Actually we are having worse crashes at 20mph than we have at 30mph, the statistics actually prove that the faster you drive the safer you actually are. At 20mph 17% of people are injured and killed and at 30mph only 13% of people are injured and killed so don't tell me that more lives will be saved by a stupid zone where everyone will drive along gazing fixedly at their speedometers, rather than paying attention to what is happening around them. Speed Does Not Kill.
Now, can I bang a gong for vegetarians please? Just because we don't eat meat or fish doesn't mean we don't appreciate good food. A quick look at gourmet vegetarian recipe books (I'd recommend Ursula Ferrigno for one) will reveal many, many interesting possibilities. While I like pasta and pizza, they are easily available in a hundred pizza 'n' pasta places, and the spinach/feta/riccotta combination is well past its sell-by, thank goodness (particularly wrapped in filo pastry). I'd like to see vegetarian options on general menus because they are delicous dishes that anyone might choose, not just because there has to be something for us to eat and pasta is an easy get-out. Any chance? As to the freshly-made bread - will this be 'proper' bread such as is sold in Taylors - what they refer to as Artisan Bread - or will it be full of improvers and sugar like the more commercial stuff? I'm happy to pay a little extra for real bread. Cookery lessons for children sounds an excellent idea. Anyone lucky enough to go to the Children's Food Festival last year in Abingdon would have seen how enthusiastic kids can get about food, given the right setting and circumstance - er, and enough freebies, it has to be said.
With regards to Headington being in The Good Food guide, this is something we'd like to change. Although there are some good places to eat in Headington (Cafe Noir for example), my business partner, Chris Bentham, and I will be taking over The Black Boy at the end of the month. We have recently set up a brasserie and bar in Oxford called The High Table but have been looking for our own business for a while now, and this is perfect! We managed to earn our first AA Rosette in the first six months of opening. We are both long term residents of Headington and are aware of a little gap that needs filling. Our plan is to offer the entire Ala Carte under £10.00 whilst supplying freshly made bread, pasties and pork pies (all home-made) to be sold on and off the premises as well. We will also be offering daily specials and a weekly Sunday roast. We also plan to offer Sunday morning cookery classes for children and jazz once a week for the older ones, with a quiz night too. We really want to ensure that we are offering what you, as Headington residents require, hence my post, to check that we will be fulfilling your needs. Aunt Sally will be returning, although I confess my finesse at the game is severely lacking. For a brief run down of our history, we are both Raymond Blanc trained but I personally have some public house experience. We have been in catering for over 36 years between us (18 each) which hopefully explains why we are wise enough to not presume we know what our community needs, and the need to ask for advice. The food range will be centred around modern english food yet incorporating home-made pizza boards as well. A childrens menu will always be running as an ancillary. All our products will be home-made. We will be increasing the bitter offering by two more and very slightly changing the decor until we have the full re-wiring done (at the moment it is running on an incorrect phase for the kichen equipment required.) What we would love to know and hear, is what advice you could have to offer us to ensure we provide you with a place that is needed rather that one that is decided that you require.We would like you to be proud of your pub. We very much hope to be in The Good Food Guide next year, fingers crossed and a lot of hard work, but hopefully. May I hear your views and advice? Regards, Abigail Rose
For those who don't look at the web, the list is as follows: Honorary degrees: Aziz-Ur Rahman, restaurant owner David Fickling, Oxford-based children’s publisher Tish Francis, Emeritus Director of the Oxford Playhouse Honorary doctorates: Steve Ridgway, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic Airways Clive Stafford Smith, Human rights lawyer and campaigner against the death penalty Sir David King, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment Sir Iain Chalmers, Medical researcher and campaigner on healthcare issues Zuzanna Kalisiak, Co-founder and Pro-Rector of the Polish Open University Neil Bartlett, Director, author and performer Teresa Hayter, Scholar, author, and campaigner on migration and asylum rights I don't see any Headington or Marston people there -- so they are not local people by the standards of this forum :-) More information on the Brookes website: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/news/honorarydegrees
Local figures to be honoured by Oxford Brookes High profile individuals in the Oxfordshire community are to be honoured by Oxford Brookes during the University’s annual graduation week (5 – 12 September). To read more http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Oxforduniversity.htm#Local_figures_to_be_honoured_by_Oxford_Brookes_ or http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Oxforduniversity.htm
I think some of you are missing the point. I for one am not saying that reducing the speed limit reduces the number of accidents. If a driver is not paying proper attention, or is not driving properly or a pedestrian (especially a child) behaves irresponsibly then there could well be an accident. The only advantage of lower speeds in this context is that the driver may have longer to react - irrespective of "blame". The point is that if a pedestrian does get hit by a car then the chances of survival are greater at 20 than 30 than 40. I know that you can reduce this ad absurdum to suggest that the optimum speed for cars is 5mph or less, but it seems to me that in residential areas - whatever the classification of the road - that 20mph is a good compromise. Incidentally, if one blots one's copybook and gets a speeding ticket and is allowed to opt for a 'driver education' session then the key message that's hammered home is that people have a much better chance of survival when the car is being driven at or below the speed limit. The point is made with pretty graphic photographs and video clips. Coincidentally, I was talking to two people last night who've both been through one of these courses. Both said that the experience was very salutary. Oh, and before any suggests I'm anti-car, I couldn't do my job without a car. I'm also a pedestrian and a cyclist.
