A councillor has slammed a £10.7 million roundabout restructuring scheme in Bicester after fresh decisions were made about the design.
Following decisions made at a county council meeting last week the Banbury Road roundabout in north Bicester will now see 30mph limits on the approaches to the junction, as well as a road hump at the junction between Southwold Lane and Fringford Road.
The speed limits will be enforced on Banbury Road, Bicester to Aynho Road, Lords Lane, Fringford Road and Southwold Lane.
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The roundabout will become a signalised crossroads with an incorporated orthodox Dutch design, which moves cyclists in front of vehicles at an intersection, making it safer for those on bikes.
However, Nick Mawer, district councillor for Bicester North and Caversfield, has argued the entire project is unnecessary at the current time.
He said: “At some point in the distant future it might have been necessary to upgrade the roundabout, because we do anticipate a requirement with the building out of the North West ecotown.
“However all of this should have been sequenced after the realignment of Howes Lane relief road. That project should have been completed first because that’s where the bottleneck is, and should be dealt with before anything else.
“The current design of this roundabout project pleases nobody. We’ve had representations from householders in Elmsbrook, caversfield, Bure Park and more, who are all affected by the junction changes, and none of them are happy with the design.
“Ultimately, just because money has been given by the government for a project, doesn’t mean the project should go ahead. The project isn’t needed at this time.”
An active travel group in Bicester was pleased to see the orthodox Dutch design, arguing it will make the junction safer.
Chair of Bicester Bike Users’ Group Catherine Hickman said: “We were very glad to see the untwining of the foot and bike paths to a more orthodox Dutch orientation. This will reduce unnecessary conflict.
“Additionally, the approval of the raised crossing table and speed reduction will help with safety and we greatly support this.”
The group said there are still certain parts of the designs which they believe could be made safer for both cyclists and pedestrians.
Ms Hickman added: “There are still aspects of the design that we feel would be more inviting, and safe for pedestrians and bike users with some reasonable changes.
“In many areas there is still no buffer between the paths and the traffic, there is still a significant shared space that will not be enjoyed by either pedestrians or cyclists, and the junction is not future proof in that crossings have been removed over two of the four arms.
“We hope that we can negotiate some further changes with the county council at the detailed design stage, in order to make this junction work effectively and safely for all users.”
An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “Bicester is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire and the Banbury Road roundabout is a key junction.
"With more than 6,000 new homes planned for the local area, data forecasting shows that the current roundabout will not be able to safely handle the volume of predicted vehicle traffic.
"Therefore, we are planning to make improvements by converting it into a signalised junction with segregated cycleways, pedestrian crossings, and a reduced speed limit.
“An improved design was approved at a council decision meeting in September, after engagement with various local interest groups.
"Further details of the design and construction, including 30mph speed limits on the approaches to the junction were agreed at a council meeting in October, where feedback from a public engagement event held this month was also considered.
“The budget for the improvements is £10.7m. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are providing £5.5m, with £5.2m secured from the Oxfordshire housing and growth deal, which provides for affordable housing and associated infrastructure.”
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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
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