Members of an active travel group have said they are worried the council will ignore the public’s concerns around a major new junction development.

Planning permission was granted in November 2021 for improvements to the existing A4095/B4100 Banbury Road roundabout, in Bicester, following a public consultation.

A further community engagement meeting to discuss the design and construction of the development took place last Wednesday, October 4.

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However, Bicester Bike Users’ Group has said there are issues with the design that should have been fixed a long time ago.

Chair of the group Catherine Hickman said: “This junction will deliver significantly greater capacity for cars in advance of the new housing developments being built in Bicester.

“The real issue is that there are many unnecessary compromises for other users, such as absent crossings, buffers between the paths and the traffic being removed, and areas where pedestrians and cyclists are forced to share space.

“Which is unpleasant for vulnerable pedestrians and frustrating for faster-moving cyclists.

“There are still many issues with the design that should have been fixed months ago.

“Unfortunately, our experience of the county infrastructure team is that they generally ignore most input from residents.

“We understand the officers are planning to move directly to sign off on the junction this week, despite the issues raised in the consultation.

“We are therefore not hopeful that any of the issues raised this week will be addressed. This lack of accountability is a significant issue that our local councillors should really be helping to fix.”

In response, a spokesperson for the county council said: “An improved design was approved at a council decision meeting in September 2023, after engagement with various local interest groups.

“Further details of the design and construction will be considered at a council decision meeting on 12 October, where feedback from a public engagement event held this month will also be considered.

“The views of residents, businesses, local groups, and councillors are always valuable as we design and build these improvements.

“When making decisions the council considers all feedback alongside technical and safety reports, budget, and current policy.”

Plans for the area include converting the roundabout into a crossroad junction, adding traffic lights, reducing the speed limit to 30mph and creating segregated cycle lanes.

Work to transform the roundabout began in January, with the original work - set to begin in November 2022 – being postponed due to a change in the scope of the project.

Oxfordshire County Council is redeveloping the junction to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, reduce congestion and futureproof the area.

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1