Oxfordshire County Council

Banbury Western Corridor Study

May 2005

Jacobs UK Ltd technical and management consultants

Oxfordshire County Council – Environment & Economy

Banbury Western Corridor Study

BPN 999 26th May 2005

Jacobs UK Ltd 95 Bothwell Street, Glasgow G2 7HX Tel 0141 204 2511 Fax 0141 226 3109

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Document No : BPN999/21/CSD/Rep01

Revision No : 00

Date : 26th May 2005

Prepared by : Colin Devlin

Checked by : David Leigh

Approved by : David Leigh

Contents

1 INTRODUCTION...... 3 1.1 Introduction...... 3 1.2 Structure of the Report ...... 4

2 RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION ...... 5 2.1 Policy Review ...... 5 2.2 The Future of Transport: A Network for 2030...... 5 2.3 Oxfordshire Structure Plan...... 5 2.4 Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan ...... 7 2.5 Cherwell District Local Plan 2011 ...... 7 2.6 Consultation...... 8

3 PUBLIC TRANSPORT ...... 9 3.1 Buses...... 9 3.2 Trains...... 11

4 ACCIDENT OVERVIEW...... 13 4.1 Overview ...... 13 4.2 Accident summary ...... 14 4.3 Overall Accident Statistics ...... 17 4.4 Summary...... 19 4.5 Conclusions from accident records ...... 21

5 PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE FACILITIES...... 23 5.1 Policy objectives ...... 23 5.2 Present Conditions...... 24

6 TRAFFIC DATA...... 29 6.1 Traffic Flow Data...... 29 6.2 Traffic Speed Data...... 31 6.3 Queue survey...... 33 6.4 Conclusion...... 36

7 CONDITION ASSESSMENT...... 37 7.1 Study Context ...... 37 7.2 North Element...... 38 7.3 South Element ...... 44

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 1 8 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS...... 51

9 ROUTE STRATEGY...... 55 9.1 Introduction...... 55 9.2 Classification of the Corridor...... 56 9.3 Scheme Recommendations ...... 57 9.4 Corridor Improvements Northern Section ...... 57 9.5 West Banbury Corridor Road Improvements South...... 70

10 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME AND COST ESTIMATES ...... 85 10.1 Programme and cost overview ...... 85 10.2 Group A...... 86 10.3 Group B ...... 87 10.4 Group C ...... 88 10.5 Group D ...... 89 10.6 Group E ...... 90 10.7 Group F ...... 91 10.8 Group G...... 92 10.9 Group H ...... 93 10.10 Group I...... 94 10.11 Group J...... 95 10.12 Group K ...... 96 10.13 Summary of Grouping ...... 97

11 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...... 99

Appendix A: Drawings Appendix B: Junction Analysis - Southam Road and Lockheed Close Roundabouts Appendix C: Junction Analysis - A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road Appendix D: Junction Analysis – Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road Appendix E: Junction Analysis Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road Appendix F: Notes on Bus Boarders Appendix G: Safety Auditor’s comments

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 2 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction Jacobs Babtie was commissioned on the 14 September 2004 by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to provide a route strategy development for the Banbury Western Corridor in Oxfordshire. The corridor commences on the A422 Ruscote Avenue at the junction with the A361 Southam Road, A422 Hennef Way, A423 Southam Road, the ‘Southam Road Roundabout’, continuing southwards along Ruscote Avenue, before continuing into Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway. The corridor concludes at the junction with the A361 Bloxham Road. The length of the corridor is approximately 3.1 km.

The objective of the study is to take a comprehensive view of the corridor to consider the traffic management improvements and proposals that could be implemented within the confines of the existing carriageway space. More specifically the review examines traffic conditions, speed, flow, safety and segregation and develops a strategy that will help to create an improved highway corridor link. A detailed series of costings for each proposal and a programme of works prioritising the recommendations are also presented. The particular components of the study that have been considered are as follows:

• Reduce vehicular congestion; • Improve safety and address the casualty record; • Reduce excessive vehicle speed; • Reduce noise pollution; • Improve amenity and reduce severance for cyclists and pedestrians; and • Improve existing public transport provisions.

The above objectives are compatible with National, Regional, County, and District policies and guidance. Planning Policy Guidance 13, Urban Safety Management Guidelines (IHT) in conjunction with the Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan 2001-2006 has been used to form the strategy.

The route strategy makes specific recommendations to assist in the development of detailed proposals that can be included into the Council's programme of works.

At peak times the traffic flows within the corridor exceed the capacity of a number of the junctions and therefore the recommendations made can only be seen as a way of improving the existing situation as far as possible; they do not provide a full solution to the problems associated with the existing traffic volumes and the congestion that results.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 3 1.2 Structure of the Report Following this introduction, the Report is structured to describe each of the main stages of the study from research and consultation through to the proposed route strategy where the individual recommendations are presented and finally to a proposed implementation programme together with cost estimates for each proposal.

Since the Banbury Western Corridor runs predominantly north-south within the text of this report we have adopted the convention that directions along the corridor are north/south and to the sides are east/west as appropriate.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 4 2 RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION 2.1 Policy Review The policy review forms the first element of the corridor study and considers the documentation relevant to traffic and transportation within the study corridor as set out in the study brief. In particular, this section presents measures and policies which influence the corridor’s future transport programmes and objectives.

This chapter summarises transport policies in Oxfordshire including:

• The Future of Transport: A Network for 2030 – July 2004; • Oxfordshire Structure Plan; • Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan; • Cherwell District Council Local Plan 2011 Revised Deposit Draft September 2002.

2.2 The Future of Transport: A Network for 2030 This new strategy sets a vision and lays out the what, where and how of the measures which will influence transport infrastructure and ideals through 2030. It serves as an addendum to the 10 Year Plan for transport and extends the investment plans until 2015.

The strategy focuses on: the efficient use of roadway capacity, road pricing, the benefits of new capacity, and new technology to manage roads; improving railway infrastructure, increase bus and public transport accessibility, and improving the efficiency of freight.

2.3 Oxfordshire Structure Plan The Structure Plan establishes the strategic planning policies for Oxfordshire County Council effective from 1996 until 2011. The new Plan defines policies and proposals which guide environmental protection, traffic management and development which influence County-wide transport decisions.

The aims of the Structure Plan include: • The promotion of provisions for pedestrians and the mobility-impaired; • The promotion of improved provisions for cyclists • Lower tiered county inter-town routes should be used in preference to less suitable roads; • Traffic management measures will be introduced; • Linking the development control policy with the provision of transport infrastructure and existing capacity; • Integrating land use and transport planning in line with Government Guidance;

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 5 • Protecting and improving Oxfordshire’s environment and quality of life of its residents; and • Reducing pollution in the local and global environment.

The Structure Plan reviews and presents a spatial strategy which addresses all of the aforementioned points. It also establishes the main principles and priorities for the future development of the area. The transport section, specifically, contains policies intended to manage and control the impacts of development.

In essence, it seeks to reduce pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases by locating development so as to reduce the need to travel especially by private car and encouraging more trips by foot, cycle, and public transport. It also provides a policy framework in which development is concentrated in locations which are, or capable of being, well served by public transport.

The Transport sections concentrates on a range of issues in Oxfordshire and focuses on alternatives to the car, the strategic highway network, freight, mobility management, parking and airports.

In order to promote alternatives to the car and meet the increasing demands for mobility in an environmentally acceptable way, measures have been developed which include: • Promoting good bus penetration of development and good quality supporting infrastructure; • Traffic calming where necessary; • Ensuring that parking provision is not over-supplied in a way that undermines the strategy of promoting alternative modes; • The creation of safe, attractive and convenient conditions for walking and cycling, and; • Securing developer contributions to off-site transport improvements and measures.

Mobility management policies stipulate the assessment of major trip-generating development proposals. Transport Assessments may be sought in areas where traffic levels result in periods of severe congestion.

The control of parking availability in Banbury can effectively influence modal travel choice and enables higher densities of development, thereby reducing journey lengths. Parking controls have to be initiated with other measures such as advance information on availability, the management of displaced or indiscriminate parking, and the provision of suitable alternatives. These controls seek to form part of an integrated approach to transport and land use planning.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 6 Park and rides, alternatively, provide easier access to congested town centres, better public transport, widened modal choice and the optimal use of accessible land.

2.4 Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan In 1998 the Government published its White Paper “A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone”. This provided a comprehensive framework for transport planning and decision making with an emphasis on providing more transport choice, integrating travel and reducing reliance on the car.

The White Paper also requires Highway Authorities to produce a Local Transport Plan (LTP) detailing the authority’s integrated transport proposals in conjunction with targets and performance indicators, which reflect the long-term effectiveness of a strategy.

The Oxfordshire LTP emphasises widening travel choices, encouraging people to think about the consequences of their travel choices, tackling the effects of traffic and maintaining the transport network. The overall principle of the LTP seeks to provide a more sustainable transport system that meets its social, economic and environmental objectives. Several objectives within the LTP are described as the following:

• To protect and enhance the built and natural environment; • To improve safety for all who travel; • To contribute to an efficient economy and to support sustainable growth in appropriate locations; • To promote accessibility to everyday facilities for all, including those without a car; • To promote the integration of all forms of transport and land use planning, leading to a better, more efficient transport system; • To promote the maintenance and improvement of the transport network for the benefit of all; and • To raise awareness in the community of the consequences of different travel choices as a local objective.

2.5 Cherwell District Local Plan 2011 The Cherwell District Revised Deposit Draft Local Plan addresses similar issues of concern that are outlined in the other plans relevant to the West Banbury Corridor. The objectives for transport are to: • Reduce the growth in the length and number of motorised journeys; • Encourage alternative means of travel which have less environmental impact; and • Reduce reliance on the private car.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 7 The Local Plan focuses its policies around the transport provision requirements of development proposals. For example, TR1 states that all traffic generating development must contribute to achieving the objectives of the Local Transport Plan. TR3 affirms this policy by requiring a transport assessment and travel plan to accompany development proposals likely to generate significant levels of traffic.

Road safety is also a specific element of this corridor study. Policy TR5 focuses on the need for road safety in conjunction with the approval of new developments. TR5 states that the conflict between vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and the mobility impaired is minimised by securing segregated provision. This is to ensure that the development does not compromise the safe movement and free flow of traffic and the safe use of roads by others. Road safety standards must be met before proposals are permitted.

Policy TR21 relates directly to this study as it highlights the benefits to Banbury as a result of the recent dualling of Hennef Way to Southam Road. The aim of this measure is to relieve congestion on key routes and aid traffic calming and safety improvements in Banbury’s town centre.

2.6 Consultation When the commission commenced meetings were held with local councillors representing the north and south ends of the corridor in order to understand what the perceived existing problems are and how local opinion would be likely to receive different proposals. During the production of the report draft copies have been made available to representatives of OCC and Cherwell District Council and meetings held so that comments and feedback can be incorporated into the final version of the report.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 8 3 PUBLIC TRANSPORT 3.1 Buses There are six bus operators providing services along the West Banbury Corridor. The majority of the services are provided by Stagecoach. Grayline Coaches, Cheney Coaches, Johnson’s Coach and Bus Travel, Geoff Amos Coaches, and Baker’s Commercial Services also operate services along varying sections of the corridor. Of these, only the Stagecoach service B5 runs with any regularity along the corridor during the weekday peak period. Various small independent operators provide irregular Monday – Friday rural services along the corridor, serving the nearby towns of Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Shipston-on-Stour, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Tesco also operate a free bus service two days a week, Mondays and Fridays, from the town centre to the superstore located on Lockheed Close.

Although Banbury Town Centre is adequately served by buses along the corridor, none of the three main food superstores in the town, Tesco, Sainsburys, and Morrisons or Horton Hospital is located on an existing bus route.

No single service runs the entire length through the study area, with only one service operating along Ruscote Avenue, providing a limited service to Hardwick and Banbury Town Centre. There is only one bus stop situated on the A422 Ruscote Avenue, located immediately north of the junction with Warwick Road.

As the southern element of the corridor comprises of primarily residential areas, public transport services are provided to a much greater extent. There are bus stops located approximately every 200m along Woodgreen Avenue, less frequently along Orchard Way and only two located along Queensway. There are very few bus shelters at any of the stops and none of them have lay-bys. The stops that do have shelters are in poor condition, poorly illuminated, and timetables were not evident at any stop. During the off-peak site visit there were few waiting passengers observed at any of the bus stops.

The Bretch Hill Circular, service B5, provides a regular Monday – Saturday service every 12 minutes. The route incorporates Neithrop and Banbury Town Centre, via Woodgreen Avenue. An hourly evening and Sunday service, operated by Cheney Coaches, is also provided along the same route.

Service B8 is the only bus route to operate along the northern section of the corridor, with a regular Monday – Saturday service every 20 minutes serving Hardwick and Banbury Town Centre. The route encompasses Ruscote Avenue before serving Longelandes Way.

Grayline Coaches service B10 provides an hourly Monday – Friday service between Hardwick and Banbury Town Centre via the B4100/A422 Warwick Road.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 9

Stagecoach service B1/B2 provides an hourly Monday – Saturday service serving the South East of Banbury, including Easington and Calthorpe. It is likely that this service will be used by some of residents living to the south of the corridor along Queensway. B4 provides an hourly Sunday service along the same route.

Bus service B7 encompasses the majority of the southern element of the corridor, with bus stops located on Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway providing an hourly service Monday to Saturday service between Grimsbury, the town centre, Neithrop and Crouch Hill. The service however, provides a very convoluted bus route for passengers with long journey times from the study area to the town centre.

In total there are six separate services operating in the vicinity of the West Banbury Corridor, covering different sections of the route, as summarised in Table 3.1 below.

Table 3.1 Existing Bus Services along the West Banbury Corridor SERVICE SERVICE OPERATOR AREAS SERVED NO. FREQUENCY Banbury Town Centre – Easington – B1 / B2 Stagecoach Hourly Cherwell Heights – Bankside Stagecoach / Cheney Hourly (Evenings Banbury Town Centre – Easington – B3/B5 Coaches and Sundays) Bodicote – Cherwell Heights Banbury Town Centre – Sandford B4 Stagecoach Hourly (Sundays) Green – Bretch Hill Banbury Town Centre – Neithrop – B5 Stagecoach Every 12 mins Bretch Hill Grimsbury – Banbury Town Centre – B7 Stagecoach Hourly Edmunds Road – Poets Corner Banbury Town Centre – The B8 Stagecoach Every 20 mins Musketeer – Hardwick Banbury Town Centre – Hardwick – B10 Grayline Coaches Hourly Ruscote Baker’s Commercial One return journey Banbury Town Centre – Crouch Hill – 6 Services per week Brantwood Rise – Moreton-in-Marsh Johnson’s Coach and Stratford-upon-Avon – Banbury Rail 270 Two-Hours Bus Travel Station Geoff Amos Coaches Shipston-on-Stour – Broughton – 480 Two-Hours / Cheney Coaches Banbury Town Centre

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 10 SERVICE SERVICE OPERATOR AREAS SERVED NO. FREQUENCY Stagecoach / Cheney Chipping Norton – Hook Norton – 488 Two-Hours Coaches Bloxham – Banbury

As Table 3.1 demonstrates, the majority of buses serving the corridor radiate into and out of the town centre, with little provision of services to the north and south of the town. There are regular bus services to Oxford from Banbury Town Centre but not directly from the corridor.

3.2 Trains Banbury Rail Station is situated approximately 2.0km from the corridor and is located on the Oxford – Birmingham railway line and the Birmingham – London (Marylebone) line. Chiltern Railways, First Great Western Link, and Virgin Trains provide services at Banbury. The majority of bus services from the corridor terminate at the bus station in Bridge Street, which is approximately 500m from the railway station. It is likely that many passengers residing in the corridor will drive to, or near, the station in preference to using public transport.

Banbury Rail Station offers a half-hour frequency to London and an hourly service to Oxford, the latter augmented by local stopping services. Virgin Trains provide three trains per hour in each direction through the Oxford-Banbury corridor. London is the primary destination for people using Banbury Station (40% of users) with Oxford accounting for 13% of journeys.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 11

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 12 4 Accident Overview 4.1 Overview A summary of personal injury accidents for the five-year period from 1 August 1999 to 31 July 2004 along the Banbury Western Corridor is shown in Figure 4.1. Road accidents are classified as slight, serious or fatal dependent upon the nature of any injuries sustained. Of the 68 recorded incidents along the corridor within the study area, nine were serious and the remainder were classed as slight. There were no fatal injuries recorded over the five year period.

Table 4.1 – Location of Accidents Recorded along the Banbury Western Corridor, August 1999 to June 2004 ACCIDENT LOCATION NUMBER A422 Ruscote Avenue / A361 Southam Road / Hennef Way 10 A422 Ruscote Avenue between Hennef Way and Lockheed Close 1 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Lockheed Close 8 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Beaumont Road 11 A422 Ruscote Avenue between Beaumont Road & Kraft Foods 1 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Kraft Foods Main Entrance 1 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Kraft Foods Car Park 2 A422 Ruscote Avenue between Beaumont Road and Longelandes Way 1 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Longelandes Way 4 Nursery Drive near J/W Ruscote Avenue 1 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Sinclair Avenue 2 A422 Ruscote Avenue between Sinclair Avenue and Warwick Road 1 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Warwick Road / Cromwell Road 4 A422 Ruscote Avenue / Orchard Way / Parklands 2 Orchard Way / Hilton Road / Woodgreen Avenue / The Fairway 3 Woodgreen Avenue between Hilton Road and Edmunds Road 2 Edmunds Road near J/W Woodgreen Avenue 1 Woodgreen Avenue between Bretch Hill and Mascord Road 5 Woodgreen Avenue / Bretch Hill 6 Woodgreen Avenue / B4035 Broughton Road / Queensway 3 Queensway between Mewburn Road and Church View 3 Queensway between Church View and Bloxham Road 1 Queensway / A361 Bloxham Road 1 A361 Bloxham Road / Springfield Avenue Junction 3 A361 Bloxham Road South of Springfield Avenue 1

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 13 4.2 Accident summary The following analysis examines each major junction or sections between junctions along the entirety of the corridor where accidents were recorded between 1999 and 2004. This method enables the primary causes of accidents to be pinpointed according to the location concerned, and to identify if any patterns occur. Accidents resulting in slight or serious injuries have been identified at each location.

Many accidents occurred at or near to junctions along the corridor and involved a number of common factors, such as driving too fast, too close or failing to judge the path or speed of other road users.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / A361 Southam Road / A422 Hennef Way / A423 Southam Road Junction Ten accidents (summarised below) were recorded at this junction, all of which resulted in slight injuries. • Five involved rear shunts of cars waiting to enter the roundabout; • Two separate incidents were recorded of motorcycles skidding on spilt diesel on the road surface when circulating the roundabout; • One involved a rear shunt of a car exiting the roundabout; • One lost control turning left at the roundabout; • A collision occurred as a result of a vehicle failing to give way at the roundabout.

A422 Ruscote Avenue between Hennef Way and Lockheed Close One accident took place on the A422 Ruscote Avenue between Hennef Way and Lockheed Close, resulting in a serious injury. A pedestrian was hit on the pelican crossing after a car overtaking failed to see the red light.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Lockheed Close Junction (Tesco Roundabout) Eight accidents took place at this junction, with two resulting in serious injuries. • Two lost control on the roundabout due to excessive speed; • Two involved rear shunts of cars waiting to enter the roundabout; • Two collisions resulted from a failure to give way entering the roundabout, one involved a cyclist, and the other involved a motorcycle; • One involved a motorcycle turning right and losing control; • One involved a vehicle losing control on exiting the roundabout and hit an oncoming vehicle.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Beaumont Road Junction Eleven accidents occurred at this junction, with one resulting in serious injury. • Five involved right turning vehicles into Beaumont Road;

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 14 • Three rear shunts occurred, one involving a motorcycle; • Two involved right turning vehicles out of Beaumont Road; • One involved a left-turning vehicle from Beaumont Road.

A422 Ruscote Avenue between Beaumont Road and Kraft Foods One accident took place on the A422 Ruscote Avenue between Beaumont and Kraft Foods, resulting in a slight injury. A vehicle 20m north of Beaumont Road lost control and hit an oncoming vehicle.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Kraft Foods Main Entrance Junction One accident was recorded at this junction, involving a rear shunt of a car waiting to turn right into Kraft Foods and resulted in a slight injury.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Kraft Foods Car Park Junction Two accidents took place at this junction, with one resulting in serious injury. • One involved a rear shunt of a car involving an intoxicated driver; • A pedestrian was hit by a car turning left from Kraft Foods Car Park.

A422 Ruscote Avenue between Beaumont Road and Longelandes Way One accident took place on the A422 Ruscote Avenue between Beaumont Road and Longelandes Way, resulting in a serious injury. A pedestrian ran into the road between oncoming traffic approximately 75m north east of the junction with Longelandes Way.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Longelandes Way Junction Four accidents occurred at this junction with one resulting in serious injury. • One involved a cyclist hit whilst circulating the roundabout; • A Pedestrian and child were hit whilst crossing the roundabout; • One involved a rear shunt of a car waiting to turn right into Longelandes Way; • A bus braked sharply to avoid hitting a car circulating the roundabout at speed which resulted in injuries to the passengers.

Nursery Drive near junction with A422 Ruscote Avenue One accident took place on Nursery Drive, 75m from the junction with the A422 Ruscote Avenue, resulting in a serious injury. A collision was recorded when a parked car pulled out into moving traffic.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Sinclair Avenue Junction Two accidents were recorded at this junction, both of which resulted in slight injuries. • One involved a vehicle turning left onto A422 Ruscote Avenue across the path of a cyclist;

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 15 • One involved a rear shunt of a car on Sinclair Avenue waiting to turn left onto A422 Ruscote Avenue.

A422 Ruscote Avenue between Sinclair Avenue and Warwick Road One accident took place on the A422 Ruscote Avenue between Sinclair Avenue and Warwick Road, resulting in a slight injury. A vehicle lost control and hit a parked car.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Warwick Road / Cromwell Road Junction Four accidents took place at this junction, two of which resulted in slight injuries. • Two collisions resulted from a failure to give way entering the roundabout; • One involved a rear shunt of a car waiting to enter the roundabout; • A motorcycle was hit on exiting the roundabout.

A422 Ruscote Avenue / Orchard Way / Parklands Junction Two accidents occurred at this junction both of which resulted in slight injuries. • A collision occurred as a result of a vehicle failing to give way at the roundabout; • One involved a car turning left into the path of motorcycle.

Orchard Way / Hilton Road / Woodgreen Avenue / The Fairway Junction Three accidents were recorded at this junction, with one resulting in serious injury. • Two cyclists circulating the roundabout were hit; • A motorcycle lost control on the roundabout as a result of a slippery surface caused by oil / diesel spillage.

Woodgreen Avenue between Hilton Road and Edmunds Road Two accidents took place on Woodgreen Avenue between Hilton Road and Edmunds Road, both resulting in slight injuries. Both involved collisions with parked cars.

Edmunds Road near junction with Woodgreen Avenue One accident took place on Edmunds Road, 10m from the junction with the Woodgreen Avenue, resulting in a slight injury. A vehicle lost control on a right hand bend on snow and ice and collided with a motorcycle.

Woodgreen Avenue between Bretch Hill and Mascord Road Five accidents took place on Woodgreen between Bretch Hill and Mascord Road, all of which resulted in slight injuries. • Three involved rear shunts, one involving a vehicle overtaking a series of parked cars; • Two involved pedestrians being hit after they had crossed from behind a parked vehicle.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 16 Woodgreen Avenue / Bretch Hill Junction Six accidents occurred at this junction, all of which resulted in slight injuries. All six involved cars travelling from Bretch Hill turning right onto Woodgreen Avenue through the gap in the central reservation into the path of an oncoming vehicle travelling southbound.

Woodgreen Avenue / B4035 Broughton Road / Queensway Junction Three accidents recorded at this junction, all of which resulted in slight injuries. • Two involved rear shunts of cars waiting to enter the roundabout; • A pedestrian was hit on the footway as a result of a car mounting the kerb on exiting the roundabout.

Queensway between Mewburn Road and Church View Three accidents took place on Queensway between Mewburn Road and Church View, one of which was recorded as serious. • Two involved pedestrians who had stepped into the road; • One involved a collision with a parked car.