This is largely a matter for the well-heeled and those on expense accounts! We have lots of good restaurants in Oxford but if there are any that are in the top notch category, they are probably charging prices that are prohibitive. Added to that, many of the colleges now have such good chefs that the academic community has no need to eat out.
I'm for it on the residential streets of Headington as it should bring some drivers down to c25mph whereas they happily nip along at 35mph, safe in some Clarksonesque mindset that knows that speed is safe enough to avoid prosecution. As I shepherd children about our streets, I'm ever so much happier when I can get eye contact with a driver at a junction and have some sense of where they're going and what they're doing. It would be lunacy to replicate the situation that pertains along the Cowley Road with 20mph for the thoroughfare and 30mph for the surrounding streets. Where we live, a slice of the procession of cars that goes through our streets are rat-running to speed up by a few minutes their trip across Oxford – we should not provide incentives for that by keeping those streets at 30. I know we can all find cheery anecdotes that can prove anything, but I did enjoy the attitude of the driver this morning who jumped the red light on the pedestrian crossing on Windmill road so that he could be 5 metres further on in the semi-stationary queue of traffic rather than wait 2 mins for the lights to go green again (and therefore be exactly where he would have been any way). If the County give us a plebiscite – I vote 20mph.
I completely agree with Non and see no reason for a 20mph speed limit. Althought the accidents Stephanie talks about are tragic, and we should do all we can to reduce risk, we should not be peanalising the car driver becasue the pedestrian's 'choose' to take the risk of traffic dodging ! Also, as pointed out in Derek's post, a reduction in the speed limit would lead to an increase in emissions, one for the 'Greener' Headington there !!! I also drive through Headington a lot and hardly 'ever' manage to get to 30mph, it's just to busy during most of the day so why bother wasting the money ? Here's a thought to help the safety of all in Headington, how about making Headington a 'cycle free' zone ! As many cyclists have no formal road training, many seem to lack road awareness. I am sure many of you have seen cyclists repeatedy jumping light's, riding on pavements, jumping crossings etc in Headington, I certainly have. (but I'm not saying 'all' cyclists do this) How about we have a 'park and walk', like a park and ride for bikes on the outskirts of Headington. We could make Headington cycle free which would: a) Make the roads safer for Drivers (and cyclists) in central Headington. b) Make the pavements safer for pedestrians c) Make the pedestrian crossing safer for all. d) Free up the pavements from all the cycle racks which most seem to have bikes locked and dumped on permenantly, especially outside Londis on the traffic lights. I'm sure this will be a very 'unpopular' proposal on the forum but I think it's a great idea :-) !!!!!!
I would put it a different way: I would say that the drivers in each case must have been going too fast to be able to stop in time. Can you honestly say you have never nipped across the road here? When I had driving lessons c.1970, the first thing I was taught was that the pedestrian had right of way at all times. How things have changed! I can find the report of one of the fatalities in the Oxford Mail, but not the other: http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/2001/10/06/53360.html (The lady, who lived in Horwood Close, died soon after this.) I didn't realize this subject was going to be so controversial: I see so many 20's Plenty signs on windows and wheelie bins in central Headington I thought that everyone was like me and very keen to see the 20mph limit implemented. But it's interesting to hear the opposite point of view.
You mean, right next to the underpass that they were presumably too lazy to bother to use? London Road, AKA the A420 is, as it's name ought to suggest, a main arterial road into the city, and not some backstreet for 'nipping across'. A proposed 20mph limit there is exactly why I'm minded to oppose it, because The Powers That Be can't distinguish between the two (or, more likely I suspect they can, and that the policy has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with being 'anti car'). And I don't think it's as easy as 'inner A/B roads = 30, rest = 20' as there's trivially observable locations where that is nonsensical. There is *no* safe speed, the graph crosses at zero. Another approach might be to fine people for jaywalking. In NZ, you can be fined $35 for crossing the road if there's a marked crossing within 20 metres or on a red light. I can't count the number of pedestrians I've nearly flattened turning right from London Road onto Old High Street as they just 'nip across' on a red man. It simply does not follow that reducing speeds will cause less accidents - for a variety of reasons - particularly that the roads are likely to be more busy - not less. I'm cynical enough to believe the decision has already been taken, and we're witnessing yet another time and money wasting "consultation" process. It'll get implemented, and meanwhile we'll continue to wonder why local businesses that rely on a catchment area much bigger than the surrounding residences continue to close down and move away to in- or out-of-town locations to be replaced by services that can support themselves merely on the local population - Starbucks, Costa, Dominos and Subway. So like as not, the shopping area won't be busy for much longer. On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 7:51 AM, Stephanie Jenkins <
Whatever else is decided on, I think it is essential that cars are slowed down when going through busy shopping areas such as the London Road. Two people have been killed in recent years nipping across from Kennett Road to Stephen Road -- a 20mph limit might have saved their lives.
