Totally inadequate lighting at X-roads junction of Slade, En

Sat 28 Jan 2006, 17:23

Re John Larder's posting, it's going to be interesting when buses try to turn left at the Corner House !

Sat 28 Jan 2006, 09:14

Look, my comment about electricity was intended to be ironic.

And there's certainly a degree of irony in my having to point that out.

Meanwhile, I'd still like to know why there isn't be a proper school crossing (that cards have to stop for) at the top of the Slade so that primary school children can be safe while corssing, coming to and from school outside of the two half hours a day covered by the Lolly Pop woman?

It just seems to be such an obvious precaution for school children that only costs some paint: it's bewildering why there isn't one.

Does somebody actually think that a demarked school crossing doesn't make it safer for school children

Tue 24 Jan 2006, 22:41

Tell you what Igor, if it was not for eletickery you would be stuffed with your computor!!!!!. and what would we do without the forum? talk to each other perhaps!

Tue 24 Jan 2006, 19:57

Amen Geoff!! I'm terrified I'll fall into the chip on some posters shoulders one of these days......
On the subject of lighting, the junction is fine, I can't see a problem at all, but I can see the road.... ugh, poor joke. But that said, there is a dark spot where Hundly way joins the Enstone Road....my dog keeps dragging me into puddles at that point!!

Tue 24 Jan 2006, 14:26

Igor
Somewhere you have an on/off switch, try using it, nobody forcing you into switching on.
But then you would not be able to post on this forum!

Mon 23 Jan 2006, 21:38

There are two street lights on this junction within 10 metres of the cross road!

Fri 20 Jan 2006, 09:36

Generally speaking, I'm in favour of keeping Charlbury dark. I like seeing the stars--very visible from where I live since the lighting is so poor. And that's fine by me.

I agree.
I think electricity in general has caused more problems than solutions. Statistically, there were far fewer bicycle and auto accidents heren during the gaslight era. The advent of electricity has seen two world wars, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Jeremy Clark on TV.

I'd like to propose the eradication of electricity in Charlbury.

Once Charlbury proves we can get along fine without the imposition of new technologies, we can persuade neighbouring villages like Finstock and Chaddlington to give it up. Perhaps, taking the movement country-wide.

I was never asked if I wanted electricity when I moved here; were you?

Fri 13 Jan 2006, 20:32

Just as a matter of interest - what would happen if you reversed the one way system completely?

Market Street and Sheep Street led into the centre and Browns Lane, Enstone Road and Sheep Street led out of town - the Nine Acres, Slade junction was a left or right choice when coming from Enstone - and make some of the streets no parking streets.

Fri 6 Jan 2006, 19:57

Christine
We held a sub committee meeting of the Town Council on Weds Evening and it was suggested that you put your concerns in a letter to The Town Clerk, this way you letter will be read out at the meeting , and discussed. Letter to Town Clerk, 9 Hill Close, Charlbury
John
ps. This is the correct Forum for any concerns that members of the public may have on issues in the Town, and would like the Town Council to consider.

Fri 6 Jan 2006, 17:04

Generally speaking, I'm in favour of keeping Charlbury dark. I like seeing the stars--very visible from where I live since the lighting is so poor. And that's fine by me.

But this junction is very dangerous & an accident waiting to happen. And I often think the accident will be me. I recently hurt my back & have been walking slowly, and this has made me particularly conscious of such things.

Thank you, John, for agreeing to raise this at the next Town Council meeting. I have would have raised it at the meeting with the police in the Autumn had I been able to get there.

And, yes, I do know we are a town--sorry!--but Charlbury still is (thankfully) rural enough to feel like a village. And I recognise that the lack of good street lighting contributes to this...

Christine

Wed 4 Jan 2006, 22:17

Well, there is a totally useless light about 75 metres away from that junction, completely buried in a tree. Total waste.

As usual, the Europeans do things right. If we were to replace a lot of the light polluting fittings with properly directed and lower energy consumption lights (and if properly directed and hooded one doesn't need the wattage to get the effect) then we could add lights where necessary, and still reduce them.

Perhaps motion detectors/IR stuff for lighting in some areas might be a way for the future? Ju' wunnerin'

Tue 3 Jan 2006, 20:59

and the result...more light pollution and global warming!

Tue 3 Jan 2006, 09:47

I'd like to add my 2cents to Malcolm's comments: there appears to be a general lack of inertia when it comes to accomodating changes in traffic volume and movement brought upon by town changes (e.g. the Coop). The turning into the parking area behind the Coop has also become a juncture of chaos as pedestrians, cyclists and driver attempt to cope with the increased traffic flow.

It's almost amusing sometimes to watch the circus or it will be until someone is seriously injured.

I agree with Malcolm that the authorities need to adopt a policy of pre-emption rather than reaction.

Mon 2 Jan 2006, 16:56

Christine
Firstly, we live in a Town not a Village ,your concern at the lack of lighting,and pedestrian dangers, I will bring to the attention of The Town Council when we next meet

John Harrison

Mon 2 Jan 2006, 10:53

I entirely agree with this post. This cross road has become much busier since the Co-op moved. It's particularly dangerous in the early evening with the number of cars coming up from the station. The pavement is also quite inadequate on two of the four sides. Thus, there's no obvious way to cross safely in the dark from the Co-op side of the side road to the pavement side of of the Slade. I was recently stuck there for over 10 minutes (in the pouring rain) waiting for a suitable gap in the traffic. As well as Street Lights, some kind of pedestrian crossing seems to be required. Even taking a torch does not always do the trick because of the fast speed of the traffic turning left into the Slade from the Enstone Road. Like many others I like to walk to the Village shops, but am put off after dark because of the problems crossing the road at this junction.

Fri 16 Dec 2005, 22:59

Crossing over this junction at night - which is now about 3.30 pm after school it seems, i.e. on the way back from the shops with the kids after school pickup time - is getting pretty scary. Particularly given the speed cars come along the last big from the Enstone Rd. (Aside: I still maintain a speed camera just after the bend in the 30mph zone would pay for the community centre in a couple of weeks!).

A main contributor to this is the totally inadequate lighting at this junction, which is used by quite a few people and in particular kids.

To wit, there aren't any! The nearest lights are about 50-70- yards away from the junction. There are none lighting the crossing point at all, which is so dark I can't see people who are more than about 15 feet away!

This is downright dangerous seeing how busy the traffic can get at this junction, probably the busiest point in the whole town traffic system in Town (and certainly one with the highest speeds of cars methinks).

Can someone like a councillor get onto this toot de sweet? Seems a crazy road planning omission. One doesn#t necessarily want to light up the whole place like Las Vegas but there are particular spots where some well directed lighting is A Necessity For Safety.

On a tangent, quite a lot of the lights there are about are well obscured by trees thus rendering them a waste of energy and useless generators of CO2 pollution. Further a lot of the lights are sources of significant light pollution - wouldn't it be nice to replace them with modern improved designs that are properly directed to where the light is needed and not leaking into the sky in all directions?

But I don't want to detract too much from the main point - something Needs To Be Done about this junction!