Queensway between Church View and Bloxham Road One accident took place on Queensway between Church View and Bloxham Road, resulting in a slight injury. A rear shunt of a car in slow moving traffic was recorded.

Queensway / A361 Bloxham Road Junction One accident was recorded at this junction which involved a car turning left from Queensway onto A361 Bloxham Road across the path of a cyclist, and resulted in a slight injury.

A361 Bloxham Road / Springfield Avenue Junction Three accidents took place at this junction, all of which resulted in slight injuries. • One involved a rear shunt of a car waiting on Springfield Avenue waiting to turn right on A361 Bloxham Road; • Two involved right turning vehicles from Springfield Avenue onto the A361 Bloxham Road.

A361 Bloxham Road South of Springfield Avenue One accident took place on Queensway between Church View and Bloxham Road, resulting in a slight injury to a pedestrian who stepped into the road.

4.3 Overall Accident Statistics Table 4.2 below, shows the overall breakdown of accidents by severity, involving motor vehicles, motorcycles, pedal cycles and pedestrians. As some accidents involved more than one mode of transport, the total number of accidents for each mode of transport is considerably

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 17 higher than 78. All but three of the accidents recorded along the corridor involved a motor vehicle.

Table 4.2 – Banbury Western Corridor Accidents by Mode of Transport, 1999 – 2004 SERIOUS SLIGHT TOTAL PERCENTAGE Motor Vehicles 9 66 75 96% Motorcycles 1 7 8 10% Pedal Cycles 2 5 7 9% Pedestrians 5 5 10 13% TOTAL 9 69 78 ACCIDENTS

Table 4.3 shows that approximately 58% of the accidents along the West Banbury Corridor occurred when the road surface was dry indicating that the surface texture is of a reasonable quality but also suggests there may be a possibility of inadequate grip on the road surface in certain areas.

Table 4.3 Banbury Western Corridor Accident by Conditions, 1999 – 2004 OIL/DIESEL DRY WET/DAMP SNOW/ICE SPILLAGE TOTAL 45 27 3 3

Table 4.4 shows that 76% of the accidents along the West Banbury Corridor occurred during daylight.

Table 4.4 – Banbury Western Corridor Accident by Lightness, 1999 – 2004 LIGHT DARK TOTAL 59 19

In total, there were 95 casualties resulting from the recorded accidents, of which 11% involved pedestrians. Table 4.5 shows the overall breakdown of these casualties.

Table 4.5 – Banbury Western Corridor Accident Casualties, 1999 – 2004 SERIOUS SLIGHT TOTAL PERCENTAGE Vehicle Driver / 1 69 70 74% Passenger Motorcyclist 7 1 8 8% Cyclist 2 5 7 7%

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 18 SERIOUS SLIGHT TOTAL PERCENTAGE Pedestrian 5 5 10 11% TOTAL 10 85 95 100%

4.4 Summary Of the 78 accidents recorded, 60 took place at junctions and 18 occurred along the link sections of the West Banbury Corridor. As Table 4.6 shows, although less frequent, the proportion of accidents resulting in serious injuries was far higher between junctions than at them.

The number of accidents recorded between junctions were almost three times more likely to result in a serious injury than one that occurs at a junction. This suggests that speed is a major contributory factor.

Table 4.6 – Banbury Western Corridor Accident Severity by Location Type, 1999 – 2004 TOTAL NO. OF NO. OF PROPORTION OF ACCIDENTS SERIOUS SLIGHT SERIOUS ACCIDENTS ACCIDENTS ACCIDENTS At 60 5 55 8% Junctions Between 18 4 14 22% Junctions

Table 4.7 gives a description of the type and number of accidents that occurred at or between junctions. Although for some accidents more than one description maybe relevant (e.g. turning right and subsequently losing control), only the primary factor has been included so as to avoid double counting.

Table 4.7 Banbury Western Corridor Accident Types 1999 – 2004 AT BETWEEN ACCIDENT TYPE % % JUNCTIONS JUNCTIONS Rear shunt waiting to enter roundabout 10 17% 0 0% Right turning vehicles from main road 9 15% 0 0% Right turning vehicles onto main road 8 13% 0 0% Pedestrians stepped/ran into road 1 2% 6 33% Failure to give-way at roundabout 6 10% 0 0% Lost control on roundabout 4 7% 0 0% Rear shunt on major road at T-junction 4 7% 0 0% Lost control and hit parked car 0 0% 4 22% Motorcycle skidding on spilt diesel on roundabout 3 5% 0 0%

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 19 AT BETWEEN ACCIDENT TYPE % % JUNCTIONS JUNCTIONS Cyclist hit circulating the roundabout 3 5% 0 0% Motorcycle hit on roundabout 2 3% 0 0% Vehicle turning left onto major road across the 2 3% 0 0% path of a cyclist Rear shunt on minor road at T-junction 2 3% 0 0% Rear shunts between junctions 0 0% 2 11% Rear shunt exiting roundabout 1 2% 0 6% Pedestrian hit on pelican crossing 0 0% 1 6% Left turning vehicle from minor road 1 2% 0 6% Lost control and hit oncoming vehicle 0 0% 1 6% Parked car pulling out into moving traffic 0 0% 1 6% Pedestrian hit by car turning left from minor road 1 2% 0 6% Bus braked sharply at roundabout resulting in 1 2% 0 6% injuries to passengers Vehicle turning left at roundabout across the path 1 2% 0 6% of a motorcyclist Vehicle lost control on snow and ice and hit 0 0% 1 6% motorcycle Rear shunt due to motorcycle overtaking parked 0 0% 1 6% vehicles Pedestrian hit on footway 1 2% 0 0% Rear shunt in slowing moving traffic 0 0% 1 6% TOTAL 60 18

Table 4.7 above shows that the most frequent types of accidents along the West Banbury Corridor involved right-turning vehicles (22%) and rear shunts (27%). 13% of the total number of accidents involved a loss of control. This suggests strongly that excessive speed is a significant contributory factor in accidents along the West Banbury Corridor. There were several collisions resulting from a loss of control on roundabouts suggesting that the necessary entry deflection may be sub-standard on some approaches.

It is considered that those accidents that are preventable (e.g. failure to judge the path / speed of another vehicle) would be less likely to occur in future if certain measures were in place that could enhance safety, such as reducing speed or better visibility splays.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 20 4.5 Conclusions from accident records The majority of the accidents recorded on the corridor occurred at junctions, with most of these involving rear shunts (usually when vehicles were waiting to enter a roundabout), vehicles turning right at T-junctions, or vehicles losing control. In addition to excessive speed, these are typically caused by inattention or failure to leave a safe stopping distance.

Such incidents are typical across the country and local improvements will have only a minimal effect in reducing them, as they are principally down to poor driver behaviour. Awareness may be raised through improved signing, the addition of anti-skid road surfacing or keep clear markings near junctions, however where poor driving is primarily to blame, these measures will only have a limited effect.

In particular, the A422 Ruscote Avenue / Beaumont Road T-junction (eleven accidents), Southam Road Roundabout (ten accidents) and the A422 Ruscote Avenue / Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout) (eight accidents), have poor accident records. These junctions all require improvements to minimise the risk of these trends continuing. Another junction with a poor record is, Woodgreen Avenue / Bretch Hill with six accidents.

There have also been a relatively high number of accidents involving pedestrians along the route. Part of the route is residential with access to residential properties along the southern section of the corridor resulting in a high level of pedestrian activity. The high number of pedestrian accidents can in part be attributed to the excessive speed of vehicles along the route, the limited facilities for pedestrians and the lack of visibility to drivers for pedestrians, mainly caused by parked vehicles.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 21

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 22 5 Pedestrian and cycle facilities 5.1 Policy objectives Oxfordshire’s Structure Plan, LTP, and Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan state that the authority is to encourage greater use of alternative modes of transport. This section examines the relationship between the route and pedestrians and cyclists. The targets for cycling and walking set out in Oxfordshire’s LTP 2001-2006 are:

Cycling • increase the proportion of trips for the journey to work from 9.2% in 1991 to 10% in 2001 and 20% in 2011; • achieve a 10% reduction in the number of reported cyclist casualties by 2010, compared with the average of casualties in the period 1994-98; • increase the length of the cycle routes in Oxfordshire which meet the design standards by 300 miles between April 2001 and April 2006; • seek to reduce the number of reported cycle thefts in Oxfordshire from 3,894 in 1997 to 3,500 in 2001 and to make further reductions thereafter; • the Council will provide, or secure the provision of, 500 new cycle parking places per annum of locations which are accessible to the general public.

Walking • increase the proportion of trips for the journey to work to 1991 Census levels by 2001 and to 1981 Census levels by 2011; • increase the overall level of walking in Oxfordshire by 5% in 2002 and by 10% by 2004 based on walking levels in 2000; • reduce the proportion of trips to school by car by 10% by 2002 and 20% by 2004 based on 2000 figures; • achieve a 10% reduction in the number of reported pedestrian casualties by 2010, compared with the average of casualties in the period 1994-98; • develop a safe, convenient, efficient and attractive infrastructure for pedestrian travel; • every planning application that is subject to assessment of its transport implications must include full consideration of the needs of pedestrians.

In general, the increasing demand for road space in market town communities such as Banbury is adversely affecting traffic and changing the nature of these areas. While the Banbury Western Corridor provides an important connection between urban and rural localities, it traverses through a predominantly urban setting. Often these routes can be attractive to walkers and cyclists. Unfortunately, in this case, the traffic volumes and speed contribute to an unpleasant leisure or utilitarian environment for these user groups.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 23 5.2 Present Conditions Footways Between the Southam Road Roundabout and Longelandes Way there are footways along both sides of the carriageway, separated from the carriageway by a wide grass verge. The footway on the eastern side of the carriageway is approximately 3.0m throughout and the footway to the west is approximately 2.0m. The footways are generally in good condition with even surfaces and few potholes. The current lighting arrangement results in a reasonably well illuminated environment for pedestrians. This section of the route is a convenient and safe environment for pedestrians. Cycling is prohibited on the footways along this section.

The footway around the roundabout at the junction with Longelandes Way on the east side of Ruscote Avenue follows a convoluted route and takes pedestrians out of the desire line. Pedestrian guard railing is situated between the footway on Nursery Drive and the roundabout.

The footways on both sides of Ruscote Avenue finish immediately before the dual carriageway section commences, at the junction with Nursery Drive to the east and at the junction with the access road to the west. In order to continue the journey southwards, pedestrians must cross these roads to access the footway along the dual carriageway section of Ruscote Avenue. There are no dropped kerbs at these locations to direct pedestrians onto the opposite footway. The lack of a continual footway with adequate crossing points creates a disjointed, inconvenient and unsafe environment for pedestrians and cyclists at this location.

The footway narrows to approximately 1.5m along the dual carriageway section of Ruscote Avenue, with footways along both side of the road. A narrow grass verge separates the footway from the carriageway and could be utilised to widen the existing footway. The dropped kerbs located at the junctions with the minor roads are in poor condition. A footway is located in the central reservation to facilitate pedestrian movements to and from Sinclair Avenue but there is no tactile paving provided at the dropped crossings. There are also no dropped kerbs provided at the junction with Sinclair Avenue.

A Pelican crossing is located on Warwick Road approximately 50m east of the Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction. There is pedestrian guard railing located on both sides of the footway along the entirety of the B4100 Warwick Road between the junctions Ruscote Avenue and Orchard Way to prevent pedestrians crossing at any location other than at the Pelican crossing. The footways situated along this section of Warwick Road fluctuate in width between 1.5m – 3.0m on both sides of the carriageway. During site visit no pedestrians have been observed to climb over the rail, cross the road and climb over the opposite rail to access the parade of shops.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 24 The footways on Orchard Way fluctuate in width between 1.5m – 2.0m on both sides of the carriageway. To the north of Wimborne Avenue the footways on both sides of Orchard Way are separated from the carriageway by grass verges. Orchard Way is well illuminated with lamp columns placed at frequent intervals along both sides of the carriageway, in the footways and the central reservation. There are dropped kerbs at each of the junctions with the minor roads along Orchard Way, but none have tactile paving.

There are a limited number footways provided in the central reservation, with only one provided on the natural desire line for pedestrians crossing the road from Beesley Road and Wimborne Avenue. Dropped crossing have been provided but there is no tactile paving.

The footways on both sides of the carriageway are in good condition and continue towards the junction with The Fairway, Hilton Road, and Woodgreen Avenue linking all bus stops. The pedestrian facilities to cross at the roundabout are limited. There are dropped kerbs on the north and southbound approaches from Woodgreen Avenue and Orchard Avenue respectively linking the footways on both sides of the carriageway. Footways are also provided on the central reservation. The Fairway also has dropped kerbs at the approach to the junction. The footway continues around Hilton Road and the access road serving the leisure centre and library but has no dedicated crossing facilities. There is no tactile paving on any of the uncontrolled crossing points.

The footway around the roundabout on the eastern side linking Orchard Way to Hilton Road and Woodgreen Leisure Centre follows a convoluted route and takes pedestrians out of the desire line. The direct route for pedestrians takes them across the grass verge although there is no evidence that any pedestrians currently do this.

The presence of the parade of shops on The Fairway, combined with the leisure centre, the Admiral Holland Pub, and the library, generate a significant level of pedestrian activity in what is primarily a residential area. At present the only controlled crossing point for pedestrians is the zebra crossing situated on The Fairway. It was also observed on site that there were a number of pedestrians wishing to cross Woodgreen Avenue and Orchard Way at the existing uncontrolled crossing points close to the roundabout.

The presence of parked cars along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway can restrict the visibility of pedestrians from oncoming vehicles. In particular, children who step into the road from behind a parked car may be obscured from approaching drivers. This can lead to potential safety risks.

The footways on Woodgreen Avenue also fluctuate between 1.5m – 2.0m in width on both sides of the carriageway. To north of Penrose Drive, the footways on Woodgreen Avenue are

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 25 separated from both sides of the carriageway by grass verges. The lighting along the route is sufficient with a significant number of lighting columns provided on both the footways and within the central reservation. The junctions with each side road have dropped kerbs to allow for pedestrian access but no tactile paving has been provided.

There are footways provided in the central reservation along the natural desire lines for pedestrians crossing at the junctions with Gillett Road, Mascord Road and Deacon Way, and Bretch Hill. Dropped crossing have been provided but are not complete with tactile paving.

The footways on both sides of the carriageway are in good condition and continue towards the junction with B4035 Broughton Road and Queensway. The pedestrian facilities to cross at the roundabout are limited. There are dropped kerbs on each arm on approach to the roundabout, linking the footways on either sides of the carriageway. The footway around B4035 Broughton Road to the east and west of the roundabout takes pedestrians out of the desire line. This may encourage some pedestrians to walk cross over the extensive hatching that is provided on the approaches from B4035 Broughton Road. This can create the perception of a threatening walking environment.

There is tactile paving on the dropped kerbs on the footway on the central reservation to the south of the roundabout but not at any other of the crossing points. Footways are also provided on the central reservation in the vicinity of the roundabout. The footway on the south side of the B4035 Broughton Road (East) ends shortly after the roundabout.

The footways on Queensway are of similar geometric parameters to that of Orchard Way and Woodgreen Avenue, fluctuating in width between 1.5m – 2.0m on both sides of the carriageway. This section is well illuminated with lamp columns placed at frequent intervals along both sides of the carriageway, in the footways and the central reservation. Each junction with a minor road along Queensway has dropped kerbs to allow for pedestrian access but not all have tactile paving provided.

There are limited opportunities for pedestrians to cross the central reservation to gain access to the parade of shops located on Queensway to the south of Mewburn Road. There is only one footway in the central reserve in the vicinity of the shops, and is located opposite the junction with Brantwood Rise. The footway that passes the bus lay-by located opposite the shops on the east side footway takes pedestrians slightly out of the desire line. The tactile paving located at the edge of the footway at the junction to the delivery yard behind the shops is not provided on the opposite side of the road and does not guide pedestrians directly towards the opposite footway.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 26 The footways on both sides of the carriageway are in good condition and continue towards the junction with the A361 Bloxham Road. There is pedestrian guard railing located on Bloxham Road for approximately 40m to the west of the junction with Queensway. The footway along Bloxham Road continues across the central reservation keeping within the pedestrian desire line, with tactile paving provided on the dropped crossings. The footway on the south side of Bloxham Road is located to the rear of the grass verge. Dropped kerbs are provided at the junction with Springfield Road but they are not complete with tactile paving.

There is a pedestrian refuge located on Bloxham Road between Queensway and Springfield Avenue. It was observed on site that the refuge is well used during the off-peak period as it is located on a pedestrian desire line between Banbury School and Blessed George Napier School and the main residential areas to the south of Banbury. Any proposals in this area must take into account the need for an appropriate crossing point.

The A361 Bloxham Road continues through Easington with service roads along both sides of Bloxham Road, separated by grass verges, providing access to residential properties. The footway located on the south side of Bloxham Road is at the rear of the service road whilst the footway on the northern side runs alongside the main carriageway. Both footways are approximately 2.5m in width. There is tactile paving provided on the dropped crossings at the junction with Wykham Gardens. This section of the route provides a convenient and safe environment for pedestrians.

The study area concludes at the junction with Browning Road, which has dropped kerbs but no tactile paving. It was observed on site that a pedestrian desire line exists between the footpath located directly opposite the junction with Browning Road and the residential areas situated along Browning Road. The Salt Way path leads off from the westerly end of the service road on Bloxham Road and provides a direct route towards Banbury School and the Blessed George Napier School. Dropped kerbs have been installed at the crossing point but no tactile paving has been provided.

In order to encourage an increase in pedestrian activity it is essential to improve the facilities for crossing the corridor particularly in the residential areas and close to shops and other local amenities along the southern section of the corridor.

Cycleways There are no dedicated cycleways along any of the corridor. At the northern end of the corridor the footways tie into existing cycleways at the Southam Rd roundabout and at Longelandes Way the corridor crosses the radial route to the town centre along Nursery Lane.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 27 As there are no cycleways along the corridor, cyclists are restricted to the carriageway for their journeys. While many experienced users may not object to this arrangement, it is not supportive to either recreational or vulnerable users especially in urban areas with high traffic volumes, high speeds numerous junctions and in may areas parked vehicles. The corridor links the industrial and retail parks, along Ruscote Avenue with the residential areas to the west of Banbury and also forms an important link to the two large secondary schools on Springfield Rd. As cyclists are not provided for, there may be a suppressed demand for cycling.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 28 6 Traffic Data 6.1 Traffic Flow Data OCC has provided traffic flow data at a number of locations along the corridor. Data was collected over a continuous week-long period beginning 26 November 2004. Unclassified traffic data was recorded over a 24-hour period at the following locations: • A422 Ruscote Avenue north of Longelandes Way; • Woodgreen Avenue south of Mascord Road; • Queensway south of Mewburn Road; • A361 Bloxham Road east of Browning Road.

In addition to the traffic data, speed surveys were also carried out at the same locations.

The traffic data provided for the corridor has been reviewed as part of the strategy and average peak hour link flows have been obtained along the Banbury Western Corridor. Average hourly link flows have been obtained along the A442 Ruscote Avenue north of the junction with Longelandes Way. The weekday averages for the peak hours 0800-0900 and 1700-1800, as well as the lunch period of 1300-1400 and the school finish period 1500-1600 are shown below in Table 6.1.

Table 6.1 – Average Hourly Weekday Traffic Flows on A422 Ruscote Avenue North of Longelandes Way Weekday Average Hourly Traffic Flows on A422 Ruscote Avenue Time Period Northbound Southbound 0800 – 0900 1,181 529 1300 – 1400 820 771 1500 – 1600 708 867 1700 – 1800 505 799 Average Weekday Flow 11,427 11,127

The above table provides the average hourly flows along the northern section of the corridor. The highest one-way flow occurs in the AM peak hour northbound, 1,181. The one-way link flow capacity along a 9.0m wide road of this type is 1,550 per hour (TA 79/99). This indicates that Ruscote Avenue is operating at 76% of its capacity in the highest flow direction.

This data provides a good indication of the saturation of the link to the north of the corridor along A422 Ruscote Avenue. The spare capacity available in the southbound direction can encourage faster vehicle speeds.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 29 The average hourly flows have also been analysed along Woodgreen Avenue south of the junction with Mascord Road. The weekday averages are shown below in Table 6.2.

Table 6.2 – Average Hourly Weekday Traffic Flows on Woodgreen Avenue South of Mascord Road Weekday Average Hourly Traffic Flows on Woodgreen Avenue Time Period Northbound Southbound 0800 – 0900 912 576 1300 – 1400 602 570 1500 – 1600 788 747 1700 – 1800 873 846 Average Weekday Flow 9,395 8,934

As Table 6.2 illustrates, traffic flows are higher in the northbound direction for all hourly periods. The is currently no Government advice regarding the capacity of single-lane dual carriageways so the capacity of the link has been assumed to be similar to that of a two-way single carriageway of 10.0m in width with a one-way link flow capacity of 1,620 per hour. This indicates that Woodgreen Avenue is operating at 56% of its capacity in the highest flow direction, although the presence of parked cars along the route will significantly reduce the capacity.

From the traffic data collected to the south of the corridor, average hourly link flows have been analysed on Queensway to the south of Mewburn Road. The weekday averages for the peak hours 0800-0900 and 1700-1800, as well as the lunch period of 1300-1400 and the school finish period 1500-1600 are shown below in Table 6.3. Northbound traffic data was collected the week beginning 17 December 2004.

Table 6.3 – Average Hourly Weekday Traffic Flows on Queensway South of Mewburn Road Weekday Average Hourly Traffic Flows on Queensway Time Period Northbound Southbound 0800 – 0900 799 720 1300 – 1400 522 513 1500 – 1600 766 635 1700 – 1800 743 684 Average Weekday Flow 8,143 8,094

From the above table, the highest one-way traffic flow is 799 vehicles in the AM peak hour period. This indicates that Queensway is operating at 49% of its capacity in the highest flow

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 30 direction. The substantial spare capacity available on this section of the corridor, particularly in the southbound direction, will encourage faster vehicle speeds.

The average hourly flows have also been analysed along A361 Bloxham Road south of the junction with Browning Road. The weekday averages are shown below in Table 6.4.

Table 6.4 – Average Hourly Weekday Traffic Flows on A361 Bloxham Road East of Browning Road Weekday Average Hourly Traffic Flows on A361 Bloxham Road Time Period Eastbound Westbound 0800 – 0900 965 569 1300 – 1400 482 471 1500 – 1600 593 623 1700 – 1800 491 709 Average Weekday Flow 7,579 7,469

The above table provides the average hourly flows on the eastbound approach to towards Banbury town centre and the corridor. The highest one-way flows of 965 vehicles occur in the eastbound AM peak hour period. The one-way link flow capacity is 1,530 per hour. Bloxham Road can therefore be said to be operating at 63% of its capacity in the highest flow direction.

The above data demonstrates that the individual links along the corridor are operating at below capacity and that the limiting factor in traffic flows is therefore the junctions. The data also indicates that should an improvement be made at one junction it is likely that the queue will simply relocate to the next bottleneck.

6.2 Traffic Speed Data Tables 6.5 – 6.8 present the 85th percentile speed limits surveyed in each direction at several locations along the Banbury Western Corridor. Surveys were undertaken between 26 November 2004 and 3 December 2004 to obtain a full week of data. The figures shown below are taken for the hour period beginning 0700, 1200, 1700, and 2200 as well as displaying the average 85% percentile speed over a 24-hour period. (The 85th percentile speed is defined as that speed which 85% of vehicles do not exceed, or conversely it is the speed which 15% of vehicles do exceed.)

Table 6.5 – Ruscote Avenue North of Longelandes Way 85th Percentile Speeds (mph) 85th Percentile Speed on A422 Ruscote Avenue North Of Longelandes Way Time Period Northbound Southbound 0800 – 0900 32.2 34.7

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 31 85th Percentile Speed on A422 Ruscote Avenue North Of Longelandes Way Time Period Northbound Southbound 1200 – 1300 37.6 35.6 1700 – 1800 34.5 26.0 2200 – 2300 40.7 39.0 24-hour 37.4 35.9

The posted speed limit along the A422 Ruscote Avenue north of Longelandes Way is 40 mph. The results of the speed surveys suggest that the existing speed limit to the north of the corridor is rarely exceeded at any time of the day.

