THE County Council’s Draft Local Transport Plan 2011 – 2030 Consultation is currently underway so don’t miss your chance to help shape future local transport in the county.
The consultation closes at midnight on Sunday, January 9, 2011.
To find out more and have your say, visit: or call 01865 815093.
ARRIVA Bus Company, that operates the service 280 through Thame from Aylesbury to Oxford, said today that although the service is operating, it is likely that delays may be incurred as the road conditions and traffic is generally slower.
Services 200/280: Main Road only NOT Haddenham Health Centre, and London Rd Wheatley only.
Customers are also advised to make their way to roads that have been gritted.
CHILTERN RAIL is continuing to experience problems due to the severe weather. As a result, they are running a special timetable with most trains running with fewer carriages than normal.
As there is a higher than normal risk of crowding at peak times, if you are able to travel before 1600 or after 1900, it is advised that you do.
Further changes have been made to the timetable published this morning:
No services will run to Aylesbury Vale Parkway.
An hourly shuttle service will operate between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury in place of the planned direct trains from London / High Wycombe.
No services will run to the following stations, therefore please use alternative underground and bus services:
Wembley Stadium
Sudbury & Harrow Road
Sudbury Hill Harrow
Northolt Park
South Ruislip
West Ruislip
Chiltern Rail will be running a reduced service on Tuesday, tomorrow, December 21. Full details will be available on Chiltern Rail’s website
The company asks that as road conditions are hazardous and freezing temperatures expected overnight, please be extra careful and travel only if necessary and you are confident in your route to the station.
THE Arriva Bus service 40, from Thame to High Wycombe has been able to run today, albeit with some delays due to driving conditions.
A NEW national survey of motorists has found that the dirtiest drivers in the UK live in Oxfordshire.
The survey found that 69% of British car buyers claimed to be green but only 5% actively considered a car’s green credentials when it came to them “putting their money where their mouth is.”
Research released today by automotive, consumer goods and industrial company Bosch, has revealed that despite 69% of drivers claiming to do their best for the environment, only 5% of motorists buying a new car would be influenced by a car?s ?green? credentials.
The ?Bosch: Driving Green Britain? study of over 1000 car buyers painted a picture of the nation?s motorists by region. Based on 2010 new car sales to date, Cornish motorists bought the cleanest cars with average CO2 emissions of 138g/km, while Oxfordshire motorists bought the most polluting cars with a figure of 168g/km.
When asked to rank what was the main influence behind their purchase decision, 63% of motorists surveyed said that price was the most important factor, closely followed by vehicle size (at 56%). Design, style, brand and safety all rated ahead of a car?s environmental considerations.
Speaking about the research results, Peter Fouquet, President of Bosch in the UK, explained that consumer attitudes provide a real challenge for companies to make the required investment in delivering automotive technologies that have increased green credentials without making an additional cost for the motorist to bear.
He said: ?Bosch is committed to helping motorists reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption through developing innovative and environmentally friendly products. Bosch offers automotive solutions that are clean and economical. Our engineers are working to reduce the fuel consumption of petrol and diesel engines by up to one third through downsizing, high-pressure fuel injection and advanced turbo charging.?
The research of over 1,000 participants highlighted that almost 80% of motorists surveyed drove less than 20 miles per day whilst 48% drove between 11 to 20 miles per day and 30% drove less than 10 miles per day – ideal distances for an electric car.
Bosch believes that vehicles employing technologies such as start/stop can save up to 8% of fuel and CO2 emissions in city traffic, compared to a vehicle without this system. Start/stop technology is an combination of engine, brake, and battery management, which stops the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill in traffic or at a red light. By 2015, one in five cars sold is expected to be equipped with this technology.
The survey also revealed gender and age differences, pointing out how women are more likely to consider environmental aspects when choosing a car and men perceiving electric cars to be more environmentally friendly than hybrids. Interestingly, 18 to 24 year olds would be more likely to drive a hybrid car than any other age group.
SOUTH Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership has joined with Thames Valley Police to help cut bicycle thefts in the area by giving away free hard to remove stickers.
Once the sticker is attached around the frame of the bike it makes it difficult to sell on the stolen bicycle. As they are marked with the owner?s address, the bike can be returned if found abandoned.
The partnership is also encouraging local people to:
? use a ?sold secure? branded padlock and chain
to secure the bike when unattended
? keep the bike out of sight, in a shed or garage
? report suspicious behaviour to the police on
0845 8 505 505.
Residents can get their stickers from local bike retailers, town police stations and the council offices in Crowmarsh Gifford, near Wallingford.
Malcolm Wills, Crime Prevention and Reduction Adviser for South Oxfordshire said:
?A lot of people will have new bikes for Christmas that could attract opportunist thieves. Take a few moments to make sure no one is going to steal your bike, add the sticker, and ensure you have a decent lock and chain. Saving money on a sub standard lock and chain will be false economy if you have your bike stolen.?
