Councillors Sanders and Turner, together with the Clerk, met with an Oxfordshire County Council Highways officer in September to discuss the issues with the crossroads and to see if a way forward could be found.
The Officer spent a great deal of time listening and discussing the issues and then took measurements in order to draw up plans. The concerns he hopes to address include the vision splay at the exit from Station Road, the cars parking too close to the crossroads junction together with the speed of the traffic through the village.
He will investigate the possibility of a ‘speed pillow’ over the entire crossroads area together with double yellow lines to deter parking close to the junction – particularly up Station Road and along the northern side of Blackthorn Road – which he thinks will also assist with pedestrian safety.
Further to these proposals, the Officer is suggesting looking at extending the weight limit – which currently starts at Blackthorn Road – so that it starts at the Charbridge Lane roundabout, which would act as a deterrent to HGVs using the village as a cut through; however, all access for deliveries to the village would still be possible.
The Parish Council has already applied for the 20mph speed limit promoted by Oxfordshire County Council and it is hoped that the consultation costs for the crossroads work and the speed limit would be able to be combined.
Further to all this, the Parish Council has asked for a temporary pedestrian crossing, similar to the one which EWR installed while Charbridge Lane was closed, to be provided by the developers working on the A41 roadworks, but this is yet to come to fruition.
We have also set up a village Speedwatch group. The group has already had a couple of sessions, but we do need more volunteers. If you would like to put yourself forward to volunteer please contact David Jones, the Speedwatch Co-ordinator, at speedwatch@launton-pc.gov.uk and he will be pleased to send you all the information.
Please be assured that we are taking the issue of the traffic very seriously, but we have to acknowledge that the roads are provided by Oxfordshire County Council and are, therefore, their responsibility. We also need to remember that the roads are available for all – whether the users live in the village or not – and we have no way of limiting that use.
Any concerns with the condition of the roads, signage etc. should be reported, as usual, via FixMyStreet – https://fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/. More strategic concerns may be directed to our County Councillor, Ian Corkin, at ian.corkin@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