Table 6.6 – Woodgreen Avenue South of Mascord Road 85th Percentile Speeds (mph) 85th Percentile Speed on Woodgreen Avenue South of Mascord Road Time Period Northbound Southbound 0800 – 0900 30.0 32.7 1200 – 1300 32.3 35.6 1700 – 1800 30.0 34.4 2200 – 2300 33.6 35.8 24-hour 30.9 35.2

Woodgreen Avenue has a 30 mph speed limit. The results of the speed surveys indicate that vehicle speeds, particularly southbound, are exceeded at most times of the day, including the peak hour periods, although during the peak periods the speeds do decrease as a result of the traffic density.

Table 6.7 – Queensway South of Mewburn Road 85th Percentile Speeds (mph) 85th Percentile Speed on Queensway South of Mewburn Road Time Period Northbound Southbound 0800 – 0900 27.5 31.8 1200 – 1300 31.1 35.2 1700 – 1800 30.6 34.5 2200 – 2300 34.8 36.8 24-hour 30.9 34.8

Queensway also has a 30 mph speed limit. The results of the speed surveys reveal that vehicle speeds, particularly southbound, are exceeded at most times of the day, including the peak hour periods although again during the peak periods the speeds do decrease as a result of the traffic density. The significant downhill gradient on Queensway at this location encourages speeding. It is also interesting to note that the 85th percentile speeds along Woodgreen Avenue

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 32 and Queensway are in all cases greater in the southbound direction than in the northbound direction. This suggests a strong link between road layout and vehicle speed.

Table 6.8 – A361 Bloxham Road East of Browning Road 85th Percentile Speeds (mph) 85th Percentile Speed on A361 Bloxham Road East of Browning Road Time Period Eastbound Westbound 0800 – 0900 30.9 34.0 1200 – 1300 35.2 35.4 1700 – 1800 33.9 33.0 2200 – 2300 38.0 35.8 24-hour 34.8 35.3

The speed limit on the A361 Bloxham Road becomes unrestricted approximately 300m east of the speed survey location and it is likely that some vehicles may not have reduced their speed on entering Easington, where it becomes a 30 mph zone. The excellent forward visibility along this section of Bloxham Road also contributes to the excessive vehicle speeds.

6.3 Queue survey During December 2004 surveys of queue lengths were carried out during the morning and evening peak times to validate the comments received by residents and local councillors regarding queue lengths and waiting times at the key junctions along the corridor.

Table 6.9 Queue Length Survey Morning Peak Hour LOCATION OBSERVED QUEUE LENGTHS – MORNING (07:00 – 09:00) QUEUE COMMENTS Northbound Traffic flow along Ruscote Avenue northbound is queue from interrupted by the signal controlled crossings and the Southam Rd Beaumont Rd Longelandes Way and Lockheed Close (Tesco) Roundabout and slow traffic roundabouts. At the worst times the tail of the slow from Warwick moving traffic reached back to the Warwick Road Rd Roundabout. It appears that the end of the eastbound queue in the Eastbound mornings remains fairly constant at around the west queue – initially junction with Cromwell Road until the flows at the Warwick Warwick Rd 200m Rd/Ruscote Av Roundabout are affected by the tail of the Roundabouts increasing to in slow moving northbound traffic on Ruscote Av, at which excess of time the Warwick Rd queue increases significantly and 500m. extend back to Powys Grove.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 33 LOCATION OBSERVED QUEUE LENGTHS – MORNING (07:00 – 09:00) QUEUE COMMENTS Link between the two

roundabouts runs at capacity Although there is a significant northbound queue along Northbound Admiral Woodgreen Av in the morning, if any improvement was queue back to Holland done at the Admiral Holland Roundabout it would only Mascord Rd, Roundabout have the effect of relocating the queue to the Warwick approx 300m Road Roundabout. It was observed that the traffic travelling south along Southbound Woodgreen Av had to give way to traffic coming from the Broughton queue to Broughton Road (either heading towards the Cross or Road Admiral Holland turning into Queensway southbound). If measures are Roundabout R’bout approx taken to give priority to the southbound traffic on 600m Woodgreen Av it would have the effect of moving this queue along to the Bloxham Road junction. Southbound Queensway queue on This queue was not observed as being significant in the Bloxham Rd Queensway of morning peak. 50m. Heavy congestion during the short period when children Springfield Av are arriving at school.

Table 6.10 Queue Length Survey Evening Peak Hour LOCATION OBSERVED QUEUE LENGTHS – AFTERNOON (17:00 – 18:00) QUEUE COMMENTS Northbound traffic has to give way at the Southam Rd Northbound Roundabout to traffic leaving Banbury Centre or turning Southam Rd queue from right from Hennef Way. This queue backs up past the Roundabout Beaumont Rd. Lockheed Close (Tesco) roundabout as far as Beaumont Rd. Queue to join Right turns are particularly difficult due to queues in both Beaumont Rd Ruscote Av of directions on Ruscote Av. up to 100m.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 34 LOCATION OBSERVED QUEUE LENGTHS – AFTERNOON (17:00 – 18:00) QUEUE COMMENTS Southbound queue from the Warwick Rd back the entire length of Traffic travelling south along Ruscote Av has to give way Warwick Rd Ruscote to relatively low volumes of traffic coming from the west Roundabouts through the along Warwick Rd. Southam Rd Roundabout Av and onto Hennef Way. Westbound Traffic from the west has to give way to traffic turning queue from south into Orchard Way from Warwick Road. Any Banbury Centre significant improvements of the Ruscote Av/Warwick Rd

queues for roundabout may reduce the peak southbound queue on approximately Ruscote Av at the expense of increasing the peak 200m. westbound queue on Warwick Rd. Northbound queue from Orchard Way

queue is approximately 100m. No significant From Warwick queues at any Rd to Bloxham intermediate Rd junction Southbound The southbound queue stretched back as far as the Queensway queue on turnaround opposite Church View. It is thought that when Bloxham Rd Queensway of the queue reaches this point then the turnaround allows 200m. drivers to avoid the queue ahead by rat-running. Northbound exit Queue of traffic trying to join Bloxham Rd after rat-running Springfield Av queue of through the residential area. approx 100m.

These findings are illustrated on drawings BPN999/B4505 and /B4506 in Appendix A.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 35 6.4 Conclusion The traffic data used in this analysis was obtained in November 2004. It is likely that traffic will continue to grow in the future and although the links sections of the Banbury Western Corridor should retain sufficient spare capacity in the medium-term to cater for any future traffic growth the junctions themselves are already operating at saturation during peak times. It is considered appropriate that this study focuses more on junction capacity improvements where possible than on increasing the individual link capacities.

It is important to note that an improvement of junction capacities may encourage additional traffic to use the corridor, and the reduction or resolution of a problem in one location may simply cause the relocation of the queue to another junction.

Although the A422 Ruscote Avenue to the north of the corridor fulfils the role of a district distributor within the local highway network, the traffic levels recorded to the south of the corridor along Woodgreen Avenue and Queensway, which form local distributor roads, is not significantly less. It is apparent that some vehicles are using the southern element of the corridor as a through route when its purpose as a local distributor should only be for local traffic to access the primary road network.

The speed survey figures indicate that vehicle speeds are more a function of the traffic conditions and road geometry than the imposed speed limit. In the residential areas where the speed limit is 30mph it is frequently exceeded.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 36 7 Condition Assessment 7.1 Study Context For the purpose of this report, the Banbury Western Corridor has been divided into two elements, the A422 Ruscote Avenue, south of the Southam Road Roundabout to the junction with the B4100 Warwick Road, approximately 1.4 kilometres in length, and south of the junction with the A422/B4100 Warwick Road, along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway, approximately 1.7 kilometres in length. All junctions along the length of this corridor are included in the study.

The northern element of the corridor (A422) is comprised of the following: • A422 Ruscote Avenue between Southam Road Roundabout and Longelandes Way, approximately 800m in length; • A422 Ruscote Avenue between Longelandes Way and the A422 Warwick Road. This section is a dual carriageway with a wide grass central reservation and is approximately 400m in length; • B4100 Warwick Road between the junctions with A422 Warwick Road and Orchard Way/Parklands, approximately 150m in length.

The southern element of the corridor comprises of the following: • Orchard Way between the junction at B4100 Warwick Road/Parklands to the Orchard Way/Hilton Road/Woodgreen Avenue/The Fairway roundabout, approximately 400m in length; • Woodgreen Avenue between the Orchard Way/Hilton Road/Woodgreen Avenue/The Fairway roundabout to the junction at Woodgreen Avenue/B4035 Broughton Road/Queensway, approximately 700m in length; • Queensway between the Woodgreen Avenue/B4035 Broughton Road/Queensway roundabout to the junction at Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road, approximately 600m in length; • A316 Bloxham Road between the junction at Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road to the junction with Browning Road, approximately 550m in length;

The base condition assessment provides the basis to develop and assess a set of effective proposals for inclusion in future transport programmes. The assessment has examined the existing highway capacity, accidents, public transport, facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, ease of movement and speed limits.

Visual surveys of the route were undertaken over a period from October to December 2004 to assess the existing highway conditions. The surveys entailed walking the route from end to end and noting the features along the corridor. The survey commenced at the Southam Road

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 37 Roundabout and concluded on the A316 Bloxham Road at the junction with Browning Road. A walk through study of the lighting was undertaken during daylight hours in February 2005 which focussed in particular on areas where specific recommendations for improvements are being made.

7.2 North Element 7.2.1 A422 Ruscote Avenue between Southam Road Roundabout and Lockheed Close The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/A361 Southam Road/A422 Hennef Way/A423 Southam Road Junction is a four-arm unsignalised roundabout with an inscribed circle diameter of approximately 70 metres. Each arm has three narrow lanes on entry to the roundabout. The A422 Hennef Way was dualled in June 2004 and has a 50 mph speed limit on the approach to the junction.

The Bridge Street to Southam Road Cycle Route commences at the roundabout, with segregated shared-use cycling facilities on the footway. Pedestrian guard railing is present around the entirety of the roundabout. Toucan crossings were installed on the A422 Hennef Way and on A423 Southam Road as part of the Hennef Way dualling scheme. There are no dedicated pedestrian facilities on the A316 Southam Road with pedestrians having to use the traffic islands as a refuge on the approach to the junction. The A361 Southam Road was detrunked in 2001.

The existing Toucan crossings do not comply with the desirable 4.0m width and it is recommended that they are widened so as to reduce the conflict between pedestrians and cyclists during periods of heavy use (this lies outside the area of this study). The roundabout was observed to work efficiently on the days of the site visits, with little queuing occurring during the off-peak period. The Southam Road roundabout has reasonable warning signs on all approaches. The road markings indicating appropriate traffic lanes for different destinations have omitted right-turn arrows from the carriageway and it is recommended that these be installed to indicate such manoeuvres or it could serve to mislead drivers. It was observed that there is a build up of detritus on the unused circulatory lane on the roundabout and it is suggested that this should be swept at regular intervals.

The Southam Road Roundabout has good visibility on approach from all directions, and the junction configuration is easily identifiable by drivers. The vehicle approach speeds can be high as a result of limited entry deflections on the approaches to the junction. The high vehicle speeds on approach to this junction require anti-skid surfacing.

The A422 from Hennef Way on approach to the junction states that the speed limit reduces to 40 mph through Ruscote Avenue but does not give any indication that the clearway continues.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 38

The footways along the A422 Ruscote Avenue between the Southam Road Roundabout and the next junction at Lockheed Close are in good condition and are approximately 3.0m wide, separated from the carriageway by grass verges.

The splitter island located on the approach to the roundabout from Ruscote Avenue, is of substantial length (60m), consisting primarily of Trief kerbing, to prohibit right-turn movements from the Goods Only entrance to Kraft Foods, which is located approximately 50m from the roundabout. The junction forming the Goods Only access to Kraft Foods does not have the necessary give-way markings at the entrance and it is recommended that white lining is used to indicate the edge of the carriageway. Tactile paving has been installed on the dropped kerbs to improve pedestrian access at the junction. There is a Toucan crossing situated immediately west of the entrance to Kraft Foods, providing access to the Tesco Supermarket. ‘L’ shaped tactile paving has been provided on the dropped kerbs onto the crossing.

The carriageway surfacing along this element of the A422 Ruscote Avenue is in various state of condition. The majority of the eastbound carriageway is in good condition, showing little sign of rutting or polishing. The westbound carriageway however, between the Southam Road Roundabout and the Tesco Roundabout, has a significant element of poor surfacing which is very evident during wet periods and it is strongly recommended that the carriage surface be replaced or repaired at the earliest opportunity.

On the southbound carriageway leaving Southam Road Roundabout two lanes are provided although this reduces to a single wide lane at the location of the Toucan crossing before becoming marked as two separate lanes immediately to the south of the crossing point. This is confusing to drivers as it encourages overtaking within the “zig-zag” markings at the crossing and should be addressed as part of any improvement scheme.

7.2.2 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout) The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close is a 3-arm roundabout with 40 mph on the main approaches to the junction. The roundabout is located on an uphill gradient from the Southam Road Roundabout, with the footway to the north of the junction below the level of the roundabout. The roundabout exits onto Ruscote Avenue are both single lanes although there is sufficient carriageway space to allow for two narrow entries onto the roundabout from Ruscote Avenue.

The junction has a significant number of right-turning movements from the north with high volumes of traffic wishing to access the Tesco superstore. During the site visits they was some queuing observed at the junction during the lunch time period. The Tesco superstore appeared

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 39 to be 75% full at 11am, indicating that the site generates significant traffic volumes throughout the day.

It was observed on site that there is a significant bottleneck on the northbound carriageway immediately north of the roundabout. There is an informal two lane exit where vehicles turning left from Lockheed Close join the northbound traffic approaching from Ruscote Avenue. Approximately 40m north of the junction the carriageway reduces in width to only one lane before widening again to two lanes on approach to the Southam Road Roundabout. The queuing surveys suggest that this pinch point creates a significant bottleneck at the junction resulting in substantial queuing during peak periods.

There are no facilities for pedestrians to cross the junction to the south of the roundabout, with all pedestrians expected to cross at the Toucan crossing located to the north of the junction.

The carriageway circulating the roundabout is in poor condition with some pot holes evident. The northbound approach to the junction has good forward visibility onto the roundabout.

The existing lighting in the area comprises of low pressure sodium lanterns and does not meet the current lighting standards.

7.2.3 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road This junction is an unsignalised T-junction providing access to the Beaumont Industrial Estate, with no controlled crossing points for pedestrians. It was observed that there are a significant number of turning movements into and out of Beaumont Road, including high volumes of Heavy Goods Vehicles.

The A422 Ruscote Avenue has a 40 mph speed limit through the junction. Beaumont Road has a wide, two-lane entry onto Ruscote Avenue. There are traffic islands located in the carriageway on Ruscote Avenue to the south of the junction to assist with pedestrians crossing Ruscote Avenue. The existing lighting in the area comprises of low pressure sodium lanterns and does not meet the current lighting standards.

The approach to this junction from the north is on a left-hand bend on a downward gradient encouraging faster vehicle speeds and impairing the visibility of the junction. The poor visibility at the junction both approaching the junction from the north and exiting Beaumont Road there is the potential for a high incidence of accidents at this junction.

The main entrance to Kraft Foods is located on Ruscote Avenue immediately south of the junction with Beaumont Road. There is a splitter island located at the entrance to the junction

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 40 which slightly impedes pedestrian movement along Ruscote Avenue. As a result of the uphill gradient to the north, the visibility out of the junction is poor.

7.2.4 A422 Ruscote Avenue between Lockheed Close and Longelandes Way This link length is single carriageway with parking restrictions between 8am – 6pm on both sides of the carriageway, enforced by single yellow lines, and is approximately 600m in length between the two junctions. There are signs indicating the end of the clearway immediately south of the Tesco Roundabout. Ruscote Avenue has an approximate width of 9.0m throughout this section with footways of 3.0m on the eastern side of the carriageway and 2.0m to the west, separated from the carriageway by grass verges of 7.5m on either side.

The carriageway surface along this element of the A422 Ruscote Avenue is in good condition in both directions, with little sign of rutting or polishing. The footways are also in good condition, providing an even surface throughout. It was observed on site however, that the footways require regular sweeping during the autumn as a result of the fallen leaves from the overhanging trees which can increase the likelihood of slips and falls. Cycling is prohibited on the footways along this section.

The lighting along Ruscote Avenue is consistent along the western side of the carriageway but only has lamp columns placed at intermediate intervals along the eastern side. The current lighting arrangement would not meet current lighting standards.

The entrance to Kraft Foods car park is located on Ruscote Avenue between the junctions with Beaumont Road and Longelandes Way. The car park has a capacity of 670 vehicles and was approaching being full during the site visits. Movements into and out of the site is determined by various shift patterns and is thought not to coincide with the normal peak hour periods. The visibility out of the junction is good.

A Toucan crossing is located on Ruscote Avenue, approximately 80m north of the junction with Longelandes Way. The Southam Road via Cope Road to Ruscote Avenue cycle path, along Nursery Lane, forms a spur off the main Bridge Street to Southam Road Cycle Route. It was observed during site visits that this is a well used crossing facility and is located along a pedestrian desire line.

7.2.5 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Longelandes Way The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Longelandes Way is a 3-arm roundabout with a 40 mph speed limit on the main approaches to the junction on Ruscote Avenue and a 30 mph speed limit on Longelandes Way. There are pedestrian refuges on the Longelandes Way and Ruscote Avenue (south) arms of the roundabout. The roundabout is has adequate white lining and warning signs on all approaches.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 41

To accompany the Prismo Imprint surface apron that has recently been positioned around the existing central island, the southbound approach to the junction from Ruscote Avenue has been altered from an informal two-lane entry to a single lane entry. Under the previous arrangement, vehicles turning right into Longelandes Way from Ruscote Avenue were observed to be hindered by HGVs performing U-turns around the roundabout. The apron serves to create a visual narrowing of the circulatory carriageway and will assist in such manoeuvres.

There is pedestrian guard railing located to the east of the junction between Nursery Drive and Longelandes Way Roundabout. Nursery Drive runs parallel to Ruscote Avenue on approach to the junction, separated by grass verges from the main carriageway.

7.2.6 A422 Ruscote Avenue south of Longelandes Way The character of this section is predominantly dual carriageway and is approximately 250 metres between the junction with Longelandes Way and Warwick Road. The speed limit through this section is 30 mph. Throughout the dual carriageway section, Ruscote Avenue retains an average width of 5.0m for each carriageway, with vehicular access to individual properties. This section is illuminated with low pressure sodium lamp columns placed at frequent intervals along both sides of the carriageway, in the footways and the central reservation.

There is a Pelican crossing located on Ruscote Avenue immediately south of the junction with Longelandes Way. It was observed on the days of the site visits that this is the most under- utilised of the three dedicated crossings situated along the northern section of the corridor as is not located in a prominent pedestrian desire line.

At the transition point between the single carriageway and dual carriageway sections of Ruscote Avenue the road is laid out and signed as a half-roundabout. Although this layout is unusual it appears to be well understood by the majority of drivers, however some reinforcement of the lining and signing of the priorities in this area may be beneficial.

There are footways along both sides of the carriageway, fluctuating between approximately 1.5 – 2.0m in width. They are in reasonable condition, with few sections containing uneven surfaces. There is one footway located in the central reservation, approximately 40m north of he junction with Warwick Road. There is no tactile paving provided at either end, or on the footway along Ruscote Avenue to indicate to visually impaired pedestrians that a crossing is located.

There are four side roads located along this section of Ruscote Avenue, namely Nursery Drive, Neithrop Avenue, and Ruscote Square on the southbound carriageway and Sinclair Avenue on the northbound carriageway. Kerbside parking occurs on both the north and southbound

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 42 carriageways. It is evident that the central reservation was narrowed some time ago to increase the width of the running lane to allow for vehicles to pass the parked cars more safely. It was observed on site that cars park in close proximity to the junctions with the side roads restricting visibility for vehicles exiting the side roads.

There are four gaps located in the central reservation along Ruscote Avenue enabling vehicles to carry out U-turns. The gaps have an average width of 5.0m with some flaring on entry and exits. The first of these gaps is located approximately 25m south of the junction with Neithrop Avenue allowing southbound vehicles to perform U-turns. The second gap is 60m north of Sinclair Avenue allowing northbound vehicles to perform U-turns. The third and fourth gaps are located in close proximity to each other, approximately 50m north of the junction with Warwick Road. There are no entry signs (Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Sign 616) and one-way traffic signs (Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Sign 652) positioned at the gaps in the central reservation to indicate the manoeuvres permitted at each location. The number of gaps located along this short section of carriageway and the number of signs required to enforce their use has lead to some street clutter.

The kerbing of the first gap has double height kerbs indicating that there may have been some problems in the past at this location with cars over running onto the grass central reservation.

There is a large Advance Directional Sign (ADS) located in the central reservation indicating to drivers the presence of a treble-roundabout junction arrangement at the southerly end of Ruscote Avenue.

There is a bus stop and lay-by located on the southbound carriageway, immediately north of the junction with Warwick Road. There is a two-lane entry to the junction. There are dropped kerbs allowing pedestrian access across the Ruscote Avenue entry to the junction but tactile paving is provided.

The white lining and carriageway surface along this section are starting to show signs of wear and will require maintenance over the next two years.

Along the dual carriageway section of Ruscote Avenue there is extensive on street parking by residents. Although this does not create a problem to through traffic it has been observed that parking often occurs close to junctions causing visibility problems.

7.2.7 B4100 Warwick Road between A422 Ruscote Avenue and Orchard Way The link section is approximately 100m in length. The A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction is a 3-arm roundabout with 30 mph on all approaches to the junction. There are two- lane entries onto the roundabout from all approaches. There are very limited entry deflections

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 43 on the westbound approach to the roundabout from Warwick Road and the current arrangement of the roundabout is not easily identifiable by approaching drivers. A mini-roundabout is located immediately to the west of the junction, forming access from Cromwell Road and the service road from the parade of shops. There are large ADS signs on all three approaches to the junction.

Pedestrians are able to cross the roundabout using the splitter islands as pedestrian refuges to the west of the roundabout, which are complete with dropped kerbs but not tactile paving. Pedestrian guard railing restricts pedestrian movement to the east of the junction.

A Pelican crossing is located on Warwick Road approximately 50m east of the Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction. There is pedestrian guard railing situated on both sides of the carriageway along the entirety of the section on Warwick Road between Ruscote Avenue and Orchard Way restricting pedestrians crossing at any other location. The footways situated along this section of Warwick Road fluctuate in width between 1.5m – 3.0m on both sides of the carriageway.

A small parade of shops is located to the south of the link, situated on a higher level than the existing roundabout and Warwick Road, separated by a concreted steeped bank. A service road running parallel to Warwick Road provides vehicular access to the shops. The service road is a one-way road with access to it gained to the south of the junction with Warwick Road/Orchard Way with the exit onto Cromwell Road.

The carriageway surfacing and white lining are both in good condition along this section of the corridor.

The layout of the lighting columns and the illumination provided do not meet current standards.

7.3 South Element 7.3.1 Orchard Way Orchard Way is a dual carriageway and is approximately 400 metres in length between the junctions with Warwick Road and Woodgreen Avenue. There is a wide grassed central reservation of approximately 14m in width separating the two carriageways. The speed limit through this section is 30 mph with vehicular access to individual properties. Both north and southbound carriageways on Orchard Way have an approximate width of 5.0m with footways of approximately 1.5 – 2.0m on both sides of the carriageway. This section is currently illuminated with low pressure sodium lamp columns placed at frequent intervals along both sides of the carriageway, in the footways and the central reservation.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 44 The junction at B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way is a 4-arm roundabout with 30 mph on all approaches to the junction. Both Warwick Road arms and Orchard Way have a two-lane entry onto the roundabout. There is limited entry deflection on the approach to the roundabout from Warwick Road (East). Parklands, the northern arm of the roundabout, is a traffic calmed residential no-through road. On the approach to the junction from Orchard Way, there is access to the service road serving the parade of shops.

Pedestrians are able to cross the roundabout using the splitter islands as pedestrian refuges to the east and south of the roundabout, which are complete with dropped kerbs but not tactile paving. The presence of pedestrian guard railing restricts pedestrian movement to the west of the junction.

There is a 7.5 tonne weight limit signed on the entrance to Orchard Way. This weight limit continues along the entirety of the southern section of the corridor.

