Agenda and draft minutes

To elect a Chair of the Advisory Committee for the rest of the municipal year.

Nominations were sought for the position of Chair for the municipal year.

It was proposed and duly seconded that Cllr Andrew Coles be elected Chair. There being no other nominations it was:

Resolved:

That, Cllr Andrew Coles be elected Chair of the Committee for the municipal year.

To receive and consider apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from T Bayliss of Stagecoach, A Lyon of West Oxfordshire Community Transport, Cllr D Enright and Cllr M Brooker for whom Cllr S McCarroll attended as substitute.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting.  Any member of the public who so wishes may speak, at this point in the meeting, for a maximum of five minutes on any matter relating to an item on the agenda.

There was no public participation.

The Committee received the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2024.

Resolved:

That, the minutes of the Witney Traffic Advisory Committee meeting held on 18 June 2024 be adopted as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2024.

To receive the Committee Terms of Reference and resolve if there are any changes to be made.

The Committee received and considered its constitution and terms of reference which was reviewed at least once annually at this, its annual meeting.

The future timing of the meetings was discussed and it was suggested they begin at 3pm to assist other members in attending. There was also discussion on whether the next meeting of the Committee should be hybrid as the terms of reference allowed this and new equipment had been installed in the Corn Exchange. It was however, agreed to leave a decision until the following meeting.

With regard to representatives, a Member noted that Witney Community Transport should now be listed as West Oxfordshire Community Transport and that Pulham’s Coaches, as a further bus company providing services in Witney, should be invited.

Resolved:

1.      That, the Committee Terms of Reference be re-adopted with the following amendments:

3.1  Meetings should commence at 3pm.

6.1  Witney Community Transport should be listed as West Oxfordshire Community Transport.

Pulham’s Coaches should be invited to send a representative to future meetings.

To receive and consider the OCC Place Planning Team Update and Civil Enforcement Report.

The Committee received and considered the report prepared by the Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) Place & Planning Team, along with a Penalty Charge Notice Update from the Civil Enforcement Team.

Members received clarification on road collision data which had been presented to the previous meeting along with updates on the Shores Green (Access to Witney) project, Bridge Street Area Options Appraisal, Corn Street and Fiveways roundabout ambitions, Windrush Place Active Travel Schemes and Madley Park path improvements, all of which were welcomed by Members.

The Committee were provided with further updates concerning the possibility of a path at Thorney Leys connecting Richmond Village and parking/lining and bollards in Hailey Road near to the Primary School.

Members also welcomed news that parking changes were being considered in Corn Street and Church Green and looked forward to an official consultation later in the autumn. A Member expressed the importance that parking must remain free of charge.

Finally, the Committee were provided with a summary of penalty charge notices issued in Witney from June-August. A verbal update from the Civil Enforcement Team Leader advised resources had been stretched during the summer months but further evening enforcement, particularly in Corn Street would be taking place. There had been a large number of tickets issued for parking on double yellow lines and if there were any other problem areas, he would investigate.

Resolved:

1.      That, the report and contents on each issue be noted and,

2.      That, Members’s organisations engage with the Corn Street/Church Green parking consultation when it is advertised.

3.      That, OCC officers confirm residents at Deer Park had been made aware of the County Council’s policy on marking near junctions.

To receive notice of the Witney High Street Consultation Let’s Talk

The Committee received a brief presentation and update from the Oxfordshire County Council Witney High Street project team.

The Project Team also answered Members questions and clarified a number of points regarding subjects including the Taxi & Bus waiting area, Loading & Unloading access for businesses and the orientation and siting of benches.

Resolved:

That, the update be noted.

To receive a report from the Deputy Town Clerk at Witney Town Council outlining the activity of the group which comes under the remit of this Committee.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Deputy Town Clerk regarding the Community Speedwatch Scheme and attached data from the Speedwatch portal.

Members were updated on the current number of volunteers and locations, with three sessions being held since the last meeting.

The Chair advised the scheme was going well and was receiving positive feedback and outcomes concerning educating drivers on speed, along with data on action being taken by the police. The volunteer numbers had doubled since the last meeting and it was hoped this would result in two sessions a month being held.

Resolved:

That, the report be noted.

To receive correspondence and statistics from TVP Safer Roads Unit for information.

The Committee received road safety statistics from Thames Valley Police for the Cherwell and West Oxfordshire areas.

The data tied in well with the previous Community Speedwatch item and it was agreed the figures were helpful moving forward to understand the wider picture of speed enforcement across the District.

Resolved:

1.      That, the TVP road safety statistics be noted and,

2.      That, they continue to be brought to this Committee for information.

To receive an update from Members present on any public transport matters, if appropriate.

The Committee received a deferred update on bus services from the Oxfordshire County Council report and a verbal update from the Independent Parish Transport Representative.

The Couty Council update included four new bus service improvements from the beginning of September and an increased rate of buses on the H2 route from February 2025.

The Parish Transport Representative confirmed this was good news about the new services but it would mean more buses in Witney.

New MyBus tickets were selling well and the County Council were pleased but they may have to source additional funding as the ticket offered a huge saving to schoolchildren.

Finally, there was an update on a Bus Stop capture exercise being undertaken by the County Council. An audit of all stops in every parish was being undertaken before the end of November and it had been originally discussed that a Contractor would be hired to conduct this in the larger towns such as Witney. If this did not materialise, the parish Transport Representative would compile this information.

Resolved:

That, the County Council and Parish Transport Representative’s updates be noted.

To note the Witney Bus User’s Meeting, hosted via this Committee, to be held on Thursday 3^rd October, 2-8pm at the Corn Exchange, Witney.

The Chair reiterated the Bus Users Meeting which would be taking place on 3October 2024 and as this had been arranged by the Committee, he hoped to see as many Members as possible there.

Resolved:

That, the verbal update be noted.

To receive and consider any pressing matters from members which may be added to the next meeting agenda for consideration.

Windrush Leisure Centre – Cllr S Simpson raised concerns of the faded white lines when leaving the car park which led to users confusion and potential accidents occurring.

Farmers Close – Cllr S Simpson raised concerns that there was no barrier to restrict access onto the road from the footpath that ran in front of 152-157 Farmers Close.

Mopeds & E-Scooters – Cllr S Simpson raised concerns of the use on path and cycleways. A member noted that a clampdown by TVP had recently reported that over 100 over a 5 days period had been confiscated and therefore this was a clearly being taken seriously and enforced.

Staple Hall Road Closure – D Miles raised concerns for the lack of suitable crossing of Bridge Street in light of the footpath closure. It was noted this could be alleviated by the opening of a footpath at Staple Court however this was a private access footpath.

Farmers Close Verges – Cllr R Smith reported that these are not cut in a timely manner leading to potential hazards for road and pedestrian users.

Ageing Population – Cllr R Smith raised the importance of the Committee being mindful of the aging population of Witney and that mobility scooters and line painting is now even more important to ensure safe passage around the Town.

Salt Bins at Kingfisher Development – Witney Town Council officers raised the issue of no salt bin provision with Oxfordshire County Council who were currently following up with the developer.

To receive the date of the next meeting of Witney Traffic Advisory Committee for information.

The next scheduled meeting is 21 January 2025 at 2.30pm.

Members were advised the next meeting of the Committee would be held on 21 January 2025 at 3pm.