Condition of the roads

Wed 14 Apr 2010, 15:41

Heather this was a very old post talking about the snow conditions at the time...... but thank you anyway.

Wed 14 Apr 2010, 09:10

I am travelling from Charlbury to Banbury daily. Both ways (via Great Tew or Chippy) are not too bad. A couple of pot holes at edges of road but nothing much else. Hope that helps

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 21:31

Did anyone make the journey from Charlbury to Banbury? If so what was it like?

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 20:39

hopefully this works spot the difference between the 2 photos s967.photobucket.com/albums/ae153/PaulTaylor65/snow/

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 18:00

I would certainly prefer not to need to travel in this weather but I would still welcome any information available about the status of the B4022 from Spelsbury or B4026 from Enstone this evening. If they are passable this evening and there is no further snow I can then make up my own mind about travel in the morning. Obviously the risk is much higher in this weather but the manner in which some folks are driving at the moment doesn't help - why does tailgating seem more popular when the conditions make it most risky?

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 14:04

This morning at 7.30 a car skidded into the side of a house on Hixet Wood road, on the hill by Charlbury garage. The police have just helped him move his car. Luckily there’s no damage, but a lot of hassle was caused. It’s just not worth risking it - it could have been worse.

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 12:09

Can anyone tell me the status of the road from Spelsbury to Charlbury and then on to the railway station at the moment? I need to get to the station early tomorrow AM from Chadlington and don't like the look of the road across the valley from Chadlington (unless anyone can confirm that it's passable without a 4x4?) Thanks for any info....

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 12:02

Perhaps Richard is hoarding all the salt!!!

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 11:35

One place at least is well salted. Its been snowing solidly on the Charlbury website banner for weeks now, but snow has yet to settle!

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 11:10

If anyone hears that the Charlbury Burford road is passable could you let us know. Then my husband wont have to walk home from the train station again, and i might make it to Charlbury for a meeting tonight!

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 08:59

As of 9am Stagecoach have suspended the S3 Oxford-Chippy, which doesn't promise much for the road through Enstone.

Wed 13 Jan 2010, 08:22

The roads seem to be impassable this morning (Wednesday, 8am) again.

The school buses to Burford school have turned round (I don't blame them) and the Charlbury kids will miss their 4th day of school since term started last week.

I emailed our county councillor, Neil Owen, on Monday about the state of the roads around Charlbury and have not yet had a response but will pass it on when I do. I suggest that the more people that email their MP and county councillors, the more pressure will be brought to bear.

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 22:41

The only day I did not make it to work in london was wednsday going though Woodstock every day no thanks to west oxfordshire highways. This is a joke when the streets there were cleared and gritted from day one by hand as well, glos/warwickshire highways have done a great job clearing the roads . Is it the same people sorting out our roads as the ones that invested our poll tax in an icelantic bank they must be really proud with them selfs. lets keep 2 months poll tax back each to cover lose of wages and we then can buy our own salt they had a warning that this weather was due but did not act . If the snow comes tonight we will be stuffed

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 22:22

Roy: via Enstone.

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 21:50

I drove from Charlbury to Chipping Norton (and, later, from there up to the Midlands) this morning via the Spelsbury road. No particular problems - there was a digger clearing snow away by the Salt Way turn above Spelsbury. Getting out of the lower level of the car park in Chippy was a challenge, though - it took three attempts (and a different angle) before the little Citroen would countenance it!

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 21:23

I made it to Charlbury from Great Rollright via Enstone with no problem late afternoon.

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 20:47

Jon, Which road did you use to get to Chipping Norton? Via Spelsbury or Enstone?

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 20:02

Jon, its not that I am "sitting at home". Just dont drive - and use the train - so dont know the state of the roads unless I am told!

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 19:17

Darn - I feel that I, as one of the list of two, now ought to say something 'bitchy' but can't think of anything :-) I am lucky to have a very flexible employer (Oxford Brookes) who lets me work from home. Husband sometimes has to go out but usually also sits at home ordering books from the Evenlode bookshop.

Tue 12 Jan 2010, 18:40

I went up to Chippy today with no problems at all. Less traffic than usual: very easy. The only hazard I encountered was was an elderly (male) driver driving along at about 15mph on a totally clear road, peering nervously through the top of his steering wheel.

How many drivers do not know that their seats can be adjusted for height? Those people peering through the rather small gap between the top of the steering wheel and the bottom of the windscreen? Terrifying. And if they can't adjust the seat, why don't they use a cushion?

I'm disappointed at the turn this thread has taken. It was getting quite interesting as a list of women sitting alone at home while their husbands were stranded in the snow far away...

Mon 11 Jan 2010, 13:04

I've just driven out on the Burford Road in an ordinary car. I went very slowly (about 20mph) but was perfectly safe.

Mon 11 Jan 2010, 11:25

He was very lucky - mine left at 8am, via the Enstone Road, to get to Woodstock by 9.15pm!

Mon 11 Jan 2010, 10:32

Just to let you know that my husband left Charlbury via the Woodstock Road to get to Newbury this morning and encountered no problems (and he doesnt have a 4 x 4).

Mon 11 Jan 2010, 09:58

To echo Jon's report in the Buses thread, the Chipping Norton website is currently reporting that the A44 is blocked in Chippy and further south.

Mon 11 Jan 2010, 09:22

Got through to Burford via Witney this morning. It took an hour. A40 is clear and running well. Worst bit was through Finstock.