There are two gaps located in the central reservation along Orchard Way enabling vehicles to carry out U-turns. The gaps have an average width of 5.0m flaring out to 8.0m on entry and exits. The first of these gaps is located approximately 70m south of the junction with Warwick Road allowing northbound vehicles to perform U-turns. The second gap is situated 100m south of Warwick Road allowing southbound vehicles to perform U-turns.

The carriageway surface along Orchard Way is in good condition in both directions, with little sign of longitudinal rutting or polishing. The footways are also in good condition, providing an even surface throughout.

There are three side roads located along Orchard Way serving residential areas, namely Wimborne Avenue on the southbound carriageway and Beesley Road and Mold Crescent on the northbound carriageway. Wimborne Avenue has a flared entry on the approach to the junction which can result in high vehicle speeds into the junction. Beesley Road and Mold Crescent are 20 mph Home Zones. Each junction has dropped kerbs to allow for pedestrian access but no tactile paving has been provided.

Kerbside parking occurs on both the north and southbound carriageways. It was observed on site that cars park in close proximity to the junctions with the side roads restricting visibility for vehicles exiting the side roads.

There is footway located in the central reservation, opposite the junctions with Wimborne Avenue and Beesley Road. There is no tactile paving provided at either end, or on the footway along Orchard Way to indicate to visually impaired pedestrians that a crossing is located.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 45 There is an uphill gradient towards the junction Orchard Way/The Fairway/Woodgreen Avenue/Hilton Road, where Orchard Way has a two-lane entry to the roundabout.

7.3.2 Woodgreen Avenue Woodgreen Avenue is also a dual carriageway and is approximately 700 metres in length between the junctions with Orchard Way and Queensway with similar geometric parameters as Orchard Way. There is a wide grass central reservation of approximately 14m in width separating the two carriageways, with many trees situated in the central reserve. Both north and southbound carriageways on Woodgreen Avenue have an approximate width of 5.0m with footways of approximately 1.5 – 2.0m on both sides of the carriageway. The speed limit through this section is 30 mph with residential properties fronting onto the along the length of the route. The lighting on the dual carriageway is provided by low pressure sodium lanterns. The carriageway white lining is also in good condition.

The Orchard Way/The Fairway/Woodgreen Avenue/Hilton Road junction is a five-arm unsignalised roundabout with an inscribed circle diameter of approximately 55 metres. Both Orchard Way and Woodgreen Avenue have two-lanes on entry to the roundabout. There are double yellow lines around the roundabout and on all approaches 10m set back from the roundabout. The Fairway is a 20 mph zone with a raised zebra crossing 20m west of the junction. Hilton Road is a residential road with no splitter island on the approach to the junction. A further arm consists of a dedicated road serving Woodgreen Leisure Centre and Neithrop Library. The junction operates very well with no problems observed during the duration of the survey. The Admiral Holland public house is situated at the south-west corner of the roundabout.

Government directive TD 16/93 states that roundabouts should not be sited on the crest of a hill as it is difficult for drivers to appreciate the layout when approaching the junction on an uphill gradient. The roundabout has poor visibility on approach from all directions, with some difficultly experienced in identifying circulating traffic. The vehicle speeds on the approaches to the junction from Orchard Way and Woodgreen Avenue can be high as a result of the limited entry deflections on these arms.

There are currently limited facilities for pedestrians to cross at the roundabout. There are dropped kerbs on the north and southbound approaches from Woodgreen Avenue and Orchard Avenue respectively linking the footways on both sides of the carriageway. Footways are also provided on the central reservation. The Fairway also has dropped kerbs at the approach to the junction. The footway continues around Hilton Road and the access road serving the leisure centre and library but takes pedestrians off the desire line. This may encourage some pedestrians to walk across the grass verge. There is no tactile paving on any of the uncontrolled crossing points.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 46

There are six side roads located along Woodgreen Avenue all of which are residential roads. Gillett Road and Deacon Way are accessed on the southbound carriageway and Penrose Drive, Edmunds Road, Mascord Road, and Bretch Hill are located on the northbound carriageway. Each junction has dropped kerbs to allow for pedestrian access but no tactile paving has been provided.

Deacon Way approaches Woodgreen Avenue on a steep uphill gradient and the presence of vegetation restricts visibility to the right. Bretch Hill conversely, approaches Woodgreen Avenue on a sharp downhill gradient resulting in vehicle entering the main carriageway at high speeds. The speed of traffic past both junctions is excessive and there is the potential for a high occurrence of accidents at this junction.

Kerbside parking occurs on both the north and southbound carriageways. It was observed on site that cars park in close proximity to the junctions with the side roads restricting visibility for vehicles exiting the side roads.

There are two gaps situated in the central reservation along Woodgreen Avenue. The first gap is located at the intersection at Mascord Road, directly opposite the junction allowing southbound traffic to turn right onto the side road. The second gap is located directly opposite the junction with Bretch Hill, permitting traffic from Bretch Hill to turn right to travel southbound.

There are footways located in the central reservation opposite the junctions with Gillett Road, Mascord Road and Bretch Hill. There is no tactile paving provided at any of the dropped crossing.

There are five bus stops located along Woodgreen Avenue, with three stops on the southbound carriageway and two northbound. None of the stops have lay-bys and only two of them have shelters with little or no information regarding the bus services present at any stops.

7.3.3 Queensway Queensway is also a dual carriageway and is approximately 600 metres in length between the junctions with Woodgreen Avenue and Bloxham Road with similar geometric parameters as Orchard Way and Woodgreen Avenue. There is a wide grassed central reservation of approximately 14m in width separating the two carriageways. The speed limit through this section is 30 mph with vehicular access to individual properties. Both north and southbound carriageways on Queensway have an approximate width of 5.0m with footways of 1.5 – 2.0m on both sides of the carriageway. This section is illuminated with low pressure sodium lamp columns placed at frequent intervals along both sides of the carriageway, in the footways and the central reservation.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 47

The Woodgreen Avenue/B4035 Broughton Road/Queensway junction is a four-arm unsignalised roundabout with an inscribed circle diameter of approximately 55 metres. There are double yellow lines around the roundabout and on all approaches, 10m set back from the roundabout. In the absence of kerbed traffic islands on both approaches from the B4035 Broughton Road, extensive hatching has been provided to provide deflection on approach to the roundabout. It was observed that there is a build up of detritus on the hatching and the unused carriageway space on the roundabout and it is suggested that this should be swept at regular intervals.

Despite the size of the roundabout, there are very limited entry deflections on the Woodgreen Avenue and Queensway arms of the roundabout allowing vehicles to access the roundabout at high speeds.

Currently there are limited facilities for pedestrians to cross at the roundabout. There are dropped kerbs on each arm on approach to the roundabout, linking the footways on either sides of the carriageway. The footway around B4035 Broughton Road to the east and west of the roundabout takes pedestrians off the desire line. This may encourage some pedestrians to walk cross over the extensive hatching. There is tactile paving on the dropped kerbs on the footway on the central reservation to the south of the roundabout but not at any other of the crossing points. Footways are also provided on the central reservation in the vicinity of the roundabout. The footway on the south side of the B4035 Broughton Road (East) ends shortly after the roundabout. Frank Wise School is located approximately 150m east of the junction along Broughton Road providing education for children with special needs.

Kerbside parking occurs on both the north and southbound carriageways. It was observed on site that cars park in close proximity to the junctions with the side roads restricting visibility for vehicles exiting the side roads. It was also observed that some vehicles park on the central reservation along this section of the corridor.

Along Queensway there are three gaps in the central reservation enabling vehicles to carry out U-turns. The gaps have an average width of 5.0m widening to 8.0m on entry and exits. The first gap is situated approximately 25m north of Mewburn Road offering northbound drivers the opportunity to join the southbound carriageway. The second gap is 25m south of Church View allowing southbound traffic to perform a U-turn. The third gap is approximately 10m south of the junction with Bloxham Road, permitting southbound traffic to change direction.

There are five side roads located along Queensway all providing access to residential areas. Burlington Gardens and Mewburn Road are accessed on the southbound carriageway and Brantwood Rise, Church View, and Elizabeth Rise are located on the northbound carriageway.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 48 Each junction has dropped kerbs to allow for pedestrian access but not all have tactile paving provided. The white lining is in very good condition at the give-way markings at the edges of the main carriageway.

A footpath is located approximately 120m south of the junction with Broughton Road and Woodgreen Avenue, providing a dedicated link to Queensway Primary School from Queensway. There are ‘SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR’ zig-zag markings on the northbound carriageway to restrict parking around the entrance to the footpath.

There is a parade of shops located on Queensway to the south of Mewburn Road, with a small yard for deliveries behind the shops. A bus lay-by is located opposite the shops complete with a bus shelter. Mewburn Road has tactile paving located on the dropped kerbs. Mewburn Road approaches Queensway on a steep uphill gradient and the presence of parked cars close to the junction restricts visibility to the right. There are excessive vehicles speeds on the downhill gradient on Queensway resulting in the potential for a high occurrence of accidents at this junction.

There is only one footway located in the central reservation along Queensway, opposite the junction with Brantwood Rise. There is no tactile paving provided at either of the dropped crossing points.

The Queensway/Bloxham Road junction is an unsignalised T-junction with a 30 mph speed limit through the junction. There is a 7.5 tonne weight limit signed on the entrance to Queensway. Queensway has a two-lane approach onto the A361 Bloxham Road, with narrow dedicated left and right turn lanes. Bloxham Road has dedicated right-turn lanes into Queensway and Springfield Avenue. There is a pedestrian refuge located on Bloxham Road between Queensway and Springfield Avenue. It was observed on site that the refuge is well used during the off-peak period as it is located on a pedestrian desire line between Banbury School and Blessed George Napier School and the main residential areas to the south of Banbury.

There is pedestrian guard railing located to the west of the junction with Queensway. The footway along Bloxham Road continues across the central reservation keeping within the pedestrian desire line, with tactile paving provided on the dropped crossings. The Easington public house is located immediately west of the junction with Springfield Avenue. The footway on the south side of Bloxham Road is located to the rear of the grass verge.

The Springfield Avenue/Bloxham Road junction is also an unsignalised T-junction and is located to the south of the junction with Queensway. Springfield Avenue has a 30 mph speed limit and has been traffic calmed with low flat-top speed humps. There is a two-lane entry to Bloxham Road, with dedicated left and right turn lanes separated by a small splitter island.

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7.3.4 A361 Bloxham Road The A361 Bloxham Road provides the main link from Banbury to Bloxham and Chipping Norton. There are service roads along both sides of Bloxham Road, separated by grass verges, providing access to residential properties. The route continues through Easington as a 30 mph speed limit until it becomes rural in nature where the route becomes unrestricted. The carriageway surfacing and the white lining are in good condition along this section of the route.

The carriageway width of Bloxham Road is approximately 8.0m west of the junction with Queensway, and the footways are approximately 2.5 metres in width. The footway located on the south side of Bloxham Road is at the rear of the service road whilst the footway on the northern side runs alongside the main carriageway. Browning Road forms a simple priority junction with Bloxham Road with excellent visibility in both directions.

It was observed on site that a pedestrian desire line exists between the footpath located directly opposite the junction with Browning Road and the residential areas situated along Browning Road. The Salt Way path leads off from the westerly end of the service road on Bloxham Road and provides a direct route towards Banbury School and the Blessed George Napier School. Dropped kerbs have been installed at the crossing point but no tactile paving has been provided. There was some evidence of ponding of water adjacent to the dropped kerbs indicating poor drainage at this location which may be potentially hazardous to pedestrians crossing.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 50 8 Development Proposals

Cherwell District is situated in North Oxfordshire in central England along the M40 motorway between London and Birmingham. Banbury has been a part of the Cherwell District since 1974. Banbury is an old market town which has experienced three periods of significant growth in the past century. The first was attributable to the arrival of the aluminium factory on the outskirts of the town in 1931, the second to overspill agreements with the Greater London Council and Birmingham City Council in the 1960s, and the third period of growth came in the 1990’s, after a period of stagnation during the 1980’s, with the arrival of the M40 Motorway.

Cherwell District’s Deposit Draft Local Plan states that much of the District, including the area around Banbury, is located within an area of high landscape value.

The recent growth, which has been greatly influenced by the improved transport links, is similar to the earlier boom created when the canal first arrived in the late eighteenth century. The fast links to both London and Birmingham, coupled with the County Council’s Structure Plan policy of developing market towns, has contributed substantially to population and business growth.

The policies associated with Green Belts will continue to be applied to the Plan and there are no proposed changes to it. The Green Belt boundary was first approved by the Secretary of State in 1975 and new inner boundaries were adopted in the November 1996 Cherwell Local Plan. Their local plan defines the planning authority’s policies for the control of development and may make proposals for the development and use of land.

According to the Oxfordshire Structure Plan 2011 policies, development should: • be of a scale and type appropriate to the site and its surroundings; • incorporate high quality of layout, design and landscaping; • be designed to as to reduce the need to travel and encourage the use of walking, cycling and public transport and telecommunications as alternatives to the car.

Proposals for development will not be permitted unless the planning authorities are satisfied that the infrastructure directly required to service the development, necessary on or off site transport measures, community facilities, services and environmental improvements have been or will be provided. Contributions will be sought from the developers and/or landowners in accordance with government advice.

The Green Belt designation is confined to an area surrounding Oxford City and is not applicable to the land within Cherwell District.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 51 In the open countryside, and this applies around Banbury, sporadic and ribbon development and development in the vicinity of a motorway or major road junctions will not be permitted. Special considerations will be given to development proposals for agricultural, forestry or outdoor recreational needs or for other uses appropriate to a rural area which cannot reasonable be accommodated in a nearby settlement.

Planning permission will only be granted for the construction of new dwellings beyond the built- up limits of settlements when the building is essential for agriculture or other existing undertakings and the proposal meets the criteria for designated affordable housing.

The working population of the town and its hinterland is projected to continue growing from 43,400 in 1996 to 51,100 by 2011. The LTP seeks to balance the size of the working population with the opportunities for existing and proposed work. It is estimated that the Castle Quay shopping centre will provide around 6,600 jobs between George Street and Bridge Street. New proposals also include the redevelopment of the cattle market land between Cherwell Street and the river. This would generate an estimated 1,580 jobs.

The Banbury Integrated Transport and Land Use Study found that the most sustainable locations for employment development in Banbury are located in existing employment areas as this will aid existing public transport services. The main employment areas currently exist to the east and north of the town centre. The Highways Agency is also concerned about the impact of further development such as offices and other high traffic generators in the vicinity of the M40.

Nonetheless, further development is expected to occur in accordance with the County’s Structure Plan. Banbury is expected to build 3,900 dwellings during the period between 1996 and 2011. Currently, 900 dwellings and a new school are being built at Hanwell Fields. Funding from this development has been secured to improve the existing transportation infrastructure in the north Banbury area; with the first priority to improve facilities for cycling.

Allowing for development on brown field sites identified within Banbury approximately 525 to 1,085 additional dwellings have yet to be planned or constructed around Banbury near the edge of the town.

Four potential development areas have been identified which include: • Bankside – east of Oxford Road near Bodicote; • Salt Way – behind the two schools off Bloxham Road; • Western edge – behind the Bretch Hill estate; and • North of the town – either at Warwick Road or Southam Road as a continuation of Hanwell Fields.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 52 It is understood that all of the proposed edge of town development will be concentrated in one of these locations.

The implications of these possible developments are currently unknown, although a development at Bankside is likely to have the least detrimental effect on the West Banbury Corridor. Any future developments at one of the other three locations would result in a worsening of the existing traffic conditions along the West Banbury Corridor.

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Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 54 9 Route Strategy 9.1 Introduction Planning Policy Guidance Note PPG13, published in March 2001, provides advice on how to reduce the need to travel through good land use and transport planning practices. The PPG13’s fundamental principles promote the implementation of sustainable transport programmes and schemes for people and freight by local authorities. PPG13 imparts guidance that fosters accessibility to jobs, shopping, leisure facilities and services by public transport, walking and cycling; thus, reducing the need to travel by car.

National and local policy guidance requires a sustainable approach to transport provision. This West Banbury Corridor Strategy contains proposals to encourage and improve facilities for vehicular traffic and users of alternative modes of transport. The strategy has been developed with reference to current Government policy guidelines in order to improve, as far as possible: • Safe, secure and convenient provision for cycling; • Suitable, safe, convenient and attractive provisions for pedestrians; • Facilities for pedestrians in shopping areas; • Access for persons having special needs such as the mobility-impaired; and • Measures to improve road safety and minimise the impact of traffic on the environment.

According to PPG13, better conditions for pedestrians could encourage more people to walk. Pedestrian routes succeed when they are not segregated from the roadway and where they link activity centres. Measures that promote a pleasant pedestrian environment include: • Traffic calming; • Pedestrianisation; • Environmental improvements; • Improved lighting; • Wider pavements/narrower carriageways; and • Pedestrian-friendly road crossings.

Cycling, as an economical, efficient and environmental mode of transport, is another vital element contained within PPG13. The Government is enthusiastic in its efforts to promote cycling and improved cycle safety initiatives. The guidance advises local authorities to implement specific measures to promote safe cycling such as: • Separation of cyclists from other road traffic on the carriageway; • Segregation of cyclists away from the carriageway where possible, especially where the alternative is a road with high volumes of traffic or high speeds; • Shared pedestrian/cycle routes; • Facilities to help cyclists cross roads;

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 55 • Restrictions on car parking; • Speed control measures to slow motor traffic; and • Secure cycle parking at stations and park-and-ride sites; and • Secure cycle parking in town centres, education institutions, etc.

Traffic management is also covered by PPG13. It covers a range of measures that resolve conflicts between different transport modes to improve overall safety and environmental quality. This approach maximises the efficiency of the entire system and is applicable to the West Banbury Corridor strategy. Traffic management measures can include and be used to: • Encourage walking and cycling; • Improve the quality of local neighbourhoods; • Make streets safer; • Reduce community severance; • Reduce traffic speeds; • Provide priority for public transport; • Improve the environment; and • Enhance town centres.

9.2 Classification of the Corridor The northern section of the West Banbury Corridor can be classified as a District Distributor Road, as its main function is to provide medium distance links to the primary road network, whereas the southern section of the route forms a Local Distributor Road, with vehicle movements near the beginning or end of their journeys. The primary roads linked by the corridor are the A422 and A423.

The route length is approximately 3.1 kilometres; 1.3 kilometres to the north and 1.8 kilometres to the south. For the purposes of this study, the route will be considered a District Distributor for the northern element, despite the fact that the route varies considerably at different locations, and will be classified as a Local Distributor for the southern section. The Urban Safety Management Guidelines establish the characteristics associated with Local Distributors and District Distributors. These are elaborated upon within the following paragraphs.

Pedestrian movements along District Distributors are minimised and reinforced with safety measures. Cycle lanes, along with measures that aid right turns, should be provided if alternative routes are not available. The presence of stationary vehicles is also minimised and highly dependent upon traffic flow conditions. Heavy goods vehicle activity is present along District Distributors.

Generally, District Distributors do not permit vehicular access to individual properties, although along the dual carriageway section of the northern element, residential properties are present.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 56 They also contain some local vehicular movement, predominantly for medium distance traffic. Lastly, vehicles along District Distributors are subject to 30 or 40 mph speed limits within urban areas.

Local Distributor Roads distribute traffic within residential areas between the main roads. They provide frontage access to homes and other land uses. Bus routes penetrate the local area and careful consideration should be given to crossing opportunities. The only heavy goods vehicle activity should be to serve frontage premises and reach nearby access roads. There is the appreciable presence of stationary vehicles if space is not provided off the highway. Vehicles along Local Distributors are subject to 30 mph speed limits but the layout should discourage speed.

9.3 Scheme Recommendations This strategy considers an integrated approach to management in order to reduce traffic speeds, congestion and accidents. It also incorporates improved conditions for public transport, vehicular traffic and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

The approach to developing the Banbury Western Corridor Strategy has been a collaborative process involving discussions with local representatives and County Council Officers.

9.4 Corridor Improvements Northern Section 9.4.1 General As described earlier in the report, the Banbury Western Corridor has been divided into two distinctive elements; north and south. This element of the corridor is to the north of the double roundabout at Warwick Road/Cromwell Road linking to the A423 and A422 primary routes. This element of the corridor has two distinctive elements of carriageway. The route commences at the Southam Road Roundabout as a single carriageway with a speed limit of 40 mph. The route continues as a clearway from the roundabout but this is not clear to drivers as there are no signs indicating the restriction.

The clearway ends immediately west of the Tesco Roundabout at Lockheed Close. The carriageway continues to Longelandes Way Roundabout as a 40 mph single carriageway road with parking restrictions between 8am and 6pm denoted by a single yellow line. Shortly after the junction with Nursery Drive, the route becomes a dual carriageway with a 30 mph speed limit and a wide grassed central reservation. This section of the route has frontage to residential premises with unrestricted parking on the carriageway.

9.4.2 Speed Limits Examination of the vehicular speed surveys along the northern element of the West Banbury Corridor indicates that vehicles generally adhere to the posted speed limit. During the site visit

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 57 however, it was observed that some vehicles travelled at excessive speed during the off-peak period. The existing speed limits on the northern element of the corridor are as follows: • Between Southam Road Roundabout and Longelandes Way Roundabout, the speed limit is 40 mph where it is a single carriageway throughout its length. There are no residential properties fronting the A422 during this section, which is a clearway. • The speed limit from Longelandes Way Roundabout to Warwick Road / Cromwell Road double roundabout junction is 30 mph. There are residential properties on both side of the dual-carriageway and there is the presence of parked vehicles.

Although the speed surveys show the 85th percentile speed of traffic is within the posted speed limits the accident data shows a significant number of accidents occur along the northern element of the corridor where speeding may be a contributory factor. It is therefore recommended that the traffic speed limits need to be reviewed as a part of the strategy to be implemented.

From the Southam Road Roundabout, the speed limit reduces from 50 mph along Hennef Way to 40 mph upon entry to A422 Ruscote Avenue. It is recommended that the 40 mph should be reduced to 30 mph along the entirety of the A422 Ruscote Avenue. This will improve safety at the junctions at Beaumont Road and Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout) as well as at the two Toucan crossings along the route. It is recommended that the speed limit between Warwick Road and Longelandes Way remain at 30 mph.

Recommendation 1

Reduce the speed limit along A422 Ruscote Avenue from Southam Road Roundabout to junction with Longelandes Way from 40 mph to 30 mph.

At present, the wide grass verges and the restrictions on parking along Ruscote Avenue give the impression to drivers that the road is a primary route which has resulted in conditions that are conducive to speeding. It is recommended that the new 30 mph speed limit be reinforced through Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS), accompanied with ‘SLOW DOWN’ messages. Recent TRL reports show VAS style signs to be very effective in reducing the speed of vehicular traffic.

Recommendation 2

Install Vehicle Activated Signs along A422 Ruscote Avenue, accompanied with ‘SLOW DOWN’ messages, to re-enforce to drivers the new 30 mph speed limit.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 58 This speed limit proposal will accord with the nature of the route and will reduce the impression of a primary route to drivers. Visual narrowing of the route can also help to reduce excessive speed and enhance safety along the route as reducing the speed limit alone will not be sufficient, see recommendation 5.

The presence of a clearway on Ruscote Avenue before the Tesco Roundabout also creates the impression of a primary route to drivers. It is recommended that the clearway be removed with parking restrictions on the route reinforced with double yellow lines on both sides of the carriageway.

Recommendation 3

Remove the Clearway on A422 Ruscote Avenue between Southam Road Roundabout and Tesco Roundabout and replace it with parking restrictions indicated with double yellow lines on both sides of the carriageway.

9.4.3 Carriageway Surface The carriageway surfacing along the A422 Ruscote Avenue at the northern end of the corridor is generally in very good condition with little longitudinal rutting evident within the running lanes or at any of the junctions where vehicle braking takes place. The worst affected area however, is the southbound carriageway from the Southam Road roundabout to the Lockheed Close Roundabout (Tesco Roundabout), opposite the goods entrance to Kraft Foods, where the surface appears to be breaking down. In wet conditions there is a great deal of standing water evident as a result of the poor surface and poor drainage, as discussed further on in the report. It is recommended that this section be resurfaced as soon as possible.

Recommendation 4

Carry out maintenance on the southbound carriageway of the A422 Ruscote Avenue between Southam Road Roundabout and Tesco Roundabout. (See also recommendation 10)

The carriageway surface from the junction with Lockheed Close through to Warwick Road appears to be in reasonable condition and well maintained without any significant deformation or breakdown of the carriageway surfacing.

