Here is a summary of the topics scheduled for discussion at the Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Transport Management meeting on 24 April 2025. It is important to note that this summary is based on the agenda and associated reports, and does not reflect actual discussions, decisions, or outcomes of the meeting.

The meeting included consideration of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for Chipping Norton and Woodstock, proposed traffic calming measures in Churchill, and parking amendments in Oxford.

Chipping Norton Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

The report pack included a recommendation to approve the Chipping Norton Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). The report pack stated that the plan supports Oxfordshire County Council’s Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) policies 1, 2 and 3, regarding prioritising pedestrians and cyclists, developing walking and cycling networks, and developing and delivering LCWIP proposals. The report pack noted that the LCWIP identifies a network of walking and cycling routes in and around Chipping Norton and sets out proposals for improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure. These improvements were identified through an audit process and refined through public consultation. The report pack stated that the infrastructure improvements are intended for development over a ten-year period to 2035, to enable a shift from private motor vehicle use to walking and cycling for short journeys. The report pack also noted that adopting the Chipping Norton LCWIP would help provide local policy backing to maximise the County Council’s ability to secure funding for walking and cycling infrastructure in the area, potentially from central government and planning obligations. The report pack quoted the Chipping Norton LCWIP vision as:

‘A thriving town with good air quality, where walking for local trips is the norm for everyone. This is supported by safe, accessible and connected walking and cycling routes between residential areas, the historic town centre, schools, natural environments and local services and facilities.’

The report pack also noted that the Chipping Norton County Councillor and Chipping Norton Town Council informed the development of the LCWIP through discussions at Traffic Advisory Committee meetings over a two-year period, and were invited to comment through formal consultation processes. The report pack included the Chipping Norton LCWIP Cycling Audit Report as an addendum.

Woodstock and Surrounding Areas Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

The report pack included a recommendation to approve the Woodstock and Surrounding Areas Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). The report pack stated that the plan supports Oxfordshire County Council’s Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) policies 1, 2 and 3, regarding prioritising pedestrians and cyclists, developing walking and cycling networks, and developing and delivering LCWIP proposals. The report pack noted that the LCWIP identifies a network of walking and cycling routes in and around Woodstock and sets out high level proposals for improvements to the walking and cycling infrastructure that makes up this network. These improvements were identified through an audit process and refined through public consultation, and are intended for development over a 10-year period. The report pack also noted that adopting the LCWIP would help provide local policy backing to maximise the County Council’s ability to secure funding for walking and cycling infrastructure in the area, potentially from central government and planning obligations from development sites in the vicinity. The report pack stated that the LCWIP was developed with the guidance of a Steering Group, formed of Local Councillors from County, District, Town and Parish Councils, local interest group representatives and key local stakeholders, and that a draft LCWIP was consulted on from 6 February to 5 March 2025, with 42 people completing the online questionnaire and 4 written responses received. The report pack noted that 54% of respondents thought the proposed cycling improvements were good, ambitious, and addressed all issues, 67% thought proposed walking improvements were good, ambitious, and addressed all issues and 59% thought proposed infrastructure improvements were good, ambitious, and addressed all issues. The report pack stated that the LCWIP Consultation Report (Annex D) responds to comments received during the consultation process, and that the LCWIP has been amended where possible to reflect these comments.

Churchill – Proposed 40mph Speed Limits & Traffic Calming Measures

The report pack included a recommendation to approve proposed 40mph speed limits and traffic calming measures in Churchill. The report pack stated that the proposals include new 40mph speed limit ‘buffers’ on the approaches to the village, including the B4450 Chipping Norton Road, B4450 Junction Road, Churchill Road, and Sarsden Road, with each limit extending for approximately 400 metres outwards from the 20mph terminal point. The report pack also noted that traffic calming features are proposed at three of the speed limit transition points (on the B4450 Chipping Norton Road, B4450 Junction Road, and Churchill Road), with traffic exiting the village given priority at each point, and traffic wishing to enter the village required to give-way. The report pack stated that the proposals aim to reduce speeds approaching the village-wide 20mph speed limit, and will help encourage safer speeds through the village, and that funding for consultation on the proposals (and implementation if approved) has been provided by the Parish Council. The report pack noted that formal consultation was carried out between 13 February and 14 March 2025, with a notice published in the Oxford Times, and an email sent to statutory consultees & key-stakeholders, including Thames Valley Police, the Fire & Rescue Service, Ambulance service, Bus operators, countywide transport/access & disabled peoples user groups, West Oxfordshire District Council, local District Cllrs, Churchill & Sarsden Parish Council, and the local County Councillor representing the Charlbury & Wychwood division. The report pack stated that 47 responses were received via the online consultation survey, comprising of five objections, one partially supporting, and 41 in support of the 40mph speed limit proposal, and four objections, one partially supporting, 39 in support, and two with no opinion on the traffic calming features proposal. The report pack also noted that Thames Valley Police did not object (welcoming the measures to hopefully achieved greater compliance with the 20mph speed limit), Oxford Bus Company objected to the traffic calming measures due to their potential to obstruct the operation of registered public bus services, and ‘Oxfordshire Liveable Streets’ offered their support. The report pack stated that, having taken into consideration the concerns raised by Oxford Bus Company, the final designs have been formulated to accord with their wishes, and that Oxford Bus Company had withdrawn their stated objections.