Jane Murphy, Chairman of the South Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership and Cabinet Member for Community Safety at the council said:
?Our district has low levels of crime but we?re hoping to cut this even more thanks to these ingenious stickers. Criminals will find it hard to sell on a marked bike as it can always be traced back to the true owner.?
NOTE: For more information about the South Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership, visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/communitysafety
For a video about bike marking visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4FQrP3zdxg
For advice on how to make your bike as secure as possible visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xzhsvT0mLw&NR=1
SHOPPERS in South Oxfordshire, including Thame, are once again being offered free parking in the run-up to Christmas.
The District Council is providing free parking in all its pay and display carparks (behind Co-Op and Cattlemarket in Thame) from midday on Saturday, December 4, 11 and 18.
Cllr David Dodds, Cabinet member with responsibility for car parks, said: ?I am really pleased the council is once again offering free parking in the run-up to Christmas. This is a great way of encouraging people to visit our market towns and support our local shops and businesses.?
There is no need to buy a ticket, although the maximum stay still applies.
For details of the council?s car parks please see www.southoxon.gov.uk/carpark
FROM the minutes of last night’s meeting of Thame Town Council’s Planning and Environment Committee, during which they discussed the Review of Subsidised Bus Services currently being made by Oxfordshire County Council:
Members discussed the questions raised about the contracts affecting the Thame area. County had notified the Council that the Public Transport subsidy was likely to come under severe pressure in the current financial year and beyond.
Members were perturbed about the stopping of the last 280 bus service from Aylesbury, especially as a new theatre had been built there. Their opinion was that this last bus should continue to run as before.
They also discussed the No. 40 to High Wycombe, a service that runs commercially from High Wycombe to Stokenchurch but is subsidised from Stokenchurch to Thame.
Members agreed that this subsidised part of the journey offered a vital link with Chinnor and Towersey
and that it should continue.
OXFORSHIRE County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is appealing for the county’s Approved Driving Instructors to encourage their students to come to an innovative show aimed at reducing the number of road crashes involving young people.
Safe Drive Stay Alive, (SDSA), is a theatre education project to make teenagers more aware of the risks they face on the road. The presentation gives them the opportunity to experience what it would be like to be involved in a crash, hear some of the causes and consequences, and reflect on how their behaviour can prevent an accident, whether they are a driver or a passenger.
Lack of knowledge
With road crashes being the major cause of death to young people, the campaign aims to reach teenagers in an emotive and hard-hitting way.
Last year nearly 900 people aged 16 to 18 were injured on Thames Valley roads and an average of four young people per week were killed or seriously injured. Young drivers are much more likely to be involved in a crash, often due to inexperience and a lack of knowledge of the risks. Around 1 in 4 deaths on the road is aged 17-24
How does SDSA help?
The presentation ultimately strives to reduce these figures, and involves a film of a crash in the local area which has been specially prepared with roads and hospitals familiar to local students. Emergency services and people who have suffered from a crash come to the stage to speak to the audience about their experiences and explain how seeing such trauma affects them personally.
Crews from Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service will be taking part in the production. Nathan Croxford – retained firefighter based at Burford,, Kirsty Vincent – an instructor at the fire cadet unit at Banbury, and Jo Cleary – retained firefighter based at Didcot and area admin assistant for the South and Vale area, will all be on hand to share their own experiences.
Get involved
Safe Drive Stay Alive will take place on Monday, November 15 and Tuesday, November 16, at The Kings Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford. While Tuesday is fully booked, there are still places available on Monday. There are two shows a day, the first at 10.30am, and the second at 1pm. The performance is expected to last just over one hour.
David Etheridge, Chief Fire Officer, Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, said: I’m appealing to all Oxfordshire Approved Driving Instructors to encourage your students to come to Safe Drive Stay Alive. The experience could save their life or the life of their friends and reduce the number of accidents involving young people.”
How to book
To book visit www.safedrive.org or call Mandy Rigault, Senior Road Safety Officer, on 01865 343352 or 07916 160582.
Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “Whilst our emergency services do a magnificent job of coping with the results of mistakes on the road, they are always devastated by the tragedy of young lives lost. Approved Driving Instructors are a crucial front line part of Road Safety and their support to get more young people to see Safe Drive Stay Alive is much appreciated.”
More information on SDSA
SDSA is organised across the Thames Valley by Thames Valley Police, with help from Oxfordshire’s Road Safety Team and Fire and Rescue Services, other local councils and the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, who have been working for years to reduce the number of young people dying on the roads. The campaign is funded by Thames Valley Police.
THERE are currently temporary traffic lights in Bell Lane, the B4445, Thame, due to gasmain work.
The work is expected to continue until November 15, 2010