9.4.4 Carriageway Kerbing The existing carriageway kerbing along the northern section of the corridor consist of pre-cast concrete kerbs.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 59 The average height requirement for carriageway kerbing is 125mm to provide channelling for water draining to gullies and protection to pedestrians. This requirement also applies to the central reserve except where the drainage is into shingle filled longitudinal drains. Observations on site recorded that kerb heights generally fulfil the requirements.

This section of the West Banbury Corridor does not therefore require any modifications to its current carriageway kerbing.

9.4.5 Drainage The drainage of the carriageway is associated with the kerbing as this channels the water to the gullies. The existing kerb height ensures that highway surface water does not drain into the existing grass verges or grass central reserve.

Along the northern section as a whole, the carriageway drainage along Ruscote Avenue appears to be in reasonable order with good carriageway surface and sufficient gullies. This element of the West Banbury Corridor does not appear to require any maintenance at the present time.

At the toucan crossing immediately north of Lockheed Roundabout is has been observed that on the northbound side the carriageway drains onto the footpath as a result of the level difference and the dropped kerbs at the crossing. This problem would be addressed under recommendation 10.

9.4.6 White Lining The existing white lining along the northern section of the West Banbury Corridor is in good condition with some wear evident on the give-way markings on the approach to junctions. Additional white lining however, does an important part of the strategy to reduce vehicular speeds and to improve safety.

The northern element of the corridor to the south of Longelandes Way, is a wide carriageway with substantial grass verges on either side. This gives an overall impression of significant road space which can contribute to increased vehicular speed. It is recommended that the existing running lanes should be narrowed through the addition of “ladder hatching” white lining. With the reduction in the speed limit, the narrowing of the carriageway should contribute to a lowering of vehicle speeds.

Recommendation 5

Narrowing the existing running lanes along the A422 Ruscote Avenue through additional white lining “ladder” markings. (See also recommendation 12)

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 60

It is strongly recommended that if road markings are to be removed, mechanical grinding be used to minimise the environmental issues arising from the removal of hazardous material especially in urban areas.

9.4.7 Footways/Cycleways The Banbury Western Corridor has good footway facilities along the northern section of the route but has limited dedicated facilities for cyclists. There are two Toucan crossings and one Pelican crossing located along the northern section of the corridor. These are situated to the north of the Tesco Roundabout and one immediately to the north and west of the junction with Longelandes Way.

The Bridge Street to Southam Road cycle route meets the northern section of the route, commencing at the Southam Road Roundabout, as part of the cycle network which is being developed to link the new Hanwell Fields development to the Banbury town centre. The existing footways in the vicinity of the junction have been widened to allow for shared-use cycle paths. A further section of the cycle route linking Southam Road Roundabout to Hanwell Fields, along the A423 Southam Road, is planned to be finished by spring 2005.

Cycling is currently prohibited along the footways between Longelandes Way and Southam Road Roundabout. An off-road cycle route also runs east to west across the corridor, immediately north of Longelandes Way, via Nursery Drive.

It is recommended that the existing footways along each side of Ruscote Avenue should be widened as required to allow for the provision of shared use cycle routes. This will link the existing and planned cycle routes at the Southam Road Roundabout and Nursery Lane to produce a more coherent route from Hanwell Fields and to the North West of Banbury as a whole.

Recommendation 6

Widen the existing footways along the A422 Ruscote Avenue to provide new shared-use cycle paths, linking the existing cycle routes at Southam Road Roundabout and Nursery Lane. Upgrade the existing signal controlled crossings as appropriate to cater for cyclists.

At the Ruscote Avenue/Nursery Drive Junction the pedestrian crossing points need to be upgraded by the installation of dropped kerbs and tactile paving.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 61 Recommendation 7

Improve pedestrian crossing facilities at the junction of Ruscote Av and Nursery Drive.

9.4.8 Traffic Signs The existing traffic signage along the corridor is, on the whole, satisfactory. However the Advance Directional Signs (ADS) on the approaches to the junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road and the B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way junction are too large and are appropriate for a high speed primary route. They should reflect the urban area in which they are in. It is therefore recommended that the existing signs be replaced with smaller ADSs.

Recommendation 8

Replace the existing Advance Direction Signs with smaller, less intrusive signs on the approaches to the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road and B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way junctions. (It is noted that there is a separate Banbury signing review being carried out and that this recommendation may best be taken forwards as part of that study.)

9.4.9 Highway Lighting The highway lighting varies along the route but is generally achieved by the use of 10 and 12 metre high low pressure sodium lighting columns. At specific locations where improvements are being recommended the lighting should be upgraded to meet modern standards. Consideration should be given to reviewing the lighting along the corridor as a whole to ensure that the implementation of individual improvements does not lead to “patchy” lighting, see recommendation 34.

9.4.10 Public Transport There is only one bus stop situated along the northern element of the corridor. It is located on the southbound carriageway on A422 Ruscote Avenue immediately before the junction with the Warwick Road and provides services to Banbury Town Centre and Hardwick. The bus stop is complete with a shelter and is in good condition. It is the only stop along the entire corridor which has a lay-by. Tesco Superstore also provides a free bus service to the town centre, two days per week, via A361 Southam Road. It is not recommended to make any improvements to the public transport facilities along the northern section of the corridor. Further information on public transport is considered in Section 3 of this report.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 62 9.4.11 Formalised Parking The existing residents’ on-street parking on the dual-carriageway section of Ruscote Avenue serves as an important function in helping to narrow the available carriageway space and therefore reduce the speed of traffic. In order to formalise the parking arrangements and to visually narrow the road it is recommended that an approximately 1.9m wide parking area is marked out along the nearside kerbline.

Formalising the parking will also assist in keeping parked vehicles away from the entrance to junctions and will help to maintain visibility at junctions and could be used in conjunction with a local widening of the footway to move the give way point on side roads forwards to improve visibility. This would also improve the safety of pedestrians wanting to cross Ruscote Av on the natural desire lines at side road junctions. The give way lining could be moved forwards by implementing a “white lining only” solution, by use of hatch markings, however in this case some of the benefit of improved pedestrian safety would be lost.

Recommendation 9

Provide 1.9m wide parking bays on the dual-carriageway section of the A422 Ruscote Avenue through appropriate white lining. Amend side road junctions by moving the give way line forwards.

9.4.12 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout) The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close is a 3-arm roundabout with 40 mph on the main approaches to the junction. The junction has a significant number of right-turning movements with high volumes of traffic wishing to access the Tesco superstore. It was observed on site that this junction suffers from congestion during the off-peak period as well as the morning and evening peak hour period, demonstrating there is a continual stream of traffic entering and exiting the supermarket.

Immediately north of the roundabout, from an informal two-lane exit on the roundabout the northbound carriageway reduces in width to only one lane before widening again to two lanes on approach to the Southam Road Roundabout. This pinch point creates a significant bottleneck at the junction reducing the ability of the traffic to reach the Southam Road Roundabout. It is likely that this problem will be made worse if Beaumont Road is restricted to a left-out only (see recommendation 12), whereby vehicles wishing to turning right would need to perform a U-turn at this junction, increasing the volume of traffic through the roundabout. To improve the capacity of this junction, it is recommended that the northbound carriageway on Ruscote Avenue be widened to allow for a continuous two-lane carriageway from the Tesco Roundabout to the Southam Road Roundabout.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 63

There is currently a narrow two-lane entry on Ruscote Avenue on the southbound approach to the roundabout. It is recommended that the right hand lane at the junction be made right-turn only to facilitate right-turning movements into Tesco and to reduce the number of vehicles using to the right-hand lane to make a straight ahead movement, assisting in improving safety at the junction by removing conflict.

This proposal for the section between Southam Rd and Lockheed Close has been analysed using ARCADY and the results are given in Appendix B.

The Toucan crossing facilitating pedestrian movements to the Tesco Superstore is currently located 70m north of the Tesco Roundabout. It would be unsafe for a Toucan crossing to cross four lanes of traffic and it would require a long pedestrian green phase which would result in long delays to vehicular traffic. Current Government guidance recommends that where a road is wider than 11 metres a staggered layout should be provided. It is therefore recommended that the existing splitter island be extended to the Tesco Roundabout and converted to a central island to allow for a staggered Toucan crossing to be installed.

Should the cost of the improvement of this section prove prohibitive then a “do-minimum” solution involving widening as far as possible, to provide two northbound lanes, without affecting the existing utilities could be considered.

Recommendation 10

Widen the northbound carriageway on A422 Ruscote Avenue from the Tesco Roundabout to the Southam Road Roundabout to provide a continuous two-lane carriageway.

Widen the southbound carriageway on A422 Ruscote Avenue to allow for a full two-lane carriageway from the Southam Road Roundabout to the Tesco Roundabout. Formalise the right hand lane on the southbound approach on the A422 Ruscote Avenue to the Tesco Roundabout to provide a dedicated right-turn lane.

Convert the existing splitter island between the Southam Road Roundabout and the Tesco Roundabout to a central island to allow for a staggered Toucan crossing to be installed.

Upgrade lighting to current standards.

OR

Widen the northbound carriageway as far as possible without affecting the utilities and realign the lanes north and southbound as possible.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 64

There have been eight accidents recorded at the junction over the last five year period. The majority of the accidents involved rear shunts of cars waiting to enter the roundabout, suggesting that speed is a significant contributory factor. To improve the safety at this junction, it is recommended that anti-skid surfacing be placed on approaches to the junction, in conjunction the strategy recommends that the speed limit on both the east and west bound approaches to the junction are lowered to 30 mph (see recommendation 1).

Recommendation 11

Place anti-skid surfacing on all approaches to the A422 Ruscote Avenue / Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout).

The kerbing, drainage, and lighting at the junction are satisfactory with no amendments necessary. The carriageway requires resurfacing as there are some potholes on the approach to the junction on the westbound carriageway.

9.4.13 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road Beaumont Road forms an important priority T-junction with the A422 Ruscote Avenue, providing access to the Beaumont Industrial Estate with a significant number of turning movements with high volumes of Heavy Goods Vehicles. There is currently no dedicated right-turn lane on the main carriageway to assist with access to Beaumont Road. The A422 Ruscote Avenue has a 40 mph speed limit through the junction. Beaumont Road has a wide, two-lane entry onto Ruscote Avenue. There are traffic islands located in the carriageway in Ruscote Avenue to the south of the junction to assist with pedestrians crossing Ruscote Avenue and these help to visually narrow the carriageway through the junction. The existing lighting does not meet current standards and should be upgraded as part of any improvement.

The accident record and perceived impact that the A422 Ruscote Avenue / Beaumont Road junction has on congestion along the corridor has highlighted that remedial action is required at the junction. It is proposed to reduce the speed limit through this junction from 40 mph to 30 mph. The proposal to reduce the speed limit on Ruscote Avenue through this junction on its approach should contribute to an improvement in the safety for all road users. The approach to this junction from the north is on a left-hand bend on a downward gradient. This approach creates two distinct problems; visibility is impaired and it encourages faster vehicle speeds.

Beaumont Road forms the primary access into the Beaumont Industrial Estate and there is a significant level of right-turning traffic in and out of the junction. Demag Cranes, located 50m from the junction with Ruscote Avenue, manufacture large girder cranes that are frequently

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 65 transported from their premises. The cranes currently transported can be up to a maximum of 42m including the tractor unit, and these abnormally long loads require a police escort. Demag also generates a number of long vehicles that do not require police escort. All these long vehicles turn left out of Beaumont Road towards the M40. Although Demag Cranes currently generate the largest vehicles, an industrial estate such as this is always likely to generate significant numbers of large vehicles.

As a long term solution it has previously been proposed that traffic signal control should be introduced at this junction. The junction design would have to accommodate the significant number of long vehicles requiring the signal head and stop line to the north of the junction to be set back further than would be usual. To accommodate the abnormal vehicles a second stop line and part time signal is needed further to the north for use under police control. The entrance to Kraft Foods would be made a “left-in-left-out” arrangement. Previous studies of this junction have revealed that Kraft Foods would accept this restriction.

As a result of the set back stop line the “all red” times of the lights will be longer than usual and combined with the traffic flows there is a need for significant widening of the carriageway in this location to prevent the junction being overloaded. All of these requirements led to this proposal being very expensive and it was never progressed.

If traffic signals are not considered appropriate at the junction an alternative solution involving restricting turning movements at the junction is proposed. Under this arrangement right turns out of Beaumont Road are prohibited with vehicles wishing to make that manoeuvre being diverted to the Tesco Roundabout. This proposal also provides for a dedicated right turn ghost island to be provided for vehicles wishing to turn into Beaumont Road and compliments the previous recommendations for a visual narrowing of Ruscote Avenue. A very limited widening of Ruscote Avenue is needed.

The prohibition of right turns out of Beaumont Rd would put additional traffic onto the Lockheed Road Roundabout so it should not be implemented without the problem outlined under recommendation 10 being addressed.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 66 Recommendation 12

Install traffic signals and islands for a conventional signalised T-junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road with supplementary signals for use in conjunction with abnormal loads. Upgrade lighting.

OR

Provide a dedicated right-turn lane on Ruscote Avenue to facilitate right-turning movements into Beaumont Road through a localised realignment of the carriageway. Right-turn manoeuvres from Beaumont Road will be prohibited. Upgrade lighting. This must be implemented in conjunction with recommendation 10.

An analysis of the ghost island and right turn ban has been carried out and the results are included in Appendix C.

9.4.14 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Longelandes Way The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Longelandes Way is a 3-arm roundabout with a 40 mph speed limit on the main approaches to the junction on Ruscote Avenue and a 30 mph speed limit on the approach from Longelandes Way. The junction has recently been treated with a Prismo Imprint surface apron around the existing central island. The purpose of the apron is to create a visual narrowing of the circulatory carriageway and to restrict the southbound approach to the junction from Ruscote Avenue to a single lane entry. This measure will assist motorists turning right into Longelandes Way from Ruscote Avenue from being squeezed by HGVs U- turning around the roundabout. No further physical improvements to the junction are recommended.

9.4.15 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Nursery Drive – south of Longelandes Way At the transition point between the single carriageway and dual carriageway sections of Ruscote Avenue the road is laid out and signed as a half-roundabout. Although this layout is unusual it appears to be well understood by the majority of drivers, however some reinforcement of the lining and signing of the priorities in this area may be beneficial.

Recommendation 13

Replace existing road markings that have become worn at the transition point between the single carriageway and dual carriageway sections of Ruscote Avenue. Replace existing non- illuminated give way signs with illuminated signs.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 67 9.4.16 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road Junction The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road is a 3-arm roundabout with 30 mph on all approaches to the junction. There is a mini roundabout immediately to the west of the junction where Cromwell Way meets Warwick Road.

There is substantial queuing experienced on the A422 Warwick Road approach to the junction during the morning peak hour period and on the B4100 Warwick Road during the evening peak.

A previous study of this junction, the Hanwell Fields Off-Site Junction Improvements A422 Warwick Road/Ruscote Avenue Roundabout Review report of January 2004 concluded that a new arrangement should be provided at the junction involving the removal of the mini- roundabout and the enlargement of the existing roundabout at Warwick Road/Ruscote Avenue.

A new traffic island was proposed opposite Cromwell Way to replace the mini-roundabout making the junction with Cromwell Way a left in left out only arrangement. The removal of the mini roundabout was proposed in order to reduce a perceived accident problem at that location and to improve flows on the Warwick Road/Ruscote Av roundabout.

The current accident data shows two slight accidents at the Cromwell Way mini roundabout in the five year period to July 2004, previous accident data showed four slight accidents in the five year period to December 2002.

If the mini roundabout is removed then the exit from the access road in front of the parade of shops on Warwick Rd would also be affected by this restriction in movements. It is likely that delivery vehicles leaving the parade of shops would use unsuitable residential routes such as Beesley Road, to return to the western corridor. It has been identified that there is the potential for constructing a new mini roundabout at the western junction of Cromwell Way and Warwick Rd which would allow cars and commercial vehicles accessing the parade of shops to “U-turn” to return to the western corridor, articulated lorries would only be able to “U-turn” with difficulty.

This report recommends that a widening of the existing Warwick Rd/Ruscote Av roundabout be re-considered but that the mini-roundabout at the junction with Cromwell Way is kept.

The reasons for recommending keeping the mini-roundabout are: • Its removal would have an impact on the residents and the shops serving the local area. • Its removal would potentially drive vehicles onto unsuitable residential streets which could lead to more accidents than if the junction was left unchanged.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 68 • The volume of traffic making turning movements at the mini roundabout is small in comparison to the through traffic on Warwick Rd, and therefore is unlikely to have a significant effect on the overall capacity of the Rd/Ruscote Av roundabout.

This report recommends that if the exit from Cromwell Way is to be restricted then alternative provisions for vehicles leaving the parade of shops be made such as a new mini roundabout at the west end of Cromwell way.

It is known that there are several service utilities located in the footways surrounding the junction which may make any widening works disproportionately expensive for the benefits gained. Additionally any widening of the Ruscote Av/Warwick Road roundabout will involve the removal of a mature tree in the footway.

It is also possible that a queue relocation scheme could be implemented at the signalised A422 Stratford Road/B4100 Warwick Road junction, west of Cromwell Road, to gate the number of vehicles entering the town. Adjusting the signal times at the junction, to reduce the green time received for vehicles entering Banbury along the A422, would assist in reducing congestion at the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction.

The proposed widening of the Warwick Rd/Ruscote Av roundabout is analysed in more detail in appendix D

Recommendation 14

Investigate widening the existing roundabout at the junction of Warwick Rd and Ruscote Avenue. Retain the existing mini-roundabout at the junction of Warwick Rd and Cromwell Way but ensure that it is adequately signed. Upgrade lighting as far as the existing pelican crossing.

Investigate a queue relocation scheme involving the signalised A422 Stratford Road/B4100 Warwick Road junction, west of Cromwell Road, to gate the number of vehicles entering the town from the west.

9.4.17 A422 Warwick Road/Cromwell Road (West) Should it be decided to remove the existing mini-roundabout at the junction of Warwick Rd and Cromwell Way, in order to facilitate right turning traffic from Cromwell Road (east) and from the access road serving the parade of shops, it is proposed that a mini-roundabout be installed at the westerly end of Cromwell Road with the A422 Warwick Road to allow U-turns to be made on Warwick Road by cars and commercial vehicles. Cromwell Road (West) forms a priority T- junction with the A422 Warwick Road with 30 mph speed limits on both east and westbound approaches on Warwick Road. Cromwell Road is a 20 mph Home Zone. The existing junction

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 69 has an unusually wide entrance on approach to Warwick Road. The carriageway is in reasonable condition with few defects on either approach.

There is sufficient space at the junction to install a mini-roundabout with a circular marking of up to 4.0m. The markings should be domed to a maximum height of 125mm at the centre to allow for the overrun of long vehicles and U-turning vehicles. This will also assist in making the new junction arrangement more conspicuous to approaching drivers.

To achieve some entry deflection at the mini-roundabouts, it is recommended that small kerbed traffic islands be installed on each arm. The introduction of the mini-roundabout should be accompanied by an alteration to the street lighting to meet current standards and to help drivers identify the new junction arrangement at night.

Recommendation 15

In the event of the removal of the existing mini-roundabout at the junction of Warwick Rd and Cromwell Way, install a new mini roundabout at the Warwick Road/Cromwell Road west junction. Upgrade lighting.

9.5 West Banbury Corridor Road Improvements South 9.5.1 General This element of the report describes the southern section of the Banbury Western Corridor to the route south of the junction with the B4100 Warwick Road through to the east of the junction the A361 Bloxham Road. In general the route is a dual carriageway throughout its length with a wide grass central reservation. This section of the corridor is approximately 1.4 km.

9.5.2 Speed Limits Examination of the vehicular speed surveys along the southern section of the West Banbury Corridor indicates that many vehicles exceed the speed limit. During the site visit, it was also observed that traffic generally travelled at excessive speed, particularly along Queensway. It is apparent that speeding has been recognised as a problem along this corridor as temporary police speed detection cameras are frequently positioned on the southbound carriageway on Queensway, on the downhill gradient towards the junction with Bloxham Road. There have been a number of accidents involving pedestrians along the southern section of the West Banbury Corridor and it has been recognised that pedestrian safety needs to be improved.

The existing speed limits on the southern element of the corridor are as follows: • Between the B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way/Parklands junction and the Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road junction, the speed limit is 30 mph where it is a

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 70 dual carriageway throughout its length. There are residential properties on both side of the dual carriageway and there is the presence of parked vehicles. • A361 Bloxham Road has a speed limit of 30 mph through Easington where it is a single carriageway. There is a national speed limit to the west of Bloxham Road along the rural aspect of the route before it approaches Easington. There are service roads along both sides of Bloxham Road allowing access to residential properties.

At present, the wide grass central reservations along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway, coupled with downhill gradients and the excellent visibility along the route result in conditions that encourage speeding. It is not recommended that the speed limits are reduced along any part of the southern section of the corridor. It is recommended however, that the existing 30 mph speed limits are reinforced through vehicle activated signs (VAS), accompanied with ‘SLOW DOWN’ messages at selected locations along the southern section of the corridor, particularly along Queensway.

The vehicle activated signs are effective measures in reducing vehicular speed and will help to enhance the safety for pedestrians along the route.

Recommendation 16

Install Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS), accompanied with ‘SLOW DOWN’ messages at selected locations along southern section of the corridor, particularly southbound along Queensway.

9.5.3 Carriageway Surface The carriageway surfacing along this element of the corridor is in good condition overall. There is little longitudinal rutting evident within the running lanes or rutting at any of the junctions where vehicle braking takes place.

9.5.4 Carriageway Kerbing The existing carriageway kerbing along the southern section of the corridor consist primarily of pre-cast concrete kerbs. Granite setts however, have been used where dropped kerbs have been provided on the side roads to the south of the route.

It was observed during the site visits that required height for the carriageway kerbing, including the central reservation, is generally achieved throughout the route. The dropped kerbs provided with the granite setts however, do not comply with the current standards. Dropped kerbs should be flush with the carriageway. The small up-stand can create a potential tripping hazard or jolt for a person in a wheelchair

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 71

It is recommended that the dropped kerbs be replaced with pre-cast concrete types with any planned maintenance to achieve a flush finish with the carriageway.

Recommendation 17

Replace the existing dropped kerbs on the side roads to the south of the route with pre-cast concrete kerbs with no up stand. A more detailed review of all of the footway and crossings should be undertaken.

9.5.5 Drainage Channel blocks are provided along the majority of the carriageway kerbing on the southern element of the corridor which assists in channelling the water to the gullies. There are three gullies which have not been positioned at the lowest points in the two sags immediately south of Deacon Way and Mewburn Road on the southbound carriageway. This has resulted in ponding occurring during periods of heavy rainfall which can lead to safety issues if aquaplaning occurs. It is recommended that the gullies are repositioned to the lowest points in the sags to collect all surface water.

Recommendation 18

Reposition the gullies immediately to south of Deacon Way and Mewburn Road on the southbound carriageway to the lowest point in the sags.

9.5.6 White Lining The white lining along the southern element of the corridor is generally adequate for the route at the present time with no immediate maintenance necessary. Lane markings are clearly defined on approach to junctions. Recommendations however, are made below to specific locations along the route which require additional white lining schemes to improve the overall safety of the corridor.

9.5.7 Footways/Cycleways There are good pedestrian facilities along the southern element of the corridor with footways sited on both the northern and southern sides of the carriageway throughout the route. There are however, no dedicated or shared cycleway facilities on this element of the corridor.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 72 Recommendation 19

Carry out a feasibility study into improving cycling provisions along or parallel to the corridor from Longelandes Way to Bloxham Rd.

Pedestrian facilities at junctions along the southern section of the corridor could be improved since crossing provisions are limited and in some locations the indirect alignment of the footways take pedestrians out of their desire lines adding delay to journeys made on foot. Proposals for improving provisions for pedestrians are given for specific locations below.

9.5.8 Signs In general the existing traffic signage along this element of the route is very good, with very few amendments needed. The proposed schemes outlined below will require additional signage where appropriate to give due warning to drivers of any new road layout.

