Victoria Prentis would like to get a clearer picture of digital coverage over her constituency area.
With this in mind she has produced a survey which she would be grateful if as many villagers as possible could complete.
The survey is available at https://www.victoriaprentis.com/digital-connectivity
Please do complete it and let her know what your experiences have been.
Salt is available in all the grit bins in these snowy conditions:
– by the bus shelter on Station Road:
– by the Bull on Bicester Road:
– by the bus shelter on Bicester Road near Sherwood Close: and
– on the Bicester Road railway bridge towards Bicester.
Please do use it at the junctions to help entry and exit into side roads and and on the bridge.
While the salt is publicly available – it is not for personal use.
To clear drives and private roads, dishwasher salt or even soda crystals spread very sparingly works really well.
The pavement outside Costcutter has now been repaired by the County Council.
The deterioration was partly because cars were parking there.
To allow pedestrians to walk on the pavement, please avoid parking on the verge or the pavement.
We are pleased to say that the A41 Roadworks Team has agreed to provide the village with a temporary pedestrian crossing, with the associated parking restrictions, outside Launton School while there is so much traffic coming through the village because of the works on the A41.
This will make sure that the children and carers needing to cross the road will be able to do so more safely, but it will mean that cars will not be able to park on Bicester Road near the school.
We realise that it is not an ideal solution for the whole village, but we are trying our best to help!
East West Rail has asked the Highways team at Oxfordshire County Council for permission to take HGVs through the village as part of their ongoing reinstatement works currently being undertaken at the A2 compound by Grange Farm.
They are required to carry out this programme of final material movements as part of the Transport and Works Act Order. It will mean a number of HGV journeys between the A2 compound on Station Road and the final position adjacent to the A1 compound.
As some of the railway track has now been laid, there is no option to use the ‘haul road’ but this is expected to be the last of the series of HGV movements to this location as the work should be fully complete.
To have the least amount of impact on the village and the roads, they would like to carry out the initial HGV movements through Launton during the half term period to get these movements carried out as quick as possible.
The works will be carried out in two phases:
Phase 1 is the majority of the effort and will be from Monday 24 October to Friday 28 October.
Phase 2 will commence from Monday 7 November to Friday 18 November and will be for any residual topsoil not required to complete the site. Any journeys required in this time slot are likely to be minimal and they will be scheduled for outside school drop off/pick up times.
During these HGV movements, the EWR Team will install traffic ambassadors at the crossroads at Bicester Road and Station Road to monitor driver behaviour. Please note that they will also have a fulltime sweeper to mitigate mud on the road as best as they can while these HGV movements are carried out.
All the drivers will follow the route shown on the map below and the blue line outlines the route that will be taken by our HGVs. They will continue to remind all of the drivers to follow the agreed route, adhere to the required speed limit and always show courtesy to other road users.
As usual, any questions or concerns should go to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk or call the 24 hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41
HGV movements map
Bicester Heritage will be opening their doors again on Sunday 8 January 2023.
The Scramble promises visitors the chance to experience historic motoring at its best, through a curated display of classic cars, open workshop doors and lots of surprises for the family along the way.
You will be able to visit the 45 industry-leading specialist businesses based in their restored historic buildings at Bicester Heritage. Family and dog friendly, the Scramble is a wonderful way to while away the weekend hours in the company of some spectacular machines.
Local residents and their families are more than welcome to attend the event and make the most of a 50% discount on full price tickets with the promocode: BristolBoxkite
Go to https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/events and click on the ‘find out more’ button to book tickets.
For further information see https://www.facebook.com/BicesterHeritage, or contact the events team directly at: events@bicestermotion.com
Keep an eye on the Bicester Heritage website and social media pages for the latest information and release of tickets.
A Book of Condolence is now available in St Mary’s Church for those wishing to leave a message. The table is at the end of the aisle to your right as you enter Church.
The book will be closed at the end of the mourning period and will probably be sent to the County archive to form part of the County commemoration.
The Church will be open between 8am and 7pm to sign the Book and for quiet reflection.
For over 20 years the Fire Service has been testing Oxfordshire residents’ electric blankets and this service is available again this year.
Book an appointment by calling 01865 895999 Option 3 or email duty.officer@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Cherwell’s testing date is Wednesday 21 September – or if you can’t get to that you can book to arrange for your blanket to be collected, tested and returned.
Would you like to help with the village Speedwatch?
We need volunteers!
The Community Speedwatch (CSW) programme has been established to involve local communities in the monitoring and reporting of vehicle speeds in their local area.
The programme allows for speeding vehicles to be observed and reported to Thames Valley Police (TVP) for corrective and, where necessary, enforcement action.
The Parish Council has agreed to establish a Community Speedwatch group for Launton.
We hope that the Speedwatch programme will assist in traffic management through the village following the reopening of all the roads into Launton after completion of the EWR bridge works, completion of the A41 Graven Hill roundabout works, and the application to reduce the speed limit through Launton to 20mph.
Community groups are led by a co-ordinator who manages the program through the TVP CSW website.
Individuals joining the program will need to register on the CSW website and complete an online training module before starting – but don’t panic, it’s quite straight forward to complete.
For safety and reliability, teams will consist of two or three individuals for each speed check and all equipment including the speed measuring device, safety vests and any other safety gear will be provided. In addition, TVP will undertake roadside risk assessments for each selected site to ensure the safety of team members during operation.
In the last few years there have been a number complaints about the number of vehicles using Launton as a shortcut between the A41 and the north of Bicester, along with complaints about speeds through the village.
This is the ideal opportunity to get involved to show drivers that Launton is a small village and speed management addresses both safety and environmental issues.
If you’d like to help us in joining the programme please contact the co-ordinator at speedwatch@launton-pc.gov.uk
East West Rail will be carrying out painting and minor works on the Bicester Road bridge over the railway from Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 July 2022.
For these works to be carried out in a safe and secure manner, the Bicester Road will be CLOSED between the hours of 9.00pm and 5.00am each night.
However, access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained.
They have assured us that they will do their best to keep disturbance to a minimum and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Information about their work can be found in their East West Rail Alliance quarterly newsletters. If you aren’t on their list contact publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk to sign up.
Any questions or concerns should go to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk or call the 24 hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41
