Work starts on major road changes in town

6:00pm Monday 29th October 2012 in Bicester

WORK has started on a £1.3m remodelling of Bicester’s town centre roads.

Plans were approved in September to make St John’s Street two-way, replace traffic lights with a roundabout at its junction with Queens Avenue, replace current traffic light crossings with zebra crossings and close off North Street and Roman Way to form a cul-de-sac.

A raised zebra crossing will also be installed near Manorsfield Road and pavements on the north side of St John’s Street will be widened.

Oxfordshire County Council has teamed up with town centre developer Sainsbury’s to do the work earlier than anticipated. It is expected to take eight months.

The first stage will focus on Queens Avenue and St Johns Street.

Between now and Christmas, kerbs on both sides of St John’s Street and the west side of Queens Avenue will be realigned, and bus laybys will be built in Queens Avenue.

After Christmas the roundabout at the junction of Queens Avenue, Field Street and St John’s Street will be built, footpaths in St John’s Street will be improved, and the bus stop in North Street will be dismantled.

Sainsbury’s contractors are also due to install the roundabout at the Manorsfield Road and St John’s Street junction before Easter as part of the town centre redevelopment.

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Once that is in place St John’s Street will become two-way.

Final works will be at the Banbury and Buckingham Road roundabout where North Street and Roman Way will be closed off to create a cul-de-sac.

County council deputy leader Rodney Rose said: “I’m delighted that we’re in a position to get to work on this, having approved the plans just last month.

“With Sainsbury’s already carrying out their own work next to the site, it makes sense to work together to get the job done as swiftly and as efficiently as possible.”

A consultation over the changes met with a mixed response.

Businesses in North Street raised concerns they could harm trade and cause problems for deliveries and jams on Fields Street and Queens Avenue.

Residents in North Street and Roman Way welcomed the changes.

For enquiries during the work go to highways.enquiries@oxfordshire.gov.uk or call 0845 310 1111.

Comments (3)

12:15pm Tue 30 Oct 12

bicester born and breed says...

Can they also remove the chicanes on the Banbury and Buckingham Roads, time and time again there are so many near misses. What purpose do they for fill?
Can they also remove the chicanes on the Banbury and Buckingham Roads, time and time again there are so many near misses. What purpose do they for fill? bicester born and breed

12:12am Wed 31 Oct 12

Mrspud28 says...

bicester born and breed wrote:
Can they also remove the chicanes on the Banbury and Buckingham Roads, time and time again there are so many near misses. What purpose do they for fill?
These are in place to discourage through traffic. And to in courage them to use the ring road. Surely this can only be a good thing? Just like the weight restrictions keeping the town free from hgvs.If people drive like idiots then its hardly the fault of the chicanes.
[quote][p][bold]bicester born and breed[/bold] wrote: Can they also remove the chicanes on the Banbury and Buckingham Roads, time and time again there are so many near misses. What purpose do they for fill?[/p][/quote]These are in place to discourage through traffic. And to in courage them to use the ring road. Surely this can only be a good thing? Just like the weight restrictions keeping the town free from hgvs.If people drive like idiots then its hardly the fault of the chicanes. Mrspud28

8:24am Wed 31 Oct 12

bicester born and breed says...

If you want to treat Bicester as a village and have no traffic put chicanes on all roads in. Bicester is not a village, the town is having a multimillion pound redevelopment to attract people in, and as they enter and leave they risk their lives on the gamble of the driver coming the other way thinking the gap is big enough. These roads are the main arteries to the station and the town and we have these chicanes on them. You may be the safest driver in the world but is the driver coming the other way.
Shoppers traveling to Bicester Village with their sat nav’s take no notice of any signs and will blindly follow the voice and travel down the Buckingham and Banbury Roads. While those following road signs will travel around our answer for ring road.
If you want to treat Bicester as a village and have no traffic put chicanes on all roads in. Bicester is not a village, the town is having a multimillion pound redevelopment to attract people in, and as they enter and leave they risk their lives on the gamble of the driver coming the other way thinking the gap is big enough. These roads are the main arteries to the station and the town and we have these chicanes on them. You may be the safest driver in the world but is the driver coming the other way. Shoppers traveling to Bicester Village with their sat nav’s take no notice of any signs and will blindly follow the voice and travel down the Buckingham and Banbury Roads. While those following road signs will travel around our answer for ring road. bicester born and breed

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