9.5.9 Lighting The highway lighting varies along the route but is generally achieved by the use of 10 and 12 metre high low pressure sodium lighting columns. The presence of vegetation along the route, particularly within the central reservation, does not appear to compromise the efficiency of the lighting units to any great extent. At specific locations where improvements are being recommended the lighting should be upgraded to meet modern standards. Consideration should be given to reviewing the lighting along the corridor as a whole to ensure that the implementation of individual improvements does not lead to “patchy” lighting.

9.5.10 Public Transport Public transport services are provided to a much greater extent along the southern element of the corridor as it comprises of mainly residential areas. There are bus stops located at regular intervals, particularly along Woodgreen Avenue. However, there are very few bus shelters and none of the bus stops have lay-bys. The stops that do have shelters are in poor condition, poorly illuminated, and timetables were not evident at any stop. During the off-peak site visit there were few waiting passengers observed at any of the bus stops. It is recommended that bus shelters should be installed at all bus stops, with information about the services using the stop. Further information on public transport is outlined in Section 3 of this report.

In order to improve public transport facilities and to help reduce the traffic speeds along the corridor, it is recommended that ‘bus boarders’ are constructed on Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway at each bus stop. The ‘boarder’ is formed by projecting the footway into the carriageway. This provides passengers with easier access to the bus and restricts parking at the bus stop. This would allow buses to pull up adjacent to the ‘boarder’ to pick up

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 73 and set down passengers and will therefore there will be no delay to buses. The advantage of this arrangement is that the boarder results in the loss of fewer parking spaces than a regular bus lay-by and there will be no further delay to vehicular traffic than under the existing situation where the stopping bus blocks the carriageway. The ‘boarder’ will also help visually narrow the road, whilst still maintaining an average carriageway width of 3.5m for passing vehicles and would create more space on the footway for the provision of shelters and seating.

Further information on bus boarders is contained in Appendix F. It is noted that current guidance is that bus boarders are only installed where there is room for vehicles to pass stopped buses. The dual carriageway nature of the corridor mean that this is not met however since there are relatively few buses and the parking arrangements mean that the buses often block the carriageway when stopping under the present arrangements this is not considered to be a problem, however further consultation with the bus companies and the public may be advisable.

Recommendation 20

Install ‘bus boarders’ at each bus stop along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway. Use the additional space created by the bus boarder to provide bus shelters.

Improve lighting at bus stops.

9.5.11 Formalised Parking The existing on-street parking that occurs serves an important function in helping to narrow the available carriageway space and thus reduce the speed of traffic. It is recommended that approximately 1.9m wide parking bays are provided through appropriate white lining. This will help to formalise the parking arrangement and to visually narrow the road. Parking can be accommodated on both carriageways, retaining on approximately 3.5m of available carriageway for passing vehicles.

Formalising the parking will also assist in keeping parked vehicles away from the entrance to junctions and will help to maintain visibility at junctions and could be used in conjunction with a local widening of the footway to move the give way point on side roads forwards to improve visibility. This would also improve the safety of pedestrians wanting to cross Ruscote Av on the natural desire lines at side road junctions. The give way lining could be moved forwards by implementing a “white lining only” solution, by use of hatch markings, however in this case some of the benefit of improved pedestrian safety would be lost.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 74 Recommendation 21

Provide 1.9m wide parking bays along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Avenue, and Queensway through appropriate white lining. Amend side road junctions by moving the give way line forwards.

9.5.12 B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way Junction The junction at B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way is a 4-arm roundabout with 30 mph on all approaches to the junction. Parklands, the northern arm of the roundabout, is a residential no- through road. On the approach to the junction from Orchard Way, an access road serving the parade of shops situated in between the two junctions up until Cromwell Road immediately before entering the roundabout. The access road is one-way with no right turn permitted onto Orchard Way. No physical improvements to the junction are recommended.

From the current junction arrangement and signage it is not clear to drivers the function of this road. Drivers new to the area may mistake this service road for a dedicated left-turn filter lane. Therefore it is recommended that appropriate white lining and hatching be provided at the entrance to the junction of the access road to enhance its appearance as a one-way service road. Additional signage should also be erected to enhance this feature. No one was observed on site to perform the banned right turn out of the service road but the current junction layout does make it possible to do so.

Recommendation 22

Provide appropriate white lining and hatching at the entrance to the junction of the access road immediately south of the B4100 Warwick Road/Orchard Way Junction to enhance its appearance as a one-way service road.

9.5.13 Orchard Way/The Fairway/Woodgreen Avenue/Hilton Road The junction at Orchard Way/The Fairway/Woodgreen Avenue/Hilton Road is a 5-arm roundabout with 30 mph on the main approaches to the junction. The Fairway is a 20 mph zone with a raised zebra crossing 20m west of the junction. Hilton Road is a residential road with a chicane with a cycle bypass situated on the approach to the junction. A dedicated road serving Woodgreen Leisure Centre and Neithrop Library is also provided at the junction.

Currently there are limited facilities for pedestrians to cross at the roundabout. There are dropped kerbs on the north and southbound approaches from Woodgreen Avenue and Orchard Avenue respectively linking the footways on both sides of the carriageway. Footways are also provided on the central reservation. The Fairway also has dropped kerbs at the approach to the

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 75 junction. The footway continues around Hilton Road and the access road serving the leisure centre and library providing a convoluted route for pedestrians with no dedicated crossing facilities. There is no tactile paving on any of the uncontrolled crossing points

It is recommended that the footway linking Orchard Way to Hilton Road and Woodgreen Leisure Centre be made more direct, with the footway closely following the outline of the roundabout to reduce pedestrian journey time. Footways can be constructed on the existing grass verges. The existing hatching forming a splitter island on Hilton Road is sufficiently wide enough to allow for a 1.8m pedestrian refuge on the approach to the junction.

The presence of the parade of shops on the Fairway, combined with the leisure centre, the Admiral Holland Pub, and the library, generate a significant level of pedestrian activity in what is primarily a residential area. At present the only controlled crossing point for pedestrians is the zebra crossing situated on The Fairway. It was also observed on site that there were a number of pedestrians wishing to cross Woodgreen Avenue and Orchard Way at the roundabout.

It is recommended that zebra crossings are provided on both Orchard Way and Woodgreen Avenue on the approaches and exits to the roundabout. This will enhance the safety for pedestrians and will result in minimal delay for vehicular traffic. It is also recommended that the Zebra crossings are accompanied with kerb-build outs to reduce the width of the road pedestrians have to cross. These will be sufficiently set back from the junction to maintain a two-lane entry on to the roundabout. Zebra crossings are preferable to Pelican crossings as they are generally suitable where crossing flows are relatively low and traffic flows are no more than moderate. The low speeds experienced at the entrance to the junction are conducive to these conditions.

The existing lighting does not meet current standards for crossings so must be upgraded as part of any improvement.

Recommendation 23

Install Zebra crossings, accompanied with kerb build-outs, on both Orchard Way and Woodgreen Avenue on the approaches and exits to the roundabout. Upgrade lighting.

Review other footways to ensure that they satisfy the desire lines such as the footway linking Orchard Way to Hilton Road and Woodgreen Leisure Centre.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 76 9.5.14 Woodgreen Avenue between Mascord Road and Bretch Hill Woodgreen Avenue is a dual carriageway road with a wide grass central reservation of 14m with both north and southbound carriageways having an approximate width of 5m between Mascord Road and Bretch Hill.

There are gaps in the central reservation immediately opposite both Mascord Road and Bretch Hill. These both have widths of 5m with flares forming an 8m width at entry and exits. The gap at the intersection at Mascord Road facilitates right turning traffic from Woodgreen Avenue wishing to gain access to Mascord Road. Traffic is prohibited from turning right from Mascord Road onto the main carriageway. The gap located at the junction with Bretch Hill operates in the opposite way, providing access for traffic approaching from the Bretch Hill to turn right to travel southbound. Vehicles are prohibited from turning right from the main carriageway into Bretch Hill.

It is notable that there has been a significant number of accidents on Woodgreen Avenue between Mascord Road and Bretch Hill, particularly at the junction with Bretch Hill. Six accidents have been recorded over the last five year period involved cars travelling from Bretch Hill, turning right onto Woodgreen Avenue through the gap in the central reservation into the path of an oncoming vehicle travelling southbound.

The junction layout has no geometrical defects and complies with current standards for visibility, lane widths and lengths. The traffic speed past the junction however is excessive. Bretch Hill is located on a pronounced downhill gradient which encourages speeding through the junction. Both gaps are also located directly opposite the side roads which also encourages speeding. Along the rest of the route, the gaps provided through the central reservation are staggered from the junctions with the side roads. This reduces the speed that vehicles are able to join the main carriageway.

It was observed on site that traffic at the junction with Bretch Hill intending to turn right often appears to travel straight through the gap without making the correct judgement regarding traffic speeds on the main carriageway. At the junction at Mascord Road however, as the gap is used by turning traffic from the main carriageway it does not have the same potential for accidents, although there is a localised steep uphill gradient at the junction.

As both gaps represent significant potential conflict points it is evident that the safety issues at each location need to be addressed. Closing both gaps has been considered, and although this would represent an immediate removal of a large number of conflict points it does not provide an adequate solution. This would force traffic to perform U-turns at the roundabouts either side of the gaps, increasing the likelihood of accidents occurring at these junctions. The gap

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 77 opposite Bretch Hill is situated on the Bretch Hill Circular bus route so would inconvenience and discourage public transport use along the corridor.

Similar gaps in the central reserve elsewhere along the corridor do not have similar accident problems and it is notable that none of the other gaps is positioned opposite a side roads.

It is recommended that the gaps be repositioned closer together to move them away from being opposite the respective side roads. The gap opposite Mascord Road is recommended to be provided south of its current location and it is also recommended the gap opposite Bretch Hill be provided north of its present position. The relocation of the gaps would necessitate the amendment of the position of lighting columns and the upgrading of lighting to new standards.

Recommendation 24

Reposition the gap in the central reservation opposite Mascord Road further south and the gap opposite Bretch Hill further north to improve safety along the route.

9.5.15 Woodgreen Avenue/B4035 Broughton Road/Queensway The junction at Woodgreen Avenue/B4035 Broughton Road/Queensway is a 4-arm roundabout with 30 mph on all four approaches to the junction. In the absence of kerbed traffic islands on both approaches from the B4035 Broughton Road, extensive hatching has been provided to provide deflection on approach to the roundabout. There are very limited entry deflections on the Woodgreen Avenue and Queensway arms of the roundabout allowing vehicles to access the roundabout at high speeds. The junction however, does not suffer from a significant number of accidents.

The roundabout is well used by pedestrians as there as bus stops, a parade of shops along Queensway, and Queensway Primary School located in close proximity to the junction which all generate significant pedestrian flows. Currently there are limited facilities for pedestrians to cross at the roundabout. There are dropped kerbs on each arm on approach to the roundabout, linking the footways on either sides of the carriageway. Footways are also provided on the central reservation. The footway on the south side of the B4035 Broughton Road (East) ends shortly after the roundabout.

The current facilities provide a very convoluted and indirect route for pedestrians. It is recommended that pedestrian refuges are installed on both B4035 Broughton Road arms, on the existing hatching, to provide a facility that is in the desire line for pedestrians as well as enhancing safety. The tactile paving that is provided on the central reserve to the south of the roundabout is in a ‘T’ shape arrangement. This does not conform to current standards and

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 78 should be replaced with a rectangular shaped tactile surface. The existing lighting does not meet current standards for crossings so must be upgraded as part of any improvement.

Recommendation 25

Install Zebra crossings, accompanied with kerb build-outs, on both Queensway and Woodgreen Avenue on the approaches and exits to the roundabout.

Install pedestrian refuges on both B4035 Broughton Road arms, on the existing hatching, to provide a facility that is in the desire line for pedestrians.

Upgrade lighting.

9.5.16 Queensway/Mewburn Road Queensway is a dual carriageway road with a wide grass central reservation of 14m with both north and southbound carriageways being approximately 5m in width. South of the junction with the B4035 Broughton Road a downhill gradient on Queensway leads to a parade of shops opposite Mewburn Road. A bus stop is situated on Queensway opposite the parade of shops.

The entrance to the service road was widened some time ago to allow for wide vehicles to serve the shops. The current arrangement however, is misleading and can give the impression of the road widening out. It is recommended that additional white lining be provided on Queensway, south of Mewburn Road, to indicate the edge of the carriageway opposite the access road serving the parade of shops; as it is not apparent to approaching drivers that the road has been widened to allow for access into the service road.

Recommendation 26

Provide white lining on Queensway, south of Mewburn Road, to indicate the edge of the carriageway opposite the access road serving the parade of shops.

Tactile paving is located on the footway on Queensway on the north side of the access road to the shops but it not provided on the opposite footway. Current guidance states that tactile paving is provided on both sides of the road and should be directly opposite each other. It is recommended that tactile paving be provided on the opposite footway with the existing tactile paving adjusted so the angle facilitates a straight ahead movement for impaired pedestrians.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 79 Recommendation 27

Install tactile paving on the footway on Queensway on the north side of the access road to accompany the existing tactile paving on the opposite side of the junction.

9.5.17 Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road/Springfield Avenue Queensway forms an important priority T-junction with the A361 Bloxham Road. Bloxham Road has a 30 mph speed limit through the junction with dedicated right-turn lanes into Queensway and Springfield Avenue. Queensway has dedicated left and right turn lanes allowing access onto the A361 Bloxham Road. There is a gap in the central reservation on Queensway, immediately south of the junction, to provide a facility for U-turning traffic.

Springfield Avenue forms a T-junction with Bloxham Road and is located to the west of the junction with Queensway. Springfield Avenue has a 30 mph speed limit and has been traffic calmed with low flat-top speed humps. There is a two-lane entry to Bloxham Road, with dedicated left and right turn lanes.

The existing pedestrian refuge located on Bloxham Road between Queensway and Springfield Avenue is well used and is located on a pedestrian desire line between Banbury School and Blessed George Napier School and the main residential areas to the south of Banbury.

There is substantial queuing experienced on the A361 Bloxham Road through the junction during the AM peak hour period as a result of congestion at the junction with the B4100 Oxford Road and South Bar Street. There is also significant delay experienced on Queensway during the PM peak. Vehicular traffic approaching the junction on Queensway has difficulty in turning onto the main carriageway as a result of the volume of east and westbound bound traffic on Bloxham Road.

It is understood from comments provided by residents and local councillors that during busy peak hour periods, Springfield Avenue, and to a lesser extent Easington Road, are being used as unsuitable routes to bypass the signal-controlled junction with B4100 Oxford Road at the easterly end of Bloxham Road. The current junction arrangement, with a long dedicated right- turn lane into Springfield Avenue from Bloxham Road, and the two-lane entrance on Bloxham Road from Springfield Avenue with dedicated left and right turning lanes, encourages the use of this route as a “rat run”.

Roundabout and Traffic Signal options have been considered to improve the efficiency of the current Queensway/Bloxham Rd junction arrangement. An analysis of both junction types has been carried out with the results included in Appendix E. It has been concluded that a

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 80 roundabout will result in an improved performance of the existing junction more than that of a signalised junction, and will reduce vehicle delays through the junction. It is therefore recommended that a roundabout be installed at the Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road junction.

There are several residential properties fronting onto the junction which would have to be taken into account when designing a roundabout. Installing a roundabout at the junction with Queensway would not negate the need for the existing gap in the central reservation to facilitate U-turning traffic on Queensway since this would remove a number of movements from the roundabout and this would be relocated as part of the scheme.

Recommendation 28

Replace the existing T-junction arrangement at the Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road junction with a small roundabout. Maintain/improve pedestrian provisions.

If a roundabout is not considered appropriate, a signal-controlled junction at Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road could be linked into the SCOOT system being developed for the junctions along the A4260 Oxford Road to improve the efficiency in the throughput of traffic. A signal controlled junction could provide better pedestrian and cycle facilities than a roundabout.

Recommendation 29

Replace the existing T-junction arrangement at the Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road junction with a signal-controlled junction. Maintain/improve pedestrian provisions.

It is not recommended that Springfield Avenue be included as part of any junction improvement scheme. It is recommended however, that the ease of entry and exit to and from Springfield Avenue be reduced to decrease its use as an unsuitable route. It is recommended that the two- lane entry from Springfield Avenue onto Bloxham Road be reduced to a single-lane entry and the dedicated right-turn lane into Springfield Avenue from Bloxham Road be removed.

Recommendation 30

Reduce the two-lane entry from Springfield Avenue onto A361 Bloxham Road to a single-lane and remove the dedicated right-turn lane into Springfield Avenue from A361 Bloxham Road.

The existing lighting should be upgraded as part of any scheme implemented.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 81 The SCOOT system being developed for the signalised junctions along the A4260 Oxford Road, south of the A361 Bloxham Road/B4100 Oxford Road/South Bar Street junction, will reduce vehicle delay to the south of the town centre and should reduce the attractiveness of Springfield Avenue as an unsuitable through route. Improving vehicle detection and signal phasing will also help reduce vehicle queuing on A361 Bloxham Road in the vicinity of the junction with Queensway.

Recommendation 31

Review the signal controlled junction between Bloxham Road and Oxford Road to ensure that the junction is operating at maximum capacity.

9.5.18 A361 Bloxham Road/Browning Road West of the junction with Queensway, the A361 Bloxham Road has a 30 mph speed limit. There are service roads along both sides of Bloxham Road, separated by grass verges, allowing access to residential properties. The route continues through Easington as a 30 mph speed limit until it becomes rural in nature where the national speed limit then applies.

It has been observed that a prominent pedestrian desire line exists between the junction at Browning Road and the Salt Way footpath directly opposite this junction leading off from the westerly end of the service road on Bloxham Road. Dropped kerbs have been installed at this location to assist in crossing the road but there is no tactile paving. Browning Road forms the main access to a substantial housing development to the south of Banbury. Bloxham Road has an approximate width of 8.0m at this location.

It is apparent that a significant number of pedestrians, primarily school children, cross Bloxham Road at this point. Access to Banbury School and the Blessed George Napier School can be gained via the Salt Way footpath and provides a more direct route to the school for pupils approaching from Browning Road than through the official entrance on Ruskin Road.

The provision of a Pelican or Zebra crossing have been considered at the location but due to the nature of the location and pedestrian and traffic flows at the site, current guidance does not recommended the installation of either type of crossing. A minimum distance of 20m from a junction is required for a signal-controlled crossing and as such would place the crossing outside of the desire line. An absolute minimum of 5m must be provided for a Zebra Crossing but this type of crossing is not ideal where 85th percentile speeds exceed 35 mph. This is likely to be the case at this location as the national speed limit has only just ended and cars will not have reduced their speed sufficiently at this location.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 82 Formal crossings only operate satisfactorily if they are used on a regular basis throughout the day. Therefore, as the majority of pedestrians who would use the facility would do so immediately before and after school start and finish times, for most of the day few pedestrians would use the facility. Drivers may tend to ignore the crossing and put pedestrians at risk on the occasions when people use the facility outside these periods.

It is therefore recommended that a pedestrian refuge be installed at the location. Pedestrian refuges act as a safe refuge for people wishing to cross the road, as they enable them to do this in two stages. They also have the advantage of making pedestrian crossing points more visible to drivers. Visibility along Bloxham Road is excellent in both directions. Tactile surfacing, in conjunction with the dropped kerbs, are recommended. A localised widening of the carriageway either side of the proposed refuge location will be required. It is known that there are a significant number of services in this area and these will need to be located before design work proceeds too far.

To provide clear visibility of the pedestrian refuge at all times of the day, a refuge positioned in the carriageway should be indicated by internally illuminated bollards. A keep left sign (Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Sign 610) mounted on a post within the refuge 2.1m above the ground is also recommended. The existing lamp columns in the vicinity of the proposed refuge do not meet current standards for crossings and would need to be upgraded.

Recommendation 32

Provide a pedestrian refuge on the A361 Bloxham Road to the west of Browning Road, through a localised realignment of the carriageway, to facilitate pedestrian movements between the Salt Way footpath at the westerly end of the service road on A361 Bloxham Road and Browning Road.

9.5.19 A361 Bloxham Road south of Easington Since vehicle speeds are relatively high, in order to enhance the safety of the proposed pedestrian refuge and to indicate to drivers they are entering an urban area, it is recommended a gateway feature is installed on Bloxham Road on the northbound approach into Easington.

It is recommended that the gateway feature be coupled with 30 mph vehicle activated speed limit signs. The village name, ‘Easington’ and 'REDUCE SPEED NOW' should be erected on both sides of the carriageway coupled with the slogan 'PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY' should be installed on a yellow background A 'REDUCE SPEED NOW' and a ‘ROAD NARROWS’ sign should also be installed on the approach to the gateway.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 83 Recommendation 33

Provide a gateway feature on A361 Bloxham Road on the northbound approach into Easington, comprising of “white gates” road markings and coupled with 30 mph vehicle activated speed limit signs.

Gateway features such as these are very effective in reducing vehicular speed. TRL studies have shown that following implementation of similar schemes there have been reductions in inbound speeds at all of the gateways surveyed. These have ranged from 3mph to 13mph reductions for mean speeds, and up to 15mph for 85th percentile speeds.

9.5.20 Lighting overview If specific schemes are implemented without the lighting along the corridor being considered as a whole then it is likely that the lighting could develop “patchily”. To ensure the continuity of lighting a holistic approach should be taken with a long term goal of upgrading the whole corridor to meet the latest standards.

Recommendation 34

Ensure continuity of lighting standards along the corridor as and when individual schemes are implemented.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 84 10 Implementation Programme and Cost Estimates 10.1 Programme and cost overview Within Section 9 of this report 34 recommendations were made for improvements along the Banbury Western Corridor. In this section cost estimates are presented for the recommendations together with an indication of possible timings of their implementation. The recommendations have been split into 11 groups (A to K), each group containing items that are, • similar in nature, or • geographically linked, or • mutually dependant.

10.1.1 Programme overview For each group of projects an indication of possible implementation timings is given. This will however be very dependent on: • the results of any public consultations, • any priorities and policies of OCC • the available budget.

10.1.2 Cost overview For each recommendation, or group of recommendations a construction cost estimate has been prepared built up in the following manner: • civil works • other works (lighting/signals) • preliminary estimates of public utility diversion or protection works, • survey and other investigation costs.

No estimates are given for the cost of design and construction supervision since this will depend greatly on the method of procurement of these services.

The civil works cost estimates are based on the current Combined Maintenance Contract (CMC) rates (2004/5). The civil works typically include activities from site clearance, through excavation to road construction, lining and signing.

The estimates for other works have been based on comparisons made of similar schemes or where possible on preliminary design information available from previous studies. Again the costs have a 2004/5 base. Items requiring specialist contractor which fall outside the CMC input such as street lighting, signals, and VMS are classified as other works.

Public utility cost estimates are indicative only based on initial information provided by the utility companies of the approximate location of their equipment, and must treated as such. At this

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 85 stage no estimates have been sought from the utility companies. During any subsequent design phases more detailed estimates for utility diversion/protection will be prepared. On small projects utility costs can be disproportionately large.

No arbitrary “contingency allowance” has been included in any of these estimates.

The cost of land acquisition has not been considered as it has been assumed that all of the land currently within what appears to be the highway boundary is freely available.

10.2 Group A Group A projects are those which can be undertaken with relatively little design input and are of low cost. They include:

Recommendation Description

7 Improve pedestrian facilities at Nursery Drive

Lining and signing at the transition of single to dual carriageway on 13 Ruscote Avenue

Removal of trip hazards along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av and 17 Queensway

18 Repositioning of gullies

22 White lining improvements at Warwick Rd/Orchard Way junction

26 White lining improvements the Mewburn Rd shops

27 Install tactile paving at Queensway crossings

32 Refuge on Bloxham Rd.

33 Gateway feature on Bloxham Rd.

10.2.1 Group A timings Recommendations 7 to 27 can be progressed relatively quickly through the “walk and talk” process (between OCC and their CMC contractor directly) and individually could be implemented within about 6 months of the decision being made to proceed.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 86 Recommendations 32 and 33 are slightly more involved and therefore will require a limited amount of design work and probably consultation. An allowance of 8 months should be made for the design and consultation process. Construction of the two schemes should take around a month however there would need to be a mobilisation period of 6 weeks between the end of the design phase and the construction. From the decision being made to proceed to completion of the construction would take just under a year.

