Speed Reduction

As with many rural villages, excessive traffic speeds is an ongoing safety concern. Whilst many vehicles assumed to be 'speeding' are not exceding the legal speed limit but are being driven a manner which is often dangerous, particularly to pedestrians, many of whom are children. Whilst inconsiderate parking does help control speeds, particularly down Broad Street and the High Street the School and Parish have introduced a series of measure over the past few years in order to try and reduce speeds. More recently, as part of a Nationwide move to introduced 20 mph zones in cities, towns and villages, a '20 is plenty' campaign, Oxfordshire County Council has introduced a county-wide programme.

Oxfordshire County Council wants to make our built environments safer and more attractive places to walk and cycle. To enable this, 20mph speed restrictions are being used to help promote alternative modes of transport for local travel. Further details on how the Council is considering making 20mph the new 30mph for Oxfordshire communities can be found here.

Village Measures

Over the past few years, the School and Council have introduced the following speed reduction measures:

Flashing organge lights at the start and end of Broad Street from Waylans to the Museum during scholl arrival/departure times.
A vehicle activated 30mph sign (VAS) on the Fawler Road approach to the village.
A moveable 30mph speed indicating device (SID) which moves every few months between 6 different village locations (Baulking Road, Fawler Road, Broad Street outside THMH, Woolstone Road opposite South View farm and Fernham Road between the allotments and old canal bridge). The data from this has been used to inform the decision on the adoption of the 20mph scheme.
A Speedwatch system of traffic monitoring and reporting operated by village volunteers.

OCC Consultation - next stage from 13 March 2023

Following the Public Consultation the next step is "Under Review".

this is an upcoming stage for Uffington - proposed 20mph speed limit

Contributions to the consultation are closed for evaluation and review. The project team will report back on key outcomes based on comments from the public.

OCC Consultation stage - ended 10 March 2023

Following the Parish Council's notification, OCC has to go through a legal process before implementing the new 20mph limits. As a result, OCC is asking for your views on the proposal to introduce a 20mph speed limit throughout Uffington, replacing the majority of the existing 30mph speed limit within the residential areas in the process. A section of 30mph speed limit will remain in place on Fernham Road as a ‘buffer’ with Officers having taken the current road environment & traffic usage levels into account. The proposals are being put forward following road safety concerns raised by the parish, and form part of a countywide programme of works that seeks to deliver ‘a safer place with a safer pace’ for the residents of Oxfordshire. In light of this, please find the following linked consultation documents:

The proposed Traffic Regulation Order is scheduled to be advertised in the Oxfordshire Herald Series newspaper on Wednesday 08th February 2023, and details are also available to view on the Councils consultation portal at the address below:

https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/uffington_20mph2023

As stated on the notice, any objections or other representations on the proposal should be submitted by Friday 10th March 2023.

Courier Survey (Autumn 2022)

Despite the measures outlined above, excessive speed is still one of the most frequently raised complaints to the Parish Council. As a result and with the OCC 20 mph initiative potentially paying for the scheme's introduction, a short yes/no survey was carried out in Autumn 2022. Out of some 170 respondents, over 80% were in favour of a 20mph scheme in the village (see chart below). Whilst about a third of thes efavoured only a partial scheme, this was outweighed by many comments about the highest speeds being on all the approach roads and this is backed up by data from the SID (see above).