Road closures cause gridlock in Oxfordshire town centre

Summarised from 2 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 1 Nov, 17:02 · Archive

Simultaneous road closures in Faringdon left the town gridlocked with only one unimpeded route onto the A420.

Simultaneous closures of the A420/Coxwell Road entrance and ongoing works on the Park Road entrance to Faringdon caused high levels of gridlock in the town, disrupting residents' ability to get to work, school, medical appointments and other activities. The other potential route, London Street, was also restricted by Thames Water for emergency access, leaving only one unimpeded road onto the A420 for the town.

An FOI request by Faringdon Town Councillor Richard Johnson revealed that Oxfordshire County Council had not completed a separate cumulative traffic-impact assessment for the simultaneous closures. The council admitted: "These enquiries have not identified a separate recorded cumulative traffic-impact assessment covering all of the schemes and closures identified in your request." The authority also had not assessed the impact on bus users along Coxwell Road. A temporary service introduced operated on reduced hours, with the last service ending at 6.30pm.

Councillor Johnson said: "Women, older people, and those with disabilities have all told me how this makes it harder for them to go out in the evening, due to safety or physical concerns." Town councillors had raised concerns about the simultaneous works weeks before they occurred. The only explanation received was that the Coxwell Road works had already been delayed once and could not be delayed again.

How it is being reported

• Series of road closures set to hit Oxfordshire townA series of road closures are set to affect an Oxfordshire town centre.Oxfordshire Guardian · 1 Nov, 16:00
• Series of road closures set to hit Oxfordshire townA series of road closures are set to affect an Oxfordshire town centre.Oxford Mail · 1 Nov, 16:00
• Road closures leave Oxfordshire town severely gridlockedA simultaneous closure of roads in an Oxfordshire town left it gridlocked.Oxford Mail · 1 Nov, 16:00
• Road closures leave Oxfordshire town severely gridlockedA simultaneous closure of roads in an Oxfordshire town left it gridlocked.Oxfordshire Guardian · 1 Nov, 16:00

In this story: Faringdon · Oxfordshire County Council · Richard Johnson · Thames Water

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