10.2.2 Group A costings The costs of the individual recommendations from 7 to 27 are each of the order of £2000 or less and are probably best addressed by a “walk and talk” process

The estimated cost of the combined recommendation 32 and 33 (excluding VAS) project is:

Recommendation 32 and 33 combined cost estimate

Item 32 & 33 combined

Civil works £15,000

Other works - lighting £2,000

Total £17,000

This cost estimate of recommendations 32 & 33 is based on the assumption that the carriageway widening can be carried out with no utility diversion being required; an early investigation into the location of existing services is recommended.

10.3 Group B Group B projects are those that involve the lines and signs along Ruscote Avenue and are intended to be speed reduction measures. They are:

Recommendation Description

1 Reduce speed limit to 30mph on Ruscote Av.

3 Replace clearway with double yellow lines

5 Narrow the running lanes by application of “ladder” markings

8 Reduce the size of the ADSs.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 87

10.3.1 Group B timings The implementation of recommendations 1 and 3 will be subject to the amendment of the applicable existing traffic orders, otherwise the design and construction works is relatively straightforward. Recommendations 5 and 8 are not subject to traffic order restrictions but could be implemented at the same time as 1 & 3. It is noted that there is currently a review of all of Banbury’s interior signing and recommendation 8 could be considered as part of the overall signing strategy for Banbury. (Recommendation 5 could be carried out as part of Group E.)

Overall, from the decision being made to proceed it should be possible to implement all these recommendations within 12 months.

10.3.2 Group B costs The costs for each of the Group B recommendations are shown below.

Group B Recommendations cost estimate

Item 1 3 & 5 8

Civil works £3,000 £3,000 £5,000

Other works - electrical nil nil £1,000

Total £3,000 £3,000 £6,000

10.4 Group C Group C contains the all of the installation of Vehicle Activated Signs along the corridor as described in recommendations 2, 16 and 33.

10.4.1 Group C timings To ensure that VASs are installed in the most appropriate locations along the corridor it is important that a comprehensive speed survey is carried out and consultation with local representatives is undertaken. It is also important to consider the most appropriate type of sign for the various possible locations and whether permanent or movable signs are desired. The timing of the installation of individual signs would be dependant on the decision process and the availability of the various sign types.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 88 10.4.2 Group C costs The cost estimate is based on a fairly basic vehicle activated sign mounted on its own footings as supplied by Westcotec. There are new signs available that can be mounted on lighting columns, and there are more advanced signs which include number plate recognition capabilities. The final cost will be dependant on the required functionality of the signs.

Group C Recommendations cost estimate

Item Per sign

Civil works £1,000

Other works - VAS £2,000

Public utility – power supply £500

Total £3,500

10.5 Group D

The Group D recommendations are those that involve carriageway works between the Southam Road Roundabout and the Lockheed Close (Tesco) Roundabout, that is recommendations 4 (resurfacing), 10 (carriageway widening) and 11 (anti-skid).

10.5.1 Group D timings The recommendation 10 works involve a significant amount of carriageway widening and potentially diversion works affecting BT, gas, electricity, water and foul drainage. It is realistic to expect that the design and consultation process for this project will take in the order of 18 months. A construction phase of 3 months should be allowed.

The “do-minimum” option 10 could e implemented much quicker – so long as the locations of the services are confirmed at an early stage in the design process.

This work should be carried out in advance of the Beaumont Road “right turn ban” (recommendation 12) in group E below.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 89 10.5.2 Group D costs

Group D combined cost estimate (recommendations 4, 10 and 11)

Item Group D “do minimum”

Civil works £365,000 £40,000

Other works – lighting £30,000 £10,000 and crossing

Public utility £100,000 £1,000 relocation/protection

Topographic survey & £10,000 £2,000 site investigation

Total £505,000 £53,000

10.6 Group E The Group E recommendations are those that affect the Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road Junction, that is the two options for recommendation 12, signals or right turn ban, and recommendation 5, narrowing of the running lanes (see also Group B).

10.6.1 Group E timings The timing of the Group E recommendations is likely to be driven by initial consultation with interested parties

Preliminary design of signal option has been carried out previously; subsequent design work could build on that. Detailed design and formal consultation are likely to take around 18 months. For the signal option significant utility diversion/protection works are anticipated.

If the turn restriction option is chosen then design and formal consultation period will be less, around 12 months however this option should only be implemented after the improvements between Lockheed Close and Southam Road (Group D) to avoid possible overload of Lockheed Close Roundabout. This option could be implemented as part of Group D if desired.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 90 10.6.2 Group E costs

Group E Recommendations cost estimate

Signal option Turning Item restriction option

Civil works £330,000 £20,000

Other works – lighting and signals £60,000 £5,000

Public utility diversion/protection £100,000 £1,000

Topographic survey £5,000 £2,000

Total £495,000 £28,000

10.7 Group F Group F contains recommendations 14 and 15 which involve improvements to the Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road roundabout. The widening of the existing Warwick Road roundabout has been investigated previously however as part of that work the removal of the mini roundabout at the junction of Warwick Road and Cromwell Rd was included as an accident reduction measure. This report has recommended that the existing mini roundabout should be kept since it is not now seen to be a significant accident problem and there are considerable disadvantages to its removal.

10.7.1 Group F timings The previous design work carried out at this junction should be reviewed in the light of the latest traffic volumes (including any effects of the opening of the new Hanwell Fields link road) and accident records and the feasibility of any improvements should be considered. A study of the possibility of reducing the traffic at this junction through a “gating” scheme” at the signalised A422 Stratford Road/B4100 Warwick Road junction should be carried out. Following these studies a decision on the preferred option can be made and the scheme can proceed to the design and consultation process.

The initial feasibility reviews would take in the order of 10 months any subsequent preliminary and detailed design work and consultation taking a further 12 months. It is known that there is likely to be a significant amount of utility relocation/protection works involved in any construction works in this area since BT, gas, water, electricity and foul drainage are known to be affected. Should the removal of the existing mature tree in the footway be required this should be done

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 91 outside the bird nesting season. Construction of the roundabout widening should take in the order of 3 months.

10.7.2 Group F costs The cost estimates for the Warwick Road roundabout options are as follows:

Group F Recommendations cost estimate

Warwick Rd / New mini Item Ruscote Av roundabout roundabout

Civil works £125,000 £65,000

Other works - lighting £8,000 £5,000

Public utility £160,000 £80,000

Topographic survey £5,000 £2,000

Total £298,000 £152,000

10.8 Group G The conversion of the footways along Ruscote Avenue to combined footway/cycleways is Group G.

10.8.1 Group G timings After initial consultation the design and construction works are relatively straightforward. Once a decision to proceed has been made 12 months should be allowed for the design and formal consultations and 2 months for the construction.

10.8.2 Group G costs The cost for the widening/upgrading of the existing footways along both sides of Ruscote Av over a length of approximately 800m has been estimated assuming that there will be a requirement for widening and overlay of the existing footways. It may be possible to achieve significant savings on this estimate if a more detailed survey of the existing conditions is carried out. It may also be possible to achieve a saving on lighting works if these are addressed in conjunction with other schemes along this.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 92 Group G cost estimate

Item Group G

Civil works £296,000

Other works - lighting £40,000

Public utility £5,000

Topographic survey £5,000

Total £346,000

10.9 Group H The group H projects are those that involve the formalisation of parking arrangements along the dual carriageway sections of the corridor, the construction of bus boarders and the construction of build-outs and improved crossings at the roundabouts on the southern section of the corridor.

Recommendation Description

9 Formalise parking on Ruscote Av.

20 Install bus boarders on Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av and Queensway

Formalise parking along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av and 21 Queensway

Install zebra crossings and buildouts at the Orchard Way, Woodgreen 23 Av roundabout (Admiral Holland)

Install zebra crossings, buildouts and refuges at the Woodgreen 25 Av/Queensway roundabout.

These projects will require considerable public consultation, especially with the residents whose parking is affected and the local bus operators.

10.9.1 Group H timings The design and construction of the individual items within this group are relatively straightforward. The programme of implementation will be dominated by the consultation

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 93 requirements, there is potential for implementing each of the individual recommendations separately, and in some cases in part.

10.9.2 Group H costs The group H cost estimates include an estimate for the street furniture associated with providing new bus shelters, however this will be very dependant on the type of shelter chosen and whether advertising will be permitted.

The cost estimate for bus boarders is for each boarder. For the recommendations 23 and 25 the cost estimates are for the full package of proposals associated with each recommendation, it is possible to select only parts of the recommendations where a particular need or demand is identified.

Group H Recommendations cost estimates

9 & 21 20 Item Formalise Bus 23 25 parking boarders

Civil works £5,000 £8,000 £35,000 £42,000

Other works - lighting nil £2,000 £9,000 £9,000

Street furniture nil £5,000 nil nil

Topographic survey nil nil £2,000 £2,000

Total £5,000 £15,000 £46,000 £53,000

The cost estimates for the formalisation of parking is based on the “lining only” option. Should buildouts be required then it is likely that they would cost in the order of £5,000 per location.

10.10 Group I The repositioning of the gaps in the central reserve on Woodgreen Avenue is a stand alone recommendation that can be constructed relatively easily. It is thought that there are limited services within the central reserve that will probably need to be lowered or protected.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 94 10.10.1 Group I timings Consultation with local residents and the bus operators will be required. The design and consultation process would take in the order of 12 months with the subsequent construction taking not more than 2 months.

10.10.2 Group I costs The cost for the implementation of both gap closures has been estimated as a combined project.

Group I cost estimate

Item Group I

Civil works £54,000

Other works – lighting £5,000

Public utility £10,000

Topographic survey £3,000

Total £72,000

10.11 Group J The Group J projects involve the improvement of the Queensway/Bloxham Rd junction – either as a roundabout or as a signal controlled junction.

10.11.1 Group J timings A design period of at least 18 months should be allowed followed by a mobilisation and construction period of 4 months.

10.11.2 Group J costs During discussions with local representatives it was mentioned that there may be a “ransom strip” of land that has been kept by the developer. The cost estimate has been based on the assumption that all of the land within the highway boundary is freely available; it would be sensible to investigate the actual land ownership at an early stage to confirm this.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 95 Group J Recommendations cost estimate

28 and 30 29 and 30 Item (roundabout) (signals)

Civil works £300,000 £355,000

Other works lighting & signals £15,000 £50,000

Public utility £160,000 £40,000

Topographic survey £5,000 £5,000

Total £480,000 £450,000

10.12 Group K Group K includes the ongoing studies that could be carried out. The cost and duration of any study is highly dependant on the requirements on any brief.

Recommendation Description

19 Investigate cycling options from Longelandes Way to Bloxham Rd.

Review the existing signal controlled junction at Bloxham Rd / Oxford 31 Road

34 Maintain an overview of lighting along the corridor.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 96 10.13 Summary of Grouping The grouping as described above is summarised in the following table.

No Recommendation Group 7 Improve pedestrian facilities at Nursery Drive A 13 White lining at the transition between single and dual carriageway section of Ruscote Av. A 17 Remove any "trip hazards" at crossing points along "Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av. & Queensway". A 18 Reposition gullies to low points. A 22 White lining improvements at Warwick Rd. Orchard Way junction. A 26 White lining improvements at Mewburn Rd. shops. A 27 Install tactile paving at Queensway crossing(s). A 32 Provide a refuge on the Bloxham Rd. A 33 Provide a gateway feature on the Bloxham Rd. A 1 Reduce speed limit from 40mph to 30mph along Ruscote Av. B 3 Replace clearway with "double yellow" lines on Ruscote Av. B 5 Narrow the running lanes along the single carriageway section of Ruscote Av. B 8 Reduce the size of Advance Direction Signs on Ruscote Av. B 2 Install Vehicle Activated Sign(s) on Ruscote Av. C 16 Install Vehicle Activated Sign(s) on Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av. & Queensway. C 33 Install Vehicle Activated Sign on Bloxham Rd C 4 Resurface Ruscote Av between Southam Rd and Lockheed Close. D 10 Carriageway works between Southam Rd and Lockheed Close. D 11 Add anti-skid to approaches of Lockheed Close roundabout D 5 Narrow the running lanes along the single carriageway section of Ruscote Av. E 12 Ruscote Av. Beaumont Rd. junction. Traffic signals or right turn ban E 14 Warwick Rd roundabout & queue relocation. F 15 Install a new mini roundabout at the west end of Cromwell Rd to allow limited "U-turn" manouvres. F 6 Widen footways to shared use footway/cycleway along Ruscote Av. G 9 Formalise parking along dual carriageway section of Ruscote Av. H 20 Install "bus boarders" along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av. & Queensway. H 21 Formalise parking along Orchard Way, Woodgreen Av. & Queensway. H 23 Install zebra crossings and buildouts at the roundabout between Orchard Way & Woodgreen Av H 25 Install zebra crossings and buildouts at the roundabout between Queensway & Woodgreen Av + refuges H 24 Reposition gaps in central reserve @ Mascord Rd and Bretch Hill. I 28 Install a roundabout at the Queensway/Bloxham Rd. junction. J 29 Install signals at the Queensway/Bloxham Rd. junction. J 30 Reduce Springfield Av exit to Bloxham Rd to a single lane. J 19 Feasibility study for cycleways along southern section K 31 Review Bloxham Rd / Oxford Rd signals K 34 Maintain lighting overview K

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 97

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 98 11 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

It is concluded from the analysis of the existing conditions that most the junctions along the corridor appear to be approaching their capacity during the peak hour periods. With forecast traffic levels set to rise over the medium term, the levels of traffic congestion will continue to increase. All modes of transport will be affected by the expected increase in traffic levels. It is possible to improve capacity to a limited extent at key junctions along the corridor but as highway space is limited and traffic will be restrained on other external elements of the highway network only marginal benefits can be achieved. Part of the congestion experienced along the corridor is a direct result of limited capacity on the two predominant north-south routes through Banbury. To limit further deterioration of traffic conditions in the short term along the Banbury Western Corridor it is strongly recommended that the strategy for the route be developed as outlined in this report.

The strategy proposed addresses improvements to the safety and a reduction of intimidation along the corridor by improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. The development of the strategy is based on the existing conditions and an assessment of issues identified from site observations, desktop studies and stakeholder meetings. The report makes a number of recommendations that include junction improvements and enhancements that are essential to improve the route for all modes of transport along the corridor.

The route strategy proposals suggested in this report are intended to reduce vehicular congestion as far as possible and to provide the basis for improved safety and improvements in the environment and amenity. The use alternative means of transport are also encouraged. The proposals suggested will provide some additional capacity at individual junctions such as the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout) and the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road but the serious congestion that occurs, particularly in the peak hour periods may remain.

Improved pedestrian and cycle facilities form an important element of the route strategy. The current cycle provision along the corridor is very limited. It is recommended that a new shared- use cycleway facility is developed along the A422 Ruscote Avenue and that studies are undertaken into improvements for cycling to the south of Longelandes Way either along the corridor or parallel to it. The installation of zebra crossings and additional pedestrian refuges are also recommended at the identified junctions.

Alternative strategies are proposed for the Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road and the Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road junctions.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 99 The repositioning of the gaps in the central reservation along Woodgreen Avenue at the junctions with Mascord Road and Bretch Hill are a key element in improving the safety at these locations.

Further aspects of the West Banbury Corridor strategy include a reduction in the speed limit along A422 Ruscote Avenue and enhancement of white lining along the route. An important part of the strategy is the introduction of Vehicle Activated Signs to reduce the excessive vehicle speeds along the southern section of the corridor.

Any proposals adopted should be implemented as part of a co-ordinated strategy.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 100

APPENDIX A Drawings

BPN999/F4519 Corridor Location Plan BPN999/B4505 Queue Survey – morning BPN999/B4506 Queue Survey - evening BPN999/F4520 Group D BPN999/F4521 Group E2 (right turn ban) & G BPN999/F4522 Group E1 (signals) & G BPN999/F4523 Group F BPN999/F4524 Group H1 BPN999/F4525 Group H2 & I BPN999/F4526 Group J Roundabout BPN999/F4527 Group J Signals BPN999/F4528 Recommendations 32 & 33

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 101 Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 102

APPENDIX B

Junction Analysis - Southam Road and Lockheed Close Roundabouts

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 103 West Banbury Corridor Study – Tesco Roundabout and Southam Road Roundabout Junction Analysis

Introduction This study examines the current layout and possible alternative arrangement at the Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close (Tesco Roundabout) and the A422 Hennef Way/A361 Southam Road/A422 Ruscote Avenue/A423 Southam Road junction (Southam Road Roundabout) located to the north west of Banbury. Immediately east of the Tesco Roundabout, the northbound carriageway reduces in width from an informal two-lane exit on the roundabout to a single lane carriageway before widening again to two lanes on approach to the Southam Road Roundabout. This pinch point creates a significant bottleneck at the junction and results in long delays along the corridor.

To improve the capacity of this junction, it is recommended that the northbound carriageway on Ruscote Avenue be widened to allow for a continuous two-lane carriageway from the Tesco Roundabout to the Southam Road Roundabout. It is also recommended that the southbound right hand lane between the two roundabouts be made right-turn only to facilitate right-turning movements into Tesco and to reduce the number of vehicles using to the right-hand lane to make a straight ahead movement and causing conflict.

Analysis – Southam Road Roundabout A traffic survey was conducted at the Southam Road Roundabout on 22 November 2000 which has been used as the base traffic conditions. To analyse the existing scenario, the base data has been growthed up to 2004 using a National Road Traffic Forecasts (NRTF) central growth figure of 6.99%. The data should be treated with some caution however, as the original traffic count was carried out before the dualling of the A422 Hennef Way, which was completed in June 2004, which may have significantly affected traffic flows. The calculations are therefore presented as a comparative study.

To test the capacity of the existing junction, the TRL programme ARCADY has been used. A summary of the results is presented in Table 1.1.

The results below indicate that the junction is operating within capacity, although Hennef Way, Ruscote Avenue and A423 Southam Road are approaching capacity during the peak hour periods. These estimates may present unrealistic capacity predictions as ARCADY cannot model pedestrian crossings at standard roundabouts (except Zebra crossings).

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 104 Table 1.1 – Southam Road Roundabout 2004 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

A422 Hennef Way 0.723 2.6 0.806 4.0

A361 Southam Road 0.429 0.7 0.487 0.9

A422 Ruscote Avenue 0.747 2.9 0.759 3.1

A423 Southam Road 0.795 3.7 0.498 1.0

It is likely that the Toucan crossings located on the A423 Southam Road and the A422 Hennef Way on the entry and exits will reduce the capacity of the roundabout. The crossings will prevent vehicles from reaching the give-way line resulting in entry starvation and result in longer queues than predicted by the model. They will result in a queue blocking back from the crossing on the exit and across the previous entry, restricting capacity.

The junction has also been analysed with the widening of the A422 Ruscote Avenue on approach to the junction. A summary of these results is presented in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2 – Southam Road Roundabout 2004 Widening of Ruscote Avenue

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

A422 Hennef Way 0.723 2.6 0.806 4.0

A361 Southam Road 0.429 0.7 0.487 0.9

A422 Ruscote Avenue 0.672 2.0 0.682 2.1

A423 Southam Road 0.795 3.7 0.498 1.0

The results show that the widening of Ruscote Avenue will have only minimal effect in increasing the capacity of the junction. The affect of widening the approach road to a continual dual carriageway reduces the existing flare length whilst the entry width remains the same. This combined affect results in the RFC values reducing by approximately 8% on the Ruscote Avenue arm.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 105 Analysis – Tesco Roundabout A traffic survey was conducted at the Tesco Roundabout on 30 November 2004 which has been used to form the base traffic conditions for the junction. A summary of the results of the existing situation is presented in Table 1.3. On site observations indicated the unequal usage of lanes at the junction. Straight ahead movements are prevented from using both entry lanes, although they are not explicitly barred by the lane arrows, because of the single lane exit width. Account of this has been made in the analysis to prevent unrealistic capacity predictions.

Table 1.3 – Tesco Roundabout 2004 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

A422 Ruscote Avenue (East) 0.785 3.5 0.871 6.0

Lockheed Close 0.215 0.3 0.508 1.0

A422 Ruscote Avenue (West) 0.881 6.6 0.971 15.3

The results indicate that both A422 Ruscote Avenue arms are approaching capacity during the peak hour periods. The worse case is that of northbound traffic on Ruscote Avenue (west) during the PM peak which is almost operating at capacity.

The junction has also been analysed with the widening of the A422 Ruscote Avenue to allow for a formal two-lane exit at the roundabout for northbound traffic. A summary of these results is presented in Table 1.4.

Table 1.4 – Tesco Roundabout 2004 Widening of Ruscote Avenue

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

A422 Ruscote Avenue (East) 0.765 3.2 0.873 6.1

Lockheed Close 0.216 0.3 0.508 1.0

A422 Ruscote Avenue (West) 0.722 2.6 0.651 1.8

From the above results, it is apparent that a two-lane exit for northbound traffic on Ruscote Avenue significant increases the capacity. It is predicted that the RFC value in the PM peak hour period reduces by over 30%. Allowing for both entry lanes to be used for a straight ahead

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 106 movement will result in a substantial increase in the number of vehicles able to enter the roundabout when a gap is available. Widening Ruscote Avenue to two-lanes on the southbound approach to the junction will only have marginal benefits in increasing capacity as the entry width remains unchanged and is restricted by the single lane exit. It will however, increase storage capacity for the junction, reducing the likelihood of vehicles queuing back to the Southam Road Roundabout.

Conclusions It is recommended that a new turning count survey is commissioned at the Southam Road Roundabout to validate the results of the analysis once the Hanwell Fields link is opened. Although there is a significant improvement in the performance of the Tesco Roundabout as a result of the widening of the A422 Ruscote Avenue to allow for a two-lane exit on the northbound Ruscote Avenue arm, it may simply move the bottleneck further north to the entry to the Southam Road Roundabout.

The capacity of the Tesco Roundabout can be improved significantly by widening the northbound exit, and this is an essential pre-cursor to the Beaumont Road works.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 107 Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 108

APPENDIX C Junction Analysis - A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 109 Banbury Western Corridor Study – A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road/Kraft Foods Junction Analysis

This study examines the current layout and possible alternative arrangement of the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road junction in Banbury. Beaumont Road and the entrance to Kraft Foods form t-junctions with the A422 Ruscote Avenue approximately 20m apart. Ruscote Avenue has a 40 mph speed limit through the junction. To improve the efficiency and the safety of the junction, it is recommended that a ghost island and dedicated right-turn lane be provided on Ruscote Avenue to assist traffic turning into Beaumont Road.

As part of the proposal, right turn movements are to be prohibited from Beaumont Road and Kraft Foods. Consequently, the access to Kraft Foods has been ignored in the additional analysis because of the minimal traffic movements involved.

A traffic survey was conducted on this site on the 17th July 2003 which has been used to form the base traffic conditions. To analyse the existing scenario, the base data has been growthed up to 2004 using a National Road Traffic Forecasts (NRTF) central growth figure of 1.69%. A central growth figure of 18.56% has been used to analyse the future scenario in 2014.

To test the capacity of the existing junction the computer program PICADY has been used. A summary of the results is included in Tables 1.1 and 1.2 below. The analysis has been carried out for the junction alone, ignoring the effect of any congestion elsewhere on the network.

Table 1.1 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road/Kraft Foods 2004 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Ruscote Avenue (North) 0.478 2 0.364 1

Beaumont Road 0.305 1 1.137 20

Ruscote Avenue (South) 0.078 1 0.003 0

Kraft Foods 0.036 0 0.045 0

The above results indicate that the junction operates efficiently in 2004 during the morning peak hour period but demand is shown to exceed capacity on Beaumont Road during the evening peak resulting in significant delay and queuing. The straight ahead movements along Ruscote Avenue experience only minor delay during both peak hour periods.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 110

Table 1.2 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road/Kraft Foods 2014 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Ruscote Avenue (North) 0.697 4 0.682 5

Beaumont Road 0.506 1 1.570 63

Ruscote Avenue (South) 0.168 1 0.004 0

Kraft Foods 0.047 0 0.112 1

It is forecasted that the junction will continue to operate within capacity during the morning peak period in 2014. During the PM peak hour period, however, demand on Beaumont Road is predicted to be approximately 60% over capacity leading to severe traffic queuing and delays.

The junction has also been analysed with the proposed ghost island and right-turn lane on the A422 Ruscote Avenue on the southbound approach to the junction. A summary of these results is presented in Tables 1.3 and 1.4.

