PARENTS worried about the safety of their children are demanding traffic calming measures before someone is killed on roads in West Oxford, some of which are ‘death traps’.
In the latest incident in the Botley area last Thursday, a boy was hit by a car while he was crossing Cumnor Hill.
The 13-year-old, understood to be a Matthew Arnold School Pupil, had a ‘potentially serious’ head injury and was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital.
Since then, residents have revived their campaign to draw the county’s attention to the number of accidents that happen on Cumnor Hill involving schoolchildren crossing to get to Arnold’s Way and Matthew Arnold’s School.
A petition signed by more than 1,300 people is calling on Oxfordshire County Council, which is the local highways authority, to make the roads in Botley safer.
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The stretch of road from Pinnocks Way, along the Eynsham Road meeting Cumnor Hill on the Botley Road, serves two local primary schools, one secondary school, the local GP surgery, shops, the library and bus stops to access the city centre.
Resident Tamsyn Dent, who is behind the campaign, pointed out that this is a ‘growing’ residential area but that the wider planning infrastructure has not evolved alongside the increase in housing.
She added: “There are no pedestrian crossings along the Eynsham Road or Cumnor Hill making these areas dangerous to all pedestrians, particularly those with babies, toddlers and those who are physically impaired.
“This needs to change.”
Boy, 13, victim of Oxford crash
Petitioners are now calling on the council to make these roads safer for the community by introducing traffic calming measures on Eynsham Road, Botley Road and Cumnor Hill.
They want pedestrian crossings to be created on both the Eynsham Road and Cumnor Hill, so that local children have a safer walking route to school.
The petition also demands that ‘adequate’ road signage is placed to alert drivers to check their speed along each road.
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Campaigner Bob Donaldson said: “The Eynsham Road is a death trap for cyclists.
“The alternative, along the A40, is a little wider than a thin pedestrian with very poor surface.
“Frankly, it is disgraceful how poor the infrastructure is for cyclists wishing to travel between Oxford and Eynsham/Witney and beyond.”
A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council confirmed they are awaiting the petition from local residents and will consider its contents.
Eynsham Road, Pic: Google Maps
Oxfordshire County Council approved a proposal to drop the speed limit on Cumnor Hill from 40mph to 30 mph last year.
It followed local resident Nichola Dingle’s campaign for change after her daughter Madison suffered serious injuries when she was hit by a car near the junction of Chawley Lane in the summer of 2019.
Madi Dingle and mum Nichola stand at the site where Madi was hit by a car on Cumnor Hill last year. Nichola and the parish council have long been campaigning for a reduced speed limit and the county council have just launched a consultation into reducing
The change came into force earlier in April, even though temporary signs were not put up to alert drivers until this Tuesday.
Judy Roberts, who is Vale of White Horse District councillor for Cumnor ward, commented on the plan to make the roads in the area safer: “We can now start campaigning for what the petition details, which is to have a crossing near Pinnocks Way where there was a fatal road traffic accident in November last year.”
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“All of this, however, takes an enormously long time to take through the system.
“But while all of this is going on, children are getting hurt.
“We have not had a child killed but that is only luck.
“There has been a huge number of near misses.
“We want to drop the road speed in residential areas to 20mph.
“Certainly, the speed limit changes will make a big difference – the police have a massive amount of evidence that if pedestrians are hit at 20mph, their chances of injury and full recovery are much greater than if they are hit at 30 mph onwards.”
To sign the road safety petition visit www.change.org/p/vale-of-white-horse-district-council-make-the-eynsham-road-in-botley-safer-for-our-community
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