Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has sent the results of the recent speed survey on the Didcot Road to the Parish Council – see below.
The results are shown along with the data from the survey done in 2021 before the implementation of the 20mph speed limit and the relocation of the traffic calming build-out.
OCC points out that there has been over a 10mph reduction in mean speed and nearly a 15mph reduction in 85th percentile speed (the speed at or below which 85% of vehicles are travelling) to give a resultant speed that is hovering around what is considered to be ‘a compliant 20mph’, where mean speeds are at or under 20mph and 85th percentile speeds are at or under 24mph.
The Parish Council hopes to have another speed survey done near The Plough Inn in the near future.
Absolute rubbish. I came out of Saxons Heath this morning and a motorbike doing over 60 came from nowhere from Clifton Hamden Way overtook me practically near missing my wing mirror. There is no way people are doing 20 miles an hour, and that’s not the first time most mornings I find it really difficult to get out saxons Heath because every work van going to the new development on Didcot does 40+ maybe 50. So no, they are not doing 20 miles an hour. I do not see a reduction in speed in this village at all.
Disagree totally we leave for work at 615 am and none of the cars in both directions are doing 20 more like 40 and more ,we have come home several times at 330 to find entrance to Saxons heath blocked because keep clear road markings have been ignored…should never ever been allowed to be a chicane !!Absolutley incompetence on OCC behalf !
Fantastic news, it just goes to show that when County & Parish Councils together with proactive members of the community work together results can and are achieved .
A huge thank you to everyone involved with making Long Wittenham a slower, safer village.
Saxons Heath end of the village is not safe unfortunately. If you try to do 20 miles an hour coming out of Saxons Heath people overtake you, they beep their horns coming in, If you do 20 miles an hour they overtake you to get to the chicane. So not such a big accomplishment, our end of the village unfortunately
Most cars heading up the Little Wittenham Road from the High Street are exceeding 20mph as are many travelling in the other direction.
The average speed may have been reduced but if drivers are not sticking to the signed limits, it is hardly a triumph. Why is there no enforcement?
Because enforcement is in the hands of the police. The council are doing what they can with the tools they have and still people are unhappy.
Chris,
I appreciate that enforcement is in the hands of the police, but there still isn’t any. There was a time when the police actively policed road usage. When the council introduces new speed limits, shouldn’t they work with the police to ensure speeds go down? Putting signs up is only part of the change activity.
We pay relatively high council taxes but in my opinion, local government (which includes the police) are not delivering value for that money.
I don’t think that the figures at this location tell us anything about compliance with the speed limit, given that non-compliant vehicles will be slowing down for or accelerating away from the humps.
Meanwhile the buildout in Didcot Road has made a hazard of the Saxons Heath turn that wasn’t there before. Driving out from the village towards Didcot this afternoon I had to emergency stop to avoid colliding with a van emerging from Saxons Heath – there was queuing traffic across the junction from the Didcot direction and his view up the main road was completely obscured by other vans in the queue.