Road crossings and The Slade

Thu 26 Jun 2008, 15:05

Yes, *Vicki*, 'I am what's wrong with Charlbury today'.

The anti-cyclist attitudes, the deification of automobiles (at these petrol prices, no less!), and the idea that everywhere in Charlbury is in as much a need of a pedestrian crossing as directly in front of the sole primary school on the unsafest road in the town are all what make Charlbury exactly the kind of village it is.

Goodnight!

Good luck Derek, but I don't believe you'll find either reason or the highway code bear much clout in this thread.

Wed 25 Jun 2008, 09:03

Sharyn, I also remember families who let their kids run riot in the road, thus making it unsafe for car drivers! And who knows, maybe this family actually had jobs, making it a neccessity to use the car. Igor, this isn't meant to be personal but i'm afriad you are what is wrong with Charlbury today. There was a speeding problem before you moved to Charlbury and I'm sure there would be one if you ever leave. In fact, it isn't just Charlbury that has a problem, its 99.9% of the country I imagine. Personally I think that unless you educate drivers to drive sensibly, without speeding and endangering lives, there will always be a problem. As for The Slade needing a crossing to make it safer, there are numerous places in Charlbury that could use a crossing, such as Nine Acres Lane, in the town centre etc. I just think using a title like you have implies that you only care about the place you live, not Charlbury as a whole and in my honest opinion, that is whats wrong with Charlbury nowadays, too many people moving in thinking about whats best for them, not the good of the town!

Tue 24 Jun 2008, 12:48

Roger: I'm sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience with a group of cyclists. Obviously I wasn't there so I can't really comment on it, except to say that I am disappointed and rather surprised. It's possible that you may have encountered the "peleton" of a road…

Long post - click to read full text

Sun 22 Jun 2008, 22:57

PS derek the cyclists that i have almost had accidents in charlbury with at no time have i said that they were cycle club members ,they are local people who have in my opinion abused the laws of the highway.

Sun 22 Jun 2008, 22:53

Derek i am more than happy to answer your question .The point i was making about the cycle club happened not in charlbury but on the road from the turn off of the 361 banbury to chipping norton road whilst i was travelling from banbury to charlbury.About 25 cyclists were riding together completely blocking one side of the road and they did nothing to help me pass safely . When i did try to overtake after waiting several minutes behind them ,abuse was shouted at me as i passed . Now i do take care with any cyclist ,but it makes me mad when i have abuse shouted at me ,when no attempt to let pass them safely by going to single file for a moment would have let me on my way .As i say we all have use of the highway ,lets all use it sensibly.

Sun 22 Jun 2008, 21:58

I note that Roger has made no attempt whatsoever to answer my question. I have to assume therefore that his comment about "cycle club members" was meant to be a pejorative one. He sees one cyclist cycling badly and automatically assumes that he is a member of a cycle club. Where is your evidence for this assertion Roger: did he tell you that he was a cycle club member? Did you ask him? I don't have any statistics to hand but based on my personal knowledge I would guess that less than 1% of all cyclists nationwide belong to a cycle club. It is probably far more likely therefore that your cycling miscreant did not belong to a cycle club.

I have been a cycle club member for 6 years and my younger brother for over 25 years so I know quite a lot about cycle clubs. Most members of cycle clubs are very experienced cyclists; they are used to riding on roads and in heavy traffic; they are adept at handling their machines; almost all of them are also motorists themselves (look at the laybys full of cars at the start of any time trial!) and are therefore likely to have at least some consideration for other road users.

I think this sort of kneejerk reaction sums up everything that is wrong with this forum. People make ill-informed, inflammatory and emotional judgements about other people without any reference to the facts. As a result, the debate never progresses. Like Igor, I also feel like giving up and spending my time more profitably on something else.

Sat 21 Jun 2008, 10:20

Igor ,i rest my case .Just when i thought that we might be getting somewhere with Richards suggestion then you have to spit out the dummy and say i am not playing anymore (not that there was any playing involved). Why is it that we cannot behave like rational people . You are a Charlbury resident like the rest of us so why do you have to come out with comments like you have in your latest posting. The only way to achieve anything is to attract people to your cause rather than alienate them which seems to be what is happening .Your points are valid about the slade and possibly yellow lines on the slade hill would make it safer for everyone to cross the road to school . I am all in favour of any road safety measure which protects vunerable people in charlbury.So why do we not take things up with the local councillors about the issues that we feel affect Charlbury.

Sat 21 Jun 2008, 10:00

I'm going to give up.
This has become a waste of time

No matter how many times I restate my position or proffer facts regarding road safety and the dangers posed by speeding drivers, I'm still consistently and unfairly accused of being anti-motorist, anti-Charlbury and probably anti cute kittens as well.

It's become obvious that it is impossible to enter into a useful discussion concerning a community issue on this forum when the general response is a chorus of defensiveness to the very idea that there's problem in the first case.

And how dare I point out that there might be some flaw in the great tapestry of Charlbury!

I'm grown bored as well restating the obvious over and over again when it's also obvious that no matter what I assert, it will not only be ignored but reinterpreted to suit someone else's agenda. I've never claimed to represent any cyclist lobby or organisation and yet somehow any misdemeanor committed by a cyclist is used to argue against my asserting the need for better road safety.

So I'll leave you to it and hope that none of you or your children ever get the sharp end of this nonexistent problem.

Sat 21 Jun 2008, 06:57

NOW i feel we are having a