaret Brown Gardens, the River Thames reflected the bright sky and the buildings of St Helen’s Wharf like a mirror.

For much of last year there were several juvenile swans along this stretch of river. Now we seem to be down to just two. Perhaps they are a pair.

There is usually a drop to the water here, and the swans are seen from above. With the river still high, they are almost at path level.