Oxford, Frenchay Road – Proposed Part-Footway Parking Amendment

The report pack included a recommendation to defer a decision on relocating parking bays on Frenchay Road in Oxford, and to approve the exploration of other potential solutions. The report pack stated that the proposals were to move existing ‘Permit Holders Only 8am-6:30pm Monday to Saturday’ parking places outside Nos. 27 & 33 Frenchay Road, from being located wholly on the carriageway to being partly on the adjacent footway. The report pack noted that, following the construction of a large housing development to the west of the Oxford Canal, this section of Frenchay Road became the only means of vehicular access into the development, and that reports had been received of larger vehicles becoming stuck as they attempted to pass between the rows of parked cars. The report pack stated that the Department for Transport (DfT) will be publishing findings relating to footway parking in the near future, and that Officers are recommending that any decision on these proposals be deferred until the DfT's decision is known. The report pack noted that 99 responses were received via the online survey during the formal consultation, comprising of 76 objections, ten partially supporting, 11 in support, and two non-objections, and that Thames Valley Police did not object, two local groups (Oxfordshire Liveable Streets & Oxford Pedestrians Association) & a member of the public objected, and one local resident supported the proposals. The report pack stated that many objections related to footway parking in principle, arguing that the proposal contradicted Council policy, and that the proposals would feature marked parking bays to indicate where vehicles can park, similar to other Control Parking Zones in Oxford where footway widths are slightly narrower. The report pack noted that the footway is approximately 2 metres wide which narrows to 1.9 metres in places, leaving approximately 1.5 to 1.6 metres clearance for pedestrians, and that Officers appreciate the concerns that hedges, from the adjacent properties, might encroach into the pedestrian area, but that the Council can serve notice to cut vegetation back should any overgrowth occur. The report pack also stated that Officers considered removing parking from one side of the road, but recognised that the road width would be far more than what was needed but slightly less than that required for two-way traffic, which could have encouraged cars to mount the footway to pass as well as increasing their speed. The report pack quoted one objector as suggesting preventing all non-emergency traffic from using the canal bridge adjacent to the proposal, by relocating the bollards from the junction between Elizabeth Jennings Way and the northern end of Frenchay Road, but noted that this suggestion lies outside the scope of these proposals, since it has wider strategic ramifications. The report pack included written statements from:

• Councillor Katherine Miles, a local City Councillor
• Danny Yee, a transport planner
• Ian Taylor, a transport consultant

Davenant Road – Proposed Traffic Calming & Enhancement of Tree Pits

The report pack included a recommendation to approve new traffic-calming buildouts on both sides of Davenant Road in Oxford, and associated amendments to existing parking provision & introduction of new ‘No Waiting at Any Time’ parking restrictions to facilitate the proposed traffic calming. The report pack stated that the proposals were put forward by a local residents’ group, who were concerned about the amount of through-traffic using the residential Davenant Road to avoid congestion and delays on the adjacent major road network (A40 Northern Bypass and Banbury Road), and that the design aims to make the route less attractive to use by providing a degree of traffic calming to help deter the inappropriate use by vehicles, and also to help protect the adjacent mature trees. The report pack noted that the proposals were previously advertised for comment in October 2022, and that funding for the recent formal consultation on the proposals was provided from the County Councils ‘Accessibility and Road Safety fund’, while the detailed design was commissioned and funded by the residents’ group themselves. The report pack stated that 32 responses were received via the online survey during the formal consultation, comprising of three objections, three partially supporting, and 26 in support, and that Thames Valley Police did not object, two local groups (Oxfordshire Liveable Streets & Oxford Pedestrians Association) partially supported whilst also raising concerns/suggesting amendments, one local resident raising concerns, and one in support. The report pack noted that some respondents raised concerns about the lack of co-production during the design process, and that one resident suggested that the buildouts would make accessing properties by vehicles more difficult generally, but that Officers considered this during the design process, and have received no such concerns from any resident saying that the proposal would cause difficulties for them specifically when using their access. The report pack also stated that some respondents suggested to include modal filters, side road entry treatments and e-scooter parking places to help enhance the effectiveness of the traffic calming measures, promoting safer conditions for cyclists and pedestrians, but that as a proposal submitted and funded by a residents’ group, such additions lie outside the scope of the scheme. The report pack quoted one respondent as saying that the proposals seem isolated and expressed a desire for a more strategic approach to traffic calming across the city, and that in this particular case, the provision of road humps would not have provided the accessible footway diversions around the mature trees, where roots have deformed the surfacing, making it difficult for those with mobility issues, to walk along the footway. The report pack included a written statement from Danny Yee, a transport planner.

Walton Street, Oxford – Proposed Parking Amendments

The report pack included a recommendation to approve the reduction of the lining at the existing Zebra crossing on Walton Street (north of Observatory Street) in Oxford, as proposed. The report pack stated that the proposal has been put forward in order to help improve the current situation for residents in the immediate vicinity with regards to servicing of the existing retail unit, by allowing for stopping & loading/unloading to the adjacent premises, and that funding for consultation on the proposals (and implementation if approved) has been provided by the developer. The report pack noted that informal consultation was carried out between 11 March and 28 March 2025, and that eight responses were received during the consultation, with Thames Valley Police querying the need, and Oxford Bus Company not objecting, and that one local resident submitted an objection, a local business & local Residents Association partially supported/raised concerns, and an Oxford City Councillor & two local residents offered their support. The report pack stated that the design has been subject to a Road Safety Audit and that the auditor did not raise visibility at and to the crossing as a concern, and that Officers believe this scheme will improve intervisibility to the crossing once the beacons are relocated. The report pack also noted that the adjacent retail premises have promised to manage deliveries as best they can inorder that they are carried-out outside of peak times, and that Officers have asked the question about probable delivery times to see if the business concern can be accommodated. The report pack included written statements from:

• A local business
• A local resident