Discussion Meeting
Topics included:
Future meetings: April 23rd, weather permitting, an urban walk from Liz Woolley’s book. (Town Hall room booked in case of rain). Future joint meetings with Cyclox to include St Giles.
Oxford Walks database is being prepared by Keith Frayn and colleagues.
Green Spaces Circular Walk – Keith Holly to advise on accessibility and signs.
A walking map of Oxford based on Richard Mann’s cycle map. Richard will be invited to update us.
Commemorative bench for Paul Cullen: agreement has been reached with the City Council on the design and siting of a bench. We expect it to be installed in Walton Street within two months with the inscription: PAUL CULLEN 1943-2011 * OXFORD PEDESTRIANS ASSOCIATION
OxPA's "Vision" for Oxford as invited by Cllr Ian Hudspeth
Carfax/St Aldates/Queen Street/ shopping area
- Tackle air pollution and overcrowding in St Aldates, both pavements and carriageway
- Leave Queen Street as it is now rather than move more buses to St Aldates
- Welcome John Lewis as part of the Westgate development only without the 1337-space proposed multi-storey car-park which will encourage and increase car and other vehicle journeys into Oxford along already congested and polluted routes. Make it easily accessible from Park & Ride instead.
- Create a phase at Carfax when all traffic is stopped so that pedestrians can cross in any direction.
Traffic/pollution reduction
- Reduce motorised traffic through entire city centre; a further reduction in workplace parking may be necessary.
- Take the car parking out of Broad Street freeing up the space for other activities.
- Narrow the roadway on St Giles to create a beautiful wide space for other activities and a walkway between Martyrs Memorial and St Giles church.
- Make a pedestrian friendly direct route between the railway station and the city centre (current route too narrow, dirty, polluted, and congested with motorised traffic).
- Stop coaches parking outside the Taylorian on St Giles, and until this can be achieved, enforce the rule that engines are switched off when idling/waiting.
Buses
- Take buses out of Magdalen Street East, freeing up the cycle lane and reducing air pollution/congestion on this narrow street (in what other city would an ancient church and graveyard be a traffic island?).
- Add local stops into the route of the number 300 Park & Ride bus creating a north-south local bus.
Traffic lights at junctions
- Remove traffic lights from Holywell/Broad Street junction and replace with raised crossing (this has been requested and promised for at least 15 years).
- Remove traffic lights from George Street/Cornmarket junction and also replace with level pedestrian priority crossing (eg four way zebras)