Oxford's 1973 "Balanced Transport Policy" initiated fifty years of public transport (and especially bus) prioritisation and gradually increasing restrictions on car routing and access. Many of the problems and concerns raised then are still with us.
The Balanced Transport Policy came before the 1973 oil shock - and before Amsterdam's city council voted against a key road-building scheme in 1975 or Groningen's 1977 circulation plan. But while it took a similar path to such Dutch cities in abandoning road construction and restricting motor traffic, Oxford experienced nothing like the shift in approach to cycling that they did. It has retained relatively high levels of cycling largely because driving has been restricted, not because cycling has been provided for - the 1971 Marston Ferry Rd cycle track remains one of the few decent bits of cycling infrastructure in the city.
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Delft has a city centre which is very largely de-motorised. As a result it is a lovely place to walk around and spend time - perhaps the most noticeable thing is just how quiet it is! The core to this seems to be a "low traffic zone" covering most of the city centre, with largely uniform restrictions. Enforcement appears to be by camera. more
At the moment, footways in Oxfordshire fall into the cracks between different county teams. Parking, Road Agreements, Transport Development Control, Active Travel, Maintenance, and different Localities teams all implement or oversee schemes that affect footways, but no one has overall responsibility for them. A single county team should be given responsibility for footways, with a watching brief over all schemes that affect them. That could be a beefed up Active Travel team, or a Parking team with an expanded mandate. more
Lambeth recently released its Kerbside Strategy. That proposes a reallocation of kerbside space towards active travel, place making, climate resilience, and traffic reduction (94% of Lambeth's kerbside is currently devoted to parking or parking restrictions). [Update: Hounslow adopted a kerbside strategy and parking strategy in July 2024.]
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The key goal of Vision Zero is "to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and severe injuries, while increasing safety, health, and mobility for all". Vision Zero was originally a Swedish idea, but it has been adopted by the Netherlands and by cities such as London, Oslo, Seattle and Denver — and now by Oxfordshire, along with some other local authorities and regions. more
Parking enforcement in Oxford is woefully poor and seems impossible to improve. This creates dangers for people walking and cycling and can impede motor traffic (especially buses). Higher penalties would provide greater deterrent to the most problematic offences, without requiring additional enforcement resources. more
I think the biggest gain from controlled parking zones is the prevention of dangerous parking. This can be illustrated by the case of Boundary Brook, in the proposed Donnington CPZ Zone of East Oxford. Vehicles parked here block routes, prevent visibility, and pose a serious risk to the children at Larkrise primary school, as well as to residents and to people who use the area as a walking or cycling route.There are four year olds who cycle to school here with their parents; there are nine year olds who walk here unaccompanied. more
Oxford for Cars is a new organisation set up to further the use of cars and other motor vehicles in Oxford. Oxford for Cars opposes any attempts to restrict or control the use of cars, and demands the removal of the barriers to them that exist across Oxford.
People like to drive. The existence of obstacles to driving wherever people want to is unacceptable, and cars should be prioritised instead of having space taken away from them for clunky buses and wobbly cyclists and trundling pedestrians. more
The area we're in has recently been made a controlled parking zone, meaning that only vehicles with an area permit can park in it. Residents have to pay £60/year for a permit, with a maximum of two per house, and get a set of one-day vouchers for use by visitors or tradespeople. more
