Open Roads Candidate: David Leake
The City and County Councils are about to close the High Street during the daytime to private and commercial vehicles. They believe that this is the answer to Oxford's traffic problems.It isn't. What is will do is this:
- Fill the High Street with unregulated buses, taxis and tourist buses.
- Cause motorists who need to cross town to make unnecessary detours; thereby increasing pollution and causing greater congestion.
- Increase traffic in residential areas such as St Clement's ward.
- Lead to charging for parking permits with no guarantee of a place to park.
Open Roads if elected will campaign to -
- Scrap the Oxford Transport Strategy, thereby allowing traffic to move freely across the city.
- Reopen roads that are presently closed by barriers, such as East Avenue and Union Street, to allow access to Cowley Road and to review the access and turning restrictions on other roads so that traffic can flow evenly through the existing road network.
- Reduce car-parking charges in town and relax the present night-time parking restrictions on the city centre.
- Insist on:
- enforced speed limits on residential streets, including 20 mph zones
- more pelican crossings, with quicker response times and more time for pedestrians to cross
- roadside tests for exhaust emissions, including those of public transport vehicles
Some points to consider
- The councils want to regulate private and commercial vehicles while admitting it has no control over public transport - where it goes, when it goes and what it costs (note recent bus fare increases way above the rate of inflation).
- The Green Party want to close even more roads whilst not addressing the problem of how people and businesses are supposed to get about the city. Alternatives need to be provided first.
- The Labour Party, as well as implementing the Oxford Transport Strategy, want to price the poorer motorist off the streets by increasing petrol tax and increasing parking charges.
- The councils admit that if the High Street is closed, traffic will increase in St Clement's. Their only concern is for a car-free city centre.
- The City Council needs local, independent councillors who can represent their wards without the worry of upsetting the party line. I have lived here since 1979 and am committed to helping the residents of St Clement's. As I see it, the council's so-called transport strategy does not make sense. Keeping cars out of Queen Street and Cornmarket did nothing to ease congestion there. Closing just some roads does not reduce traffic levels - it just pushes traffic onto those roads that are left open.
- The councils claim that the voters of Oxford overwhelmingly support the Oxford Transport Strategy. I don't believe this is the case - and if you don't - on 7th May vote for David Leake - Open Roads.