Sat 9 Jan 2010, 21:56

Came in from Oxford at about 5.oopm coming up through Woodstock and in via Enstone road generally okay although some icy patches in the woodstock area.

Sat 9 Jan 2010, 19:41

We ventured out for the fist time today. The road to Witney was not bad, even in a small front wheel drive car. We left Charlbury at about 10.30 and by the time we returned at 12.30 the sun and traffic had improved the situation further.

Sat 9 Jan 2010, 11:53

Thursday was a 4x4 day, but yesterday was OK for front wheel drive cars. Longer way round via Enstone is in better condition due to gritting and more traffic. S3 buses running CN - Enstone - Woodstock.

Sat 9 Jan 2010, 00:52

Harriet - I must have been at Enstone around 7.15ish given the amount of time it took me to get along the A44 then up the Woodstock Road. Certainly there hadn't been any gritting at the time I tried. I would say, though, that Oxfordshire were clearly a whole load more active with gritting than Warwickshire - driving along the A3400 it was very noticeable that the road became much better at the county boundary!

Fri 8 Jan 2010, 20:05

The road to Enstone was OK at 9am this morning despite the efforts of two abandoned cars, passed the Worths bus going towards Charlbury. Return journey about 5pm no problems, cars now moved.

Fri 8 Jan 2010, 17:13

You're sure they haven't been doing the B4022? I saw a gritter come down there and go down Nine Acres Lane at about 20:00 on Wednesday night, so if Richard was unable to get onto the road at Enstone at about that time it's not for lack of grit.

Fri 8 Jan 2010, 16:59

Hello all. I got in contact with Oxford county council this afternoon to ask if they are going to grit the B4437 and the B4022.The guy said that they were hoping to plough it either this afternoon or tomorrow morning and then grit them. B roads are now being treated as they will have some more grit. Just thought that you would like to know.

Fri 8 Jan 2010, 16:49

Does anyone know about the road to Enstone?

Fri 8 Jan 2010, 11:56

The Witney/Finstock road is passable, though slow of course. Even so, we saw a WODC pickup sliding round Five Ways so it's not a walk in the park.

Woodstock Road is passable if you have a 4x4 but I really really wouldn't recommend it in anything less. I've just been to dig our car out, and did manage to get it up the hill at the fifth attempt - but only by virtue of taking a shovel and clearing a load of ice. Even then it was sliding here and there.

Update 3pm: Spelsbury/Chipping Norton road apparently passable with care.

I've just seen a Worth's bus waiting at the top of the Slade. Are they running? (Nothing else is.) Not coming through the centre of town, obviously.

Apparently there's been a fairly serious prang at the bottom of Dancer's Hill after someone gave up at the bottom and another car ran into it.

And some good news - there's a Co-op lorry unloading a whole load of bread right now! Update 3pm: Almost out of bread and semi-skimmed milk again...

Fri 8 Jan 2010, 09:03

Could anyone please tell me what the roads are like to Banbury?

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 16:48

The link to up to date info on train arrivals and departures is under "town" above right.

Stagecoach info is here. You'll see they are running from Oxford to Chippy at present.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 16:44

If you only need to get to Oxford, then why not use the trains. I understand they are running OK, but a little late. The buses in Oxford are OK according to all the relevant websites.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 16:15

Plenty of 4x4s on the move around town at the moment - but not much else. Just saw a brave soul heading along the Forest Road towards Burford...

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 14:37

Hi. Got to Charlbury, thanks to a passing 4x4 driver who towed us up the last part of the lane in Fawler. No amount of shoveling was doing the trick!! The road through Fawler was passable, but the main road was a little better.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 12:49

Thank you Alan and Richard. I don't think that it's worth even trying to get to Oxford if the roads are that bad. They are bad at the best of times let alone with the roads ungritted. Richard i hope that you got home ok last night. Thanks again for the advice.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 12:14

Thanks Rachael, i have to work in Abingdon so will be an adventure getting there. I had only just ot back after being stranded in Inverness because of the snow!!

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 12:12

try are ok, but half a hour late.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 11:57

has anyone also got a train in to oxford are they running ok?

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 11:36

Does anyone know if the road to Witney is OK for travel this morning?

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 10:40

Hello Kate

We tried to get to Kidlington this morning and had to turn back as the Woodstock Road was so bad.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 10:39

Kate - as Anna alluded, I tried to drive into Charlbury last night on the Woodstock Road. I got almost as far as Lees Rest and had to abandon the car - the road was too icy and the car simply wouldn't make it up the hill. This was around 8pm. I couldn't even get onto the Banbury Hill to Enstone road at Enstone itself.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 10:21

Sorry i just had a senior moment then. I meant to ask about the Woodstock road from Charlbury to Judds, and the Banbury Hill to Enstone road, so that i can get onto the A44 to get to Oxford

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 10:14

Does anyone know what the road conditions are like on the Woodstock to Judds road and also what the Banbury hill to Enstone road is like please. Just want to get onto the A44 to Oxford. Thanks in advance.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 09:02

The roads in Charlbury itself are fine. The Woodstock Road certainly wasn't last night. I suggest you wait till the sun's had a chance to melt a bit of the ice.

Thu 7 Jan 2010, 09:00

Hi. I'm contemplating trying to get to Charlbury from Fawler today for some milk. Does anyone know whether the Fawler road is driveable? Are the main roads in Charlbury OK? Thanks in advance.