Wooden planters have returned to Witney High Street despite £15,000 of taxpayers’ money being spent building new crossing buildouts following concerns for pedestrian safety.
The vehicle restriction has divided opinion over the years with mixed views amongst residents. After concerns were raised about the safety of pedestrians crossing the High Street the county council completed buildouts late last year at either end of the High Street. However, the old wooden planters that used to be in the road have now been put back in place near to the Market Square.
Councillor David Edwards-Hughes who is a town councillor in Witney branded this latest spend by the county council as “yet more waste of our money with no long-term solution”.
Cllr Edwards-Hughes said, “We are all left scratching our heads as to why the county council has spent this money only to then have the wooden planters still in place. A lot of residents I have spoken with have said that when the planters were removed more people were cutting through the High Street. We have previously been able to see the number of vehicles that have driven through town but rather conveniently the traffic monitor is currently out of action.”
A ban on private vehicles on the High Street and Market Square was implemented as part of a trial in Summer 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic to allow for wider footpaths. This traffic order was then made permanent in December 2021.
Last year Oxfordshire County Council announced it had been awarded £1.98 million from the Government’s Active Travel Fund to make improvements for the High Street.
In a recent public engagement exercise was held between 5th September and 3rd October by the county council to seek further feedback on what improvements the public would like to see.
A majority of respondents when asked about the High Street previously opposed the plans to ban private vehicles from the High Street in 2020 and 36 out of 37 local traders objected.
In the recent engagement exercise, there was a low participation from local businesses in both the latest online survey and workshops despite targeted communication.
Addressing the lack of response from local businesses, Cllr David Edwards-Hughes, said “Given their views were ignored by the county council previously I am not surprised that they didn’t spend their time engaging with them again.”
Oxfordshire County Council will hold another consultation in Spring this year to help finalise the design with a view for construction to begin in the Autumn.
