The Parish Council (PC) understands that some residents would like to see the two chicanes on the High Street removed.
The PC has discussed this with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) Highways Team to see if it is possible and, if so, what the options could be. If we were to proceed with the removal of the chicanes, OCC would require us to replace them with full width humps. OCC has also advised that the PC would need to fund the change in full. We have been advised that it is likely that the project would cost in the region of £30,000, which would include the cost of an official Consultation of the village, Thames Valley Police, Buses and utilities etc. This would also include the cost of a traffic order to close the road for about a week (we are unlikely to be able to dictate exactly when the closure would be in place).
Whether we proceed with the project or not, the PC is also considering installing two Speed Indicator Displays (SIDs) (much like the ones at Sire’s Hill), at a cost of about £6,500. OCC are keen that these are installed if the Chicanes are replaced by humps to help keep speeds down. The location of the SIDs would be agreed by OCC.
PLEASE NOTE that, as the junction at Saxons Heath may be changed as part of the Community Hub Project, (which is still undecided), and was installed as part of the traffic calming requirements for Wessex Way, the chicane there is NOT part of this consultation.
The PC has discussed the pros and cons of this suggestion:
Pros
- Changing the chicanes to humps could help to reduce pollution from cars queuing at them.
- The full width road humps would continue to assist in the slowing of traffic through the village.
- There could be fewer queues in the village.
- Changing the chicane by The Grange could help with traffic flow as those currently queuing here find it difficult to see if any traffic is coming from Clifton Hampden because of the cars parked by the Village Hall.
Cons
- At very busy times, traffic from Clifton Hampden would get priority if there are any cars parked outside the Village Hall, so traffic travelling towards Clifton Hampden would still need to queue, reducing any benefits of removing the chicane outside The Grange and replacing it with a full width hump.
- Because there could still be queuing traffic by the Village Hall, this could result in a continuation of pollution at busy periods.
- If the Community Hub plan to relocate the Village Hall and School comes to fruition, it is likely that traffic would move through the village faster because there would no longer be ‘natural chicanes’ caused by parked cars at the Village Hall. The existing chicanes could help to keep the speed down on the High Street.
- We have now received confirmation that the HIF1 project will be going ahead. This means that part of the A4130 will become a dual carriageway from the Milton Interchange towards Didcot, two new bridges will be built and Clifton Hampden will get a new bypass. Work on this may start in 2026 and is likely to take 2 years to complete. The expectation is that this will significantly reduce traffic flow through our village.
- The work would reduce Parish funds that could be used for other infrastructure projects, including the Community Hub. The total cost to the Parish for both removing the chicanes and adding the SIDs could be between £37,000 and £40,000 at today’s costs.
The PC is keen to hear the views of residents. We ask that whether you support the proposal or not, or indeed if you have no strong feelings either way, you share these views with us by the end of August.
Please comment below or send your views to longwittpc@hotmail.co.uk.
Get them moved and also the one by Saxons Heath the congestion that causes and road rage is beyond a joke no one wanted it in the first place they wanted a hump I spent hours going door to door for the opinions of residents and still that chicane was out in !!!
I’m completely in favour of removing the chicanes. It would be good if the humps, that will replace the chicanes, could have channels each side for bikes.
For goodness sake just stop all this nonsense and get on with removing the chicanes. The village has been asking for this to be done for many many years now. Time to stop the talking and help the village reduce it’s traffic problems. The P.C. should be working for the village not against it.
Well said Bill can you remember,we didn’t want the chicanes in the first place all those years ago !No one listened then!
Please remove the chicanes on the high street. Not only do they contribute to traffic congestion and pollution, they are also hazardous. At busy times, it is common to see cars that have been queuing ‘push through’ even when there is oncoming traffic with right-of-way, as people become impatient or frustrated with waiting, thus risking accidents. I don’t believe that removing the chicanes will result in more speeding through the village, as the speed humps will still be in place forcing drivers to slow.
I am against spending all this Parish money on removing the chicanes. My reasons apart from the cost are as follows. The entrance to my home isn’t far from the 20 mph sign coming into the village from Clifton Hampden and the speed from the traffic is seldom as low as 20 mph often higher than 30 mph travelling around the bend into the high street at least the chicanes slow the traffic where a hump across the road would not have the same effect. Rather congestion than seeing a child or person killed due to speeding traffic. Why not a large sign at both ends of the village stating Long Wittenham is a Historic Village please respect and drive slowly ! Many will say that if the speed signs aren’t obeyed would a sign be ? Many other villages have flashing signs showing the speed being driven. I would vote to leave the chicanes and hopefully when the new bridge and the new village hall etc which our Councillor’s are working so hard for the perceived problem will not be so bad.
If the Hub ever gets built, most of the queuing will disappear as it is largely caused by parents parking in order to drop off/pick up their children from either the village hall (play group) or the school. Both of these will be moving to the Hub. The move to the Hub will also negate one of the major reasons why the chicanes were installed in the first place – to slow down traffic in the area of the school. I would also suggest that the chicanes be retained at least until the new bridge is built, when a before and after traffic survey would be extremely helpful when deciding if removal of the chicanes is appropriate.
In favour of removal
It should have been humps from day one, instead now it’s gonna cost a fortune to correct the mistake that was obvious to anybody at the time. Except those in charge of course.
Any action taken at present would be in the presence of two major uncertainties: the effect of the new road/bridge on alleviating traffic through the village, and the future location of the School/Pre-School and Village Hall. Spending around £40,000.00 of village money in this uncertain situation does not seem prudent, especially as it seems it might compromise any future Hub spending. (There was solid village endorsement not only for the Hub project, but also for reducing speeds through the village).
