What the problem with your roads?

Travelling down from Anglsea yesterday, no motorway's, just A & B's through Wales, the A5 a nice road, reasonably signed, white lines (Mostly) in the right places,

Got to around the Kiderminster, Worcester sort of area, again the odd scamera but mostly sensible road markings and speed limits that allow progress to be made.

Get to Oxfordshire Scamera's everywhere, 50 limits all over the place
stupid double white lines on otherwise straight roads, make no sence at all to me, surely they must allow for some driver rider input or do they just think control is all

I would'nt mind living in the Shropshire/Worcester area they seem to be able to go for a ride at a reasonable pace in an old fashioned sort of way I found myself riding slower than the limits in some villages They were still national limits through the village

Shep

You were only visiting. We have to live with it day in, day out.

Paul

The problem is the councillors and officers are all passionate believers in the 'the answer's a speed limit, now what's the question?' school of road safety.

It doesn't matter that they're ignoring government advice, they've 'democratically set that aside'. It doesn't matter that crashes have increased on many of the newly 50-limited roads. It doesn't matter that people are going for stupid, dangerous frustration overtakes because they're sick of doing 50 on a clear, straight road. It doesn't matter that drivers in Oxon now have absolutely no respect for any speed limit. It doesn't matter that the same drivers spend their lives looking for the cameras and not for the hazards. It doesn't matter that any law-abiding driver gets tailgated, hooted and flashed for sticking to the limit.

Basically, Oxfordshire County Council are now a complete and utter law unto themselves and are almost completely unaccountable. They've put traffic calming into my village that has CAUSED six crashes in a year (we'd had 12 in the previous five years), that breaches the government's guidelines on traffic calming in rural areas and the guidance on traffic calming and cyclists. None of that matters - it's staying, according to the Council, because they're right and that's that.

Better than that, they didn't even know that one of the parts of the scheme was in a conservation area - and have denied that it is, even though their maps show clearly that it is. But again, nothing will be done, because they're right and that's that.

The Executive Member for Transport denied, live on air last week, that any of the emergency services had objected to the calming. Yet I have a statement from the Police saying they objected formally to it SIX WEEKS AGO.

There's a new 40mph limit just gone up along the A40 near Burford. Again - no speed-related accident history, just a belief that lower limits are always the answer.

I know this should be in the Rant Section, but OCC have an incredible ability to screw things up spectacularly and then deny anything's wrong. Having been involved with trying to get safer roads in the county for years, I completely despair.

You've come across the Midas Touch, where everything you touch turns to gold? OCC have the Shiteas Touch - everything they touch turns to shit.

P.S. Shep - get a note over to these guys and tell them what you think:

geoff.barrell@oxfordshire.gov.uk

david.robertson@oxfordshire.gov.uk

It won't make any difference, but at least they'll know that not everyone agrees with them.

MMC said:

P.S. Shep - get a note over to these guys and tell them what you think:

geoff.barrell@oxfordshire.gov.uk

david.robertson@oxfordshire.gov.uk

It won't make any difference, but at least they'll know that not everyone agrees with them.

Click to expand...

I did this also, waste of time i know

So why don't you lot do something about it???

If a lot of people feel the same, get some councillors elected.

So why don't you lot do something about it???

If a lot of people feel the same, get some councillors elected.

Click to expand...

Because a vote against speed limits is a vote against road safety in the eyes of the general populous.

Also MMC does more than anybody to fight these things both locally and nationally.

Paul

And then they dump gravel all over the roads to 'improve' the surface. Not dangerous at all!!!!

Just got in from a days ride out, what hacked me off, was the local council have decided in their great wisdom to smother some of the roads where I live with tar and chippings. This is there so called solution to road maintenance and repair.

I travel to work mostly in the box and I have had six, yes six new windscreens in the last 5 years. That's £50 a shot for each windscreen and all the hassle that goes with it (last one had to be re-fitted, due to the incompetence of RAC Windscreen). Not to mention all the paint work damage from the chippings flicked up from other vehicles.

Oxfordshire Council just p*** me off. Some of the speed limits that have been introduced lately are simply ridiculous, but I guess I shouldn't go down that "bumpy road" right now.