I was surprised to see the article in which Jean Fooks helpfully alerted residents to the possible closure of the Godstow Road entry to the Wolvercote roundabout as part of the Northern Gateway transport measures.
A local resident views plans for the Northern Gateway earlier this year
I had previously attended a Neighbourhood Forum meeting where this suggestion was mooted but had assumed that anyone with any local knowledge would dismiss such an idea out-of-hand.
If implemented, all traffic would be directed along the existing No. 6 bus route of Mere Road and First Turn.
The latter is the site of the village primary school and the church and the former is a narrow residential street with attendant parking which effectively creates single-lane traffic.
As a resident I observe the jams which occur, particular at school drop-off and pick-up times, when the bus frequently gets stuck. This sometimes results in drivers being forced on to the pavement, a highly dangerous situation in roads which house not only the school but also the popular Scout and Guide hut (in use four evenings a week).
Furthermore the route is the main one for children cycling to the Cherwell School and for St Edward’s pupils cycling to and from their boathouse in Godstow.
At busy times it sometimes feels as if there is an accident waiting to happen.
To divert increased volumes of traffic on to such roads would be highly problematic to say the least. Nor would it do much to reduce levels at the roundabout, it would just divert local traffic via a more circuitous and unsuitable route.
If this proposal is meant to ‘mitigate’ the impact of the Northern Gateway locally I hate to think what other ‘improvements’ we have in store.
Prof Elizabeth McKellar
Mere Road
Wolvercote
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