Work to start on Bicester road safety features
Work on a package of road safety measures is due to start in Bicester next week.
Contractors working for Oxfordshire County Council will start work on Monday 18 June on a toucan crossing on Middleton Stoney Road, just to the west of Newton Close, a shared footway/cycleway on the western side of Oxford Road along with walking and cycling improvements along Queens Avenue.
County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “I know that there has been a lot of interest locally in seeing these improvements happen and I think those who campaigned for them will be pleased to see work begin.”
The works, all of which are developer funded, include:
Middleton Stoney Road toucan crossing – this will connect to the internal footway and cycleway network on Kingsmere. Residents of Kingsmere and from older parts of the town to the north of Middleton Stoney campaigned for a safe crossing, particularly for school children attending the St Edburg’s primary school which moved onto Kingsmere in 2016.
Shared footway/cycleway on the western side of Oxford Road – this will pick up from where provision stops short opposite Pingle Drive, and run round on the southern side of Middleton Stoney Road to Newton Close and the new toucan crossing. This is to remedy a missing gap in the network, which was raised by local councillors and there is clear evidence of cyclists using the grass verge at the moment.
Walking and cycling improvements along Queens Avenue – widening of two sections of shared footway/cycleway on the western side of Queens Avenue to a width of 3m: from Kingsclere Road to the access to The Bicester School and leisure centre, and from the zebra crossing near to the police station up to Bucknell Road. Providing an improved off-carriageway facility for users of all ages, particularly for those accessing schools and the leisure facilities as raised by local councillors.
The civil engineering works will start on Middleton Stoney Road first and lead round to Oxford Road, and the Queens Avenue works will follow that. The electrical work will be done by Siemens for when the schools return in September.