But look at the statistics for what happens to people hit by cars at 20mph rather than 40mph. If this saves one life or reduces the severity of injuries for one person in a road traffic accident it's worth it. Count me as in favour!
Have you ever wondered what the heck "e-democracy.org" has to do with your
local community Issues Forum?
A few years ago, the UK Local E-Democracy National Project funded pilots in
Newham and Brighton and perhaps miraculously with no further funding, the
forums remain open and have spread to five neighbourhoods in Oxford and
Bristol with more likely next year. Because this is a citizen-based model
run by volunteers and some in-kind support from council staff in Oxford and
Bristol, keeping the network operating in "basic" mode is not too costly.
Basic isn't good enough. What might you, might we, do better with Issues
Forums and local e-democracy in your community? Are there good ways to
connect your efforts across the UK, leverage resources, promote community
empowerment and social inclusion with greater outreach, find central funding
sources, etc.? Who and how might we coordinate and over time expand UK
activities with either dedicated volunteers or UK staff in the near and
long-term?
These are some of the questions we will discuss in an input session at the
Oxford Town Hall on Thursday, October 2. I'll be coming through the UK from
a conference in Austria (I am based in Minnesota) and look forward to
meeting a number of you.
Join us!
Details and information on how to RSVP is on our wiki at:
http://pages.e-democracy.org/Oxford_meeting
Sincerely,
Steven Clift
E-Democracy.Org
P.S. We are in the process of forming an E-Democracy.Org UK Advisory
Committee. If you can't make it to Oxford, but want to help improve our
collective local e-democracy effort or make sure your local forum has
influence within E-Democracy.Org, mention the committee to me in a note:
<email obscured> or http://e-democracy.org/contact
If you want the totally unvarnished truth about how rotten and politically spiteful these much hated and idiotic twenty mile an hour zones are I suggest like me you join the Association of British Drivers and visit their website, they have a page devoted to the subject, or visit the website of Safe Speed a pressure group begun by the late Paul Smith, I reccommend it.
I have just got the Good Food Guide for 2009 - again no Headington eating place is mentioned in this guide. Though a few Oxford ones are mentioned, but none are in the top 40 unfortunately. The nearest in the top five is at Great Milton I see. What do you think makes a good restaurant? What do you recommend? to read more see http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/oxfordnews.htm#Local_Restaurants_in_Good_Food_Guide_Top_40 Perhaps the proposed 20mph speed limit would encourage more people to walk after having a good meal and support their local resturants like the Black Boy in Old Headington.
I attempted to find information on the internet concerning increased air pollution due to driving vehicles at a lower speed in a lower gear but found very little. It seems that most official documentation about 20mph zones chose to ignore this side effect. All vehicles with internal combustion engines will increase their air pollution when driven at a lower speed in a lower gear simply because they not designed with that in mind. Engines just do not work smoothly at low revs in a high gear, particularly when required to accelerate. How many of you have tried to drive in top gear at an indicated 20mph and then accelerate, its not comfortable. The perception that it might make it easier to cross a busy 20mph road is a little false as vehicles moving at slower speeds do so with a reduced gap between them. In effect the time slot between vehicles tends to be the same until they are nearly stationary. This would make it more difficult for people with slower reaction times to cross a road. Additional controlled crossings would be needed, but the side effect of this is increased pollution! There is an article at http://www.speedlimit.org.uk/twenty.html that puts the case against 20mph. I have NO connection with the author or the article. I dont agree with all of it but presumably like some other people 'I'm still sitting on the fence'. It's worth reading to help make up your own opinion. Derek PS How to enforce a 20mph should be a separate topic.
New street lights are currently being installed in some parts of Headington. Those in Holley Crescent came into operation last night, and I can report that they are a great improvement. The colour of the lighting is much less garish and the focus is improved. Although I was sad to lose one of our old lamps in particular, the last of our runcible period fittings, the new units are not unpleasing (in a vaguely teutonic style) and overall preferable in daylight to the mish-mash we had before. We weren't told this was going to happen, but 9 out of 10 and a thank-you to the lighting people. Ian Alexander ********* Dr J H (Ian) Alexander
Headington and Marston will be specifically consulted about the county council's 20mpm proposals at the meeting of the North East Area Committee to be held at St Andrew's Primary School at 6pm on Tuesday 16 September. The county council is consulting on whether to introduce a 20mph speed limit on: • all minor residential roads within the city of Oxford; • all unnumbered through-roads except where they are part of heavily-used bus routes into the city; • sections of A and B roads that pass through busy shopping areas (including the section of the London Road that passes through the Headington District Shopping Centre, but not the rest of the London Road in Headington). Full details here, plus an opportunity to fill in an online form with your views: http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/20limits There is already an Order bringing in a 20mph speed limit on the Headington Road from Pullens Lane to Headley Way: see http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/londonroad (click on "Background and consultation"). But the police were not very happy with that idea: see http://archive.oxfordmail.net/2008/1/3/213129.html
As I have no car, I can't drive my garden refuse to the dump. But if Marie has more compostable stuff than she can fit in her green bag, maybe she could just pass it to me, over the road, and provided it has no wood or thorns in it I will sling it on my dump.