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NWAG — North Witney Action Group

North Witney Action Group

Evidence-led objection to the North Witney SDA & West End Link Road

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Traffic

Oxfordshire County Council reports show that traffic will more than double on West End, Hailey Road and Farmers Close, and potentially lead to significant air quality issues on West End. The building of the West End Link Road is supposed to alleviate traffic problems and associated pollution on Bridge Street, but traffic will only fall by 10%, and therefore isn't a solution to the problem.

In plain terms

1,250 new homes would mean hundreds more car journeys a day onto roads that are already busy. The County Council's own modelling says peak traffic on Hailey Road and Farmers Close would be two-and-a-half times today's. The £23 million West End Link takes just 10% off Bridge Street — while West End, 15 feet wide at its narrowest, takes the strain instead.

"Traffic volumes at peak times (am & pm) will increase (over the 2013 'base' flows) by two-and-a-half fold on the twisty and narrow Farmers Close between New Yatt Rd and Hailey Rd, making it a dangerous rat-run. Hailey Rd will also see a two-and-a-half fold increase in traffic volumes over current levels at peak times."
NWAG conclusion on OCC 2014 Technical Note: Witney Development and Strategic Infrastructure Modelling (TRA1) — flow data at appendices pp 43–44, 56–57, 66–67
"It is also our opinion that, Local Plan POLICY WIT2 (North Witney Strategic Development Area), Paragraph d) the provision of other supporting transport infrastructure, including mitigating the impact of traffic associated with the development, has yet to be shown to be achievable."
NWAG response — Policy WIT2, paragraph d
"Whilst this gives major relief to Bridge St, West End (B4022) becomes part of the main Witney river crossing route and consequently traffic volumes increase dramatically, raising the probability of this very narrow old road becoming an Air Quality Management Area. … buses and HGV's will be redirected along this road which at its narrowest is 15ft wide with pavements less than 3 feet in width at the western end. (Buses/HGV's are 8ft wide)"
NWAG conclusion on the OCC 2017 Witney Transport Strategy and the FOI-obtained Witney Traffic Flow Model
"Bridge St sees a traffic volume reduction of just 10% — hardly an endorsement of the £23m West End Link Rd, which is supposed to be the solution to Bridge Street's traffic and air quality problems."
NWAG conclusion on OCC 2014 modelling

Facts

  • ×2.5 — peak traffic on Hailey Road and Farmers Close over 2013 base flows (TRA1)
  • −10% — the reduction on Bridge Street delivered by the £23m West End Link
  • West End doubles — becoming the main Witney river crossing route, at Air Quality Management Area risk
  • 15ft carriageway, under 3ft pavements — at West End's narrowest, carrying 8ft-wide buses and HGVs
  • Policy WIT2 d) — mitigating the traffic impact of the development "has yet to be shown to be achievable"