Table 1.3 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road/Kraft Foods Proposed Ghost Island and Right-Turn Lane 2004

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Ruscote Avenue (North) 0.381 1 0.143 1

Beaumont Road 0.263 1 0.826 4

Ruscote Avenue (South) 0 0 0 0

From the above results it is clear that in 2004 the junction operates well within capacity on all arms, with each arm retaining ample spare capacity. In the evening peak hour period Beaumont Road retains approximately 17% spare capacity and experiences only minimal traffic queues.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 111 For 2014 the results below show that the junction will continue to operate within capacity during the AM peak hour period. During the evening peak, however, by 2014 demand is predicted to exceed capacity on Beaumont Road resulting in significant queuing and delay.

Table 1.4 A422 Ruscote Avenue/Beaumont Road/Kraft Foods Proposed Ghost Island and Right-Turn Lane 2014

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Ruscote Avenue (North) 0.350 1 0.177 1

Beaumont Road 0.340 1 1.004 18

Ruscote Avenue (South) 0 0 0 0

Conclusions The analysis indicates that the proposed junction layout to include a ghost island and dedicated right-turn lane on Ruscote Avenue on the southbound approach operates far more efficiently then the current arrangement. Prohibiting traffic from turning right out of Beaumont Road also helps to reduce traffic congestion and queuing at this junction. This is because vehicles turning left out of Beaumont Road only have to give way to one stream of traffic compared with two streams for right turning vehicles, therefore allowing greater opportunity to enter onto Ruscote Avenue. Any traffic wishing to turn right out of Beaumont Road will be able to perform a U-turn at the Ruscote Avenue/Lockheed Close roundabout.

The provision of a right-turn lane on Ruscote Avenue will also improve safety for traffic travelling past the junction. With the current layout, vehicles wishing to turn right into Beaumont Road block traffic travelling northbound along Ruscote Avenue while waiting for a gap in oncoming traffic. With the inclusion of a dedicated right-turn lane traffic can queue safely without blocking traffic on Ruscote Avenue, whilst reducing the possibility of accidents.

In terms of highway space, providing a right-turn lane will only require a small amount of additional land take which can be acquired from the existing grass verges. The current road width of Ruscote Avenue opposite Beaumont Road is approximately 11m while the proposed alternative includes 3 lanes each 4m wide, therefore needing 12m of carriageway space. An extra 1m of road width can easily be obtained by widening the highway onto the large grass

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 112 verges situated along either side of Ruscote Avenue. Providing lanes at 4m in width is also a reduction in the current road widths which should encourage slower speeds through the junction and subsequently improve safety.

Prohibiting right-turns from Kraft Foods will also help improve safety at this junction as it prevents vehicles from cutting across two streams of traffic. As this Kraft Foods access is in close proximity to the Longelandes Way/Ruscote Avenue roundabout any traffic wishing to travel towards Banbury may perform a u-turn at this junction. Traffic performing these movements have been included in the analysis as Ruscote Avenue traffic. It should be noted that HGVs may have difficulty in performing a u-turn on small roundabouts. Although the traffic queuing on Beaumont Road during the PM peak has been reduced with the proposed banning of right turning traffic, a traffic queue of 18 vehicles would stretch back over 100 metres blocking access to McDonalds and the Vauxhall showroom. Vehicles have also been observed to park on Beaumont Road so traffic queuing parallel to on-street parking may not allow enough room for traffic to pass on the opposite side of the road. This queue occurs during the evening peak because of the volume of traffic exiting Beaumont Road and the volume of traffic on Ruscote Avenue. By 2014 it is estimated that 528 vehicles will be exiting Beaumont Road while having to give way to 1,511 vehicles travelling along Ruscote Avenue. This works out on average as 1 vehicle every 2.5 seconds travelling past Beaumont Road consequently making exiting very difficult and possibly dangerous. A reduction in speed limit on Ruscote Avenue from the current 40mph to 30mph would allow more opportunities for vehicles to exit Beaumont Road safely.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 113 Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 114

APPENDIX D Junction Analysis – Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 115 West Banbury Corridor Study – A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road Junction Analysis

Introduction This analysis examines the current layout and a possible alternative arrangement at the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction located to the west of Banbury. The junction at A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road is a 3-arm roundabout with 30 mph on all approaches to the junction. Each arm has a two-lane entry to the roundabout with single lanes on exit. The roundabout is characterised by very limited entry deflections on each arm and a wide circulatory carriageway of 10.0m, as a result of the small central island.

To improve the capacity of this junction, it is recommended that a new arrangement be provided at the junction, which includes the removal of the mini-roundabout with Cromwell Road and the enlargement of the existing roundabout at Warwick Road/Ruscote Avenue.

Analysis A traffic survey was conducted at the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction on 8 July 2004 which has been used to analyse the base traffic conditions for the junction. The TRL programme ARCADY has been used to test the capacity of the existing junction. A summary of the results is presented in Table 1.1. On site observations indicated the unequal usage of lanes at the junction. Straight ahead and right-turning movements are prevented from using both entry lanes, although they are not explicitly barred by the lane arrows, because of the single lane exit width. Account of this has been made in the analysis to prevent unrealistic capacity predictions.

Table 1.1 – A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road Junction 2004 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

A422 Warwick Road (North) 1.293 143.7 0.725 2.5

A422 Ruscote Avenue 0.757 3.0 0.750 2.9

B4100 Warwick Road (South) 0.926 9.2 0.930 10.5

The results indicate that demand exceeds capacity on the A422 Warwick Road (North) during the AM peak hour period resulting in substantial queuing. The B4100 Warwick Road (South) is also operating at close to capacity, with excessive queuing occurring particularly during the PM peak.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 116 It is likely that the Pelican crossing located on the B4100 Warwick Road on the town centre side of the junction will reduce the capacity of the roundabout and result in longer queues than predicted by the model. The crossing will prevent westbound vehicles from reaching the give- way line resulting in entry starvation and will block eastbound vehicles leaving the roundabout. The close proximity of the mini-roundabout at Cromwell Road will also have some limited interaction with the performance of the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction although very few vehicles exit Cromwell Road during the peak hour periods and the effect will be minimal.

The junction has also been analysed for the proposed junction layout at the A422 Ruscote Avenue/ Warwick Road roundabout. A summary of these results is presented in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2 – A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road Junction 2004 Proposed Layout

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

A422 Warwick Road (North) 1.114 68.4 0.605 1.5

A422 Ruscote Avenue 0.652 1.8 0.682 2.1

B4100 Warwick Road (South) 0.760 3.1 0.867 6.1

From the above results, it is apparent that the proposed layout for the junction significantly increases the capacity. It is likely that the new junction arrangement will increase capacity by approximately 18% on the A422 Warwick Road (North), although demand is still forecast to exceed capacity. The new junction would also provide notable additional spare capacity on the B4100 Warwick Road (South) during the peak hour periods.

Conclusions Although there is a significant improvement in the performance of the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction as a result of the new arrangement, demand is still predicted to exceed capacity on the A422 Warwick Road (North) during the AM peak hour period. The proposed layout for the junction can not be enlarged further without compromising the existing footways whilst ensuring that additional land outside the highway boundary is not required. Therefore it is unlikely that greater capacity can be provided at the junction.

To gate the number of vehicles entering the Banbury via the A422, it is possible that a queue relocation scheme could be implemented at the signalised A422 Stratford Road/B4100 Warwick Road junction, west of the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction. Adjusting the signal times at the junction, to reduce the green time received for vehicles entering Banbury along the

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 117 A422 Stratford Road, would limit the number of vehicles approaching the junction and assist in reducing congestion at the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction.

As part of the Hanwell Fields development, a new road is to be constructed to the north of Hardwick between the B4100 Warwick Road and the A423 Southam Road. It is possible that the new link will attract some of the traffic currently using the A422 Ruscote Avenue/Warwick Road junction originating from the rural communities on the B4100 to the north of Banbury, which may result in less demand for the junction. It is unlikely however, that traffic approaching Banbury from the A422 Stratford Road would divert onto the new link. It may be appropriate to carry out a further traffic study of this junction after the opening of the Hanwell Fields link.

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APPENDIX E Junction Analysis Queensway/A361 Bloxham Road

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 119 Banbury Western Corridor Study – A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway Junction Analysis

This study examines the current scenario at the A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway junction located in south west Banbury and also considers alternative layouts that may improve junction capacity and efficiency. Currently Queensway forms a T-junction arrangement with the main Bloxham Road carriageway. As alternative arrangements, roundabout and traffic signal options have also been designed and tested.

A traffic survey was conducted at this site on the 3rd July 2002 which has been used to form the base traffic conditions. To analyse the existing scenario, the base data has been growthed up to 2004 using a National Road Traffic Forecasts (NRTF) central growth figure of 3.4%. A central growth figure of 20.6% has been used to analyse the future scenario in 2014.

For the current junction arrangement the computer program PICADY has been used. A summary of the results is included in Tables 1.1 and 1.2 below.

Table 1.1 A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway 2004 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Queensway – Bloxham Rd (left turn) 0.781 3 0.694 2

Queensway – Bloxham Rd (right turn) 1.680 113 1.032 14

Bloxham Road – Queensway (right turn) 0.333 1 0.410 1

The results indicate that demand exceeds capacity for traffic turning right from Queensway onto Bloxham Road during both the AM and PM peak hour periods. This causes severe queuing in the AM peak and moderate queuing during the PM peak. The right turn into Queensway and the left turn out only show only minimal delays during the peak hour periods.

Table 1.2 A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway 2014 Existing Conditions

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Queensway – Bloxham Rd (left turn) 0.981 11 0.837 4

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 120 Queensway – Bloxham Rd (right turn) 2.435 234 1.441 57

Bloxham Road – Queensway (right turn) 0.446 1 0.511 1

By 2014, the results show that queuing is predicted to become severe for traffic turning right from Queensway onto Bloxham Road during both peak hour periods. Left turning traffic from Queensway is also expected to be approaching capacity by 2014.

Analysis – Traffic Signals To test a traffic signal arrangement the computer program OSCADY has been used. A summary of the results is included in Tables 1.3 and 1.4 below.

Table 1.3 A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway 2004 Traffic Signal Analysis

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Bloxham Road (West) 1.269 159 1.119 59

Queensway 1.269 66 1.120 27

Bloxham Road (East) 1.259 85 1.121 69

From the above results it is clear that the proposed traffic signals cannot optimise the traffic flows efficiently during the peak hour period. In the morning all arms are approximately 27% over capacity leading to severe traffic queues on Bloxham Road (West). In the evening the worst affected arm is Bloxham Road (East) which is 21% over capacity leading to a queue of 69 vehicles.

Table 1.4 A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway 2014 Traffic Signal Analysis

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Bloxham Road (West) 1.489 325 1.305 139

Queensway 1.484 126 1.306 59

Bloxham Road (East) 1.469 167 1.307 165

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 121 The results above indicate that traffic signals the junction cannot operate efficiently in 2014. In the morning all arms are approximately 48% over capacity and the evening almost 31% over capacity. This leads to severe traffic queuing on all arms.

Analysis - Roundabout To test the proposed roundabout layout the computer program ARCADY has been used. A summary of the results is included in Tables 1.5 and 1.6 below.

Table 1.5 A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway 2004 Roundabout Analysis

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Bloxham Road (West) 0.613 2 0.405 1

Queensway 0.425 1 0.307 1

Bloxham Road (East) 0.321 1 0.475 1

The above results show that the junction operates well within capacity for the AM and PM peak periods. In the morning the worst affected arm is Bloxham Road (West) but still has approximately 39% spare capacity leading to only very minimal queuing. During the PM peak all arms operate well within capacity.

Table 1.6 A361 Bloxham Road/Queensway 2014 Roundabout Analysis

AM PM Road Name RFC Queue RFC Queue

Bloxham Road (West) 0.722 3 0.480 1

Queensway 0.518 1 0.365 1

Bloxham Road (East) 0.381 1 0.564 1

The results show that with a roundabout arrangement the junction retains sufficient spare capacity during the AM and PM peak hour periods up to 2014. In the AM peak hour period the worst affected arm is Bloxham Road (West) with approximately 28% spare capacity leading to only very minimal queues. During the evening peak hour all arms operate within capacity with Bloxham Road (East) being the worst case with approximately 44% spare capacity.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 122 Conclusion The analysis undertaken indicates that the best option available for the Bloxham Road/Queensway junction is a roundabout layout. On site observations have shown that with the current layout long queues and delays are experienced for traffic turning out of Queensway because of the volume of traffic passing on Bloxham Road. A roundabout scenario does not suffer from this problem because of right turning traffic from Bloxham Road (East) which allows traffic to exit Queensway. From the capacity tests it appears that a roundabout layout would result in only very minimal delays on all arms for present and future scenarios.

One disadvantage of this layout, however, is the lack of pedestrian facilities compared to other options. Although there are footways and central islands provided with the roundabout design, no controlled crossings for pedestrians or cyclists currently existing. Such crossings are not recommended in close vicinity to a roundabout layout as a result of confusion it can give to drivers which can result in safety implications. For example, a signal controlled pedestrian crossing on the entry to a roundabout may lead to drivers thinking the green light means right of way onto the roundabout. A crossing located on exit from the roundabout may also be dangerous because of vehicles accelerating away from the junction.

A traffic signal scenario proved the worst available option for this junction with severe queuing and long delays experienced on all arms. Part of the reason for this is the dedicated pedestrian phase that has been included to allow safe crossing of Bloxham Road and Queensway. Therefore this option proves best for pedestrians but the worst case for traffic congestion.

Any developments at this junction will cause difficulties for private access to houses adjoining Bloxham Road. With either layout right turn movements may be blocked by central islands for traffic entering or exiting driveways. Vehicles turning out of driveways may also be experienced with entering into the middle of a junction, whether at a signalised junction or roundabout. This is likely to cause confusion and safety issues with drivers being surprised by traffic turning in and out of driveways and possible origins of oncoming traffic.

There is no data available for the volume of traffic that is currently “rat-running” along adjacent residential roads during peak periods. Any improvement of the junction may attract additional traffic off unsuitable residential roads.

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 123 Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 124

APPENDIX F Notes on Bus Boarders

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 125 Bus Boarders

"Bus-boarders" may be appropriate in certain locations. These are generally sections of footway where the height of the kerb is increased to be similar to that of the bus floor. They make boarding and alighting from buses easier, especially for the mobility-handicapped.

Bus Boarders are of most use when the inside lane of a road is permanently obstructed with parked cars. They prevent parked cars obstructing bus stops. Because buses always approach parallel to Boarders, it is possible to locally raise the pavements to 240mm above road levels along roadside edges to allow level boarding, provided slopes from original pavement kerb lines. Boarders must be protected on their traffic approach flanks with crash barriers marked with chevrons to warn motorists, and with barrier rails up each flank.

Oxfordshire County Council has installed bus boarders in Henley-on-Thames as recommended as part of the Henley-on-Thames Integrated Transport Strategy (produced by Halcrow). The bus boarders are located within the traffic calming on Gravel Hill at the junction with Market Place in Henley.

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Inclusive Mobility – A guide to best practice on access to pedestrian and transport infrastructure, DfT, 1 November 2002 (Updated: 13 October 2004).

Raised bus boarding area A raised bus boarding area assists passengers boarding / leaving the vehicle and may enable some wheelchair users to board directly without using a ramp.

There are two conventional types of bus boarder: full width and half width. A full width boarder juts out into the carriageway far enough for the bus to avoid parked vehicles, that is by approximately 1800mm.

The length of the boarder will depend on the type of bus using the stop and whether or not a shelter is provided. For a conventional single entry / exit bus where there is no shelter a length of 3000mm is recommended. For buses with two doors, the recommended minimum length of the boarder is 9000mm.

A half width boarder, which juts out by between 500mm and 1500mm, is a compromise design that can be used where a full width boarder would unduly delay other traffic or place the bus in or too close to the opposing traffic stream. A further alternative is an angled boarder: wedge shaped from up to 2000mm into the carriageway and tapering back to the original kerb line over the length of the bus stop cage. This design is similar to the shallow saw tooth layout used in some bus stations.

Standard kerb heights range from 125mm to 140mm; above this it is recommended that specialised bus stop kerbs should be used (eg Marshalls, Charcon, Lafarge Redland) which can give heights up to 220mm. Recent research by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive suggests that a height of 160mm will give the best compromise between ease of access and reduced damage to the bus.

A higher kerb may be appropriate where there is a segregated bus system or at places where the vehicle is guided into the stop.

Where a raised bus boarding area is provided, care should be taken to keep the transition gradients to acceptable levels (1 in 20 preferably, 1 in 12 maximum). Tactile warning surfaces (Section 4) should not be used on raised bus boarders.

Bus boarders should be carefully designed and built, particularly in relation to drainage. If a raised boarding area is simply added onto the existing kerbline with gullies still in place, the

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 127 gullies may cause problems for disabled passengers as well as potentially obstructing bus shelters foundations.

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Traffic Advisory Leaflet 06/01 – Bus Priority Bus Boarders: By introducing a boarding area jutting out from the kerb, buses do not need to pull into a stop and are unhindered by parked vehicles. Passengers do not need to step into the road to board the bus. Further, they aid passenger access, particularly on low-floor bus routes, by reducing the step height at the entrance of the bus.

Bus Boarders Bus boarders are kerb build-outs that assist passengers to board buses conveniently and at the right level, which is of particular importance to the mobility impaired. They also avoid the need for buses to pull-in to lay-bys where they may be delayed re-entering the traffic stream. They require careful consideration in terms of design and location to ensure that delays to general road traffic are not increased. Sites should only be selected where buses can stop and still leave adequate spaces for other vehicles travelling in the same direction to pass the stationary bus without delay. Parking controls around bus boarders would usually be used to ensure that road space is available for two-way traffic.

The introduction of carefully designed bus boarders is aimed at improving both accessibility and bus operations. Local authorities who have installed boarders consider them to have been successful. However, at present there is limited structured before and after data available on how well they achieve these aims, and sometimes they have been part of a wider range of measures on a route. The Department plans to work with local authorities to monitor the introduction of bus boarders as part of its research programme, with a view to assessing their effectiveness and helping develop good practice advice.

There are three main types of public transport stop (see below). The simplest is just indicated by a sign on the roadside and the public transport vehicle stops alongside it to pick up or put down passengers. Two other types of stop are bus lay-bys and bus boarders. A bus lay-by provides a space for a bus to pull into at the stop and thus allows following traffic to pass the bus after it

Banbury Western Corridor Study - May 2005 129 stops. A bus boarder is the opposite of a bus lay-by. Here the footway is extended out into the road. Bus boarders are used in areas where there are usually many parked vehicles. The boarder deters kerbside parking at the bus stop and allows passengers to have easier access to the bus. All types of stop often have the road space adjacent to them marked to protect them from parked vehicles.

ST

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APPENDIX G Safety Auditor’s Comments

As part of the preparation of this report, the proposals have all been reviewed by Jacobs Babtie’s Road Safety Audit team, Yngve Granne & Naomi Barnes. The initial findings of the auditors are reproduced below. This initial review does not in any way replace the need for more formal safety audits as and when any individual proposal is taken forwards through the design process to implementation.

Road Safety Comments on Banbury West Corridor Proposals.

Comments are only made on those measures which are likely to affect road safety positively or negatively. Comments are made on the basis of existing information, and are subject to future detailed road safety audits.

Recommendation 1: Outside periods of high traffic volumes, speeds are too high for the location. Speed too high for the location and conditions is a major problem. This is an urban situation, and a speed limit reduction to 30 mph is appropriate providing Recommendation 5 is also adopted. This measure is likely to improve road safety along this length of road.

Recommendation 2: Vehicle Activated Signs are likely to assist in reducing speed to a reasonable level. There are no road safety negatives associated with this measure.

Recommendation 3: Clearway is inappropriate at this location. HGVs are often seen stopped at this location waiting to enter the Kraft factory. Double yellow lines are better understood and should provide a safer situation.

Recommendation 4: This road surface has been in a poor state for some considerable time. The present state of the road surface could be potentially hazardous for certain two wheeled road users. This road surface should have been restored as a matter of maintenance.

Recommendation 5: Ladder marking providing a visual narrowing of the road should contribute towards lower speed and improved safety. It will make it more difficult and potentially more hazardous for cyclists unless Recommendation 6 is also adopted.

Recommendation 6: This is vital to reduce potential hazard for cyclists if Recommendation 5 is adopted.

Recommendation 7: This is likely to provide improved potential safety particularly for blind and partially sighted pedestrians.

Recommendation 9: Providing parking bays will assist in visually narrowing the already less than standard width dual carriageway, therefore reducing speed and potential hazard even when cars are not parked. “Buildouts” formed by road marking material will not be effective at controlling parking close to junctions and will not provide the same level of pedestrian safety as solid buildouts.

Recommendation 10: While there has only been one injury accident on this section, it is likely that damage accidents have occurred due to the present narrowing. The suggested re-building to dual carriageway standard is likely to be potentially safer than the present situation. It should also contribute to improved safety at the roundabouts either end of this link. Should a “do- minimum” option be preferred then the problem of the existing long Toucan crossing must be addressed. It would not be desirable to have a Toucan crossing straddling an area of hatch markings as this could lead to pedestrians becoming “stranded” in the central hatched area. It is noted that at the existing toucan crossing there are wide lanes northbound and southbound that encourage overtaking within the zig-zags.

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Road Safety Comments on Banbury West Corridor Proposals.

Recommendation 11: Anti-skid surfacing will potentially reduce number of shunt accidents at this location.

Recommendation 12: The existing junction has a poor safety record. Either proposed improvement is likely to improve the present situation. The priority junction (Site 2A): This junction minimises the number of conflict points, and should be relatively safe if the right turn ban out of Beaumont Road is obeyed by drivers. However, unless the right turn is made physically impossible, it is unlikely that drivers will obey the right turn ban. This may make the illegal right turn more hazardous than at present. A dedicated right turn lane will, however, make that movement safer.

The traffic signal options (Site 2B): In a 3-leg junction of this type, there tends to be some accidents involving red running on the main road. This type of accident tends to be fairly serious as the impact is front to side, the softest part of a car. It is, however, likely to be safer than the present junction.

Recommendation 14: It is unlikely that the replacement of the roundabout will significantly affect the accident record, which is already good for a small roundabout in an urban area.

Recommendation 16: Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) are likely to reduce mean speed along the road, and therefore likely to contribute to reducing accidents.

Recommendation 19: Improving cycle facilities along the route should improve the potential safety along the route from Longelandes Way to Bloxham Road.

Recommendation 21: Informal Parking in front of properties is common along the whole length of the corridor from Warwick Road to Bloxham Road. As the carriageway width is only about 5.5 metres, this forms a single lane dual carriageway along most of its length. Formalising the parking will contribute to a visual narrowing which in turn should contribute to reducing traffic speed. It will also give drivers driving at the speed limit the confidence to drive in the “offside lane” irrespective of “tailgating”, which is common at present. This recommendation is therefore likely to benefit potential safety to road users on the route.

Recommendations 23 and 25: This road is very short of pedestrian crossing facilities. The installation of zebra crossings together with the narrowing of the road which pedestrians will need to cross (by formalised parking and build-outs) will potentially improve pedestrian safety. In locations close to the roundabouts the buildouts should be solid rather than being formed from road marking material since chevrons do not offer the same level of protection to pedestrians as kerbing.

Recommendation 24: The central reservation gaps at Mascord Road and Bretch Hill junctions are in the wrong locations, complicating the potential movements at the junctions and allowing drivers to treat the junctions as T-junction allowing both right and left turns. Moving these gaps to locations with no other movements and with good forward visibility must improve potential road safety.

Recommendation 26: This is assumed to accompany formalised parking in the dip further south along Queensway, and will provide visual narrowing of the carriageway.

Recommendation 28: This junction has a relatively good accident record considering the traffic volume and how difficult it is to pull out of Queensway at busy times. The proposed small roundabout would ease the queue problem on Queensway, but could increase problems on Bloxham Road. A small roundabout tends to have a high number of unreported damage only accidents, and relatively few injury accidents, though potentially increased queues on Bloxham road could increase the number of shunts. “Buildouts” formed by road marking material will not be effective at controlling parking close to junctions and will not provide the same level of pedestrian safety as solid buildouts.

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Road Safety Comments on Banbury West Corridor Proposals.

Recommendation 29: A signal junction is likely to ease the queuing problem on Queensway, but is unlikely to reduce the number of accidents. Accident severity could increase for the reasons explained in paragraph 11 above.

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