Traffic calming and traffic mitigation (where traffic is encouraged by whatever means to take another route) should not be confused. The chicanes achieve both, and with respect, humps alone will not have the same effect on slowing traffic. The chicanes and humps were not put in at a whim, but were strongly supported by those involved with the school at the time, in the light of speeds of 50/60 mph outside the current school. Wherever the school/Village Hall are located in future, folk both young and old will still need to cross the road in the main High Street, where historically speeds were alarming. We are strongly against any removal of the chicanes, especially in a currently unclear situation.
Please get rid of the chicanes as humps and 20mph is ample
I have always been opposed to the chicanes but it seems mad to spend tens of thousands of pounds of OUR money removing them. I wonder if we could just remove the one approaching the village hall since there is a natural chicane with the cars parked there. I have had several near misses on my bike when cars have to swerve in suddenly having started through the chicane only to find the road is not clear (it is impossible to get a clear view of oncoming cars). The ‘cycle lane’ at this chicane is not fit for purpose because cars pull over into it to let oncoming cars through. By leaving the one chicane, the traffic from Clifton Hampden will be held back some of the times so both directions get a chance to move.
I like the idea of the ‘countdown’ speeding sign like they have on Sires Hill – I for one always endeavour to get the smiley face or thumbs up before getting into a 20 limit!
My verdict: remove one of the 2 chicanes and change both the 20-mile limit signs.
To me, the pros of removing the chicanes while keeping the speed humps far outweigh the cons.
With the increase in traffic the Chicanes are no longer fit for purpose .As I live in the High Street close to the Chicane I have a solid que of Vehicles trying to get through stop starting in Low gear causing more pollution than if they wer cruing slowly through outside my house. Yes there will be hold ups by cars parked outside village hall at certain times , but this is only at certain times.The existing ramps at chicanes will have to be replaced soon as they are breaking up and there profile needs updating.So lets move the chicanes and have speed cushions in stead,so traffic can flow through at steady pace instead of constant stop start. This will reduce pollution and noise and stop frustrating drivers
Please remove the chicanes, the ones by the village hall often have cars parked
near them and it can be impossible to see oncoming traffic, which could cause
an accident. I have witnessed ‘stand-offs’ at these where cars just push through
leaving oncoming traffic nowhere to go.
I think humps would be better but complete humps not the ones with gaps as cars can aim wheels to go straight through without the need to slow.
I think it’s best to hold off as the bypass would alleviate traffic through the village so maybe there would be no need to change anything.
I would certainly agree with flashing speed signs. I would also suggest not allowing cars to park outside the village hall as stated by many this serves to cause careless driving and road rage. I suggested years ago that the grass verge be taken back/away to allow herringbone parking to get the cars off the road. Or even put laybys in. The pubs have offered the use of their car parks for school parents to use but quite clearly they think it’s too far to walk. And again crossing by the vine is risky due to blind spots from parked cars. These cars need to be moved then the traffic would flow much better.
Remove chicanes, add speed displays and full width humps. Money well spent. Exactly what we wanted in the first place, around thirty years ago.
I agree with those who think we should wait until we have seen the resulting traffic movements with the new bridges. Hopefully by then we should also have a better idea on what is happening to the school and Community Hub.
However, if the general opinion is that we spend up to £40k now, I am against extending the humps across both carriageways. It would leave the hump only 4 m from the front of the house. The resulting vibration would be much greater than at present and our 17th century foundations would not be able to cope, leading to even more cracking that we have at the present. We have already had a ceiling down and a brick panel between the timber structure has also been shaken out onto the pavement. My insurance company was of the opinion that these incidences were caused by traffic bumping over the hump. If the humps are brought closer to the house, and further damage is caused, I will be looking to the PCC for compensation.
However, I believe that if ” pillow ” humps are used, cars travelling at a safe speed can avoid the humps and then the vibrations are likely to be smaller and less damage will occur.
I think it would be prudent to wait and see what effect other projects have on traffic flow through the village, before spending this money.
The chicanes don’t bother me. I am in favour of the speed indicator displays.
Remove chicanes, add speed displays and full width humps.
Also have parking spaces outside the village hall for school and playgroup staff only. I also think hold back on doing anything until the new bridge and road have been completed and then monitor the traffic through the village.
There is no guarantee on when the proposed hub will be delivered, and it could take years before we see any change. In the meantime, I believe we should replace the current chicanes with a safer and more effective traffic-calming approach: full-width speed humps, double yellow lines on the village hall side, and a zebra crossing so that those parked on the south side can cross safely.
While there is no pavement on the south side of the road—only grass, which can be difficult for those with impaired mobility or wheelchair users—this arrangement would still improve visibility along the bend and allow traffic to flow more smoothly. Some events at the village hall already see guests parking on the south side, and traffic moves far better when this happens.
The current chicanes create unnecessary congestion, which in turn causes driver frustration. I often see vehicles accelerating aggressively between chicanes or exceeding 30 mph in an attempt to make up lost time—particularly when walking my children to school. This is neither safe nor effective and may actually increase danger rather than reduce it.
Most drivers act responsibly when there are children or pedestrians around. Penalising everyone with a frustrating and inefficient system is not the answer. A more balanced approach—speed humps, clear road markings, path, and a safe crossing—would reduce speeding without causing congestion or increasing driver frustration, while still being mindful of accessibility challenges for those with mobility needs.
I should very much like to see the chicanes removed.
Could the humps in the High Street also removed. Isn’t 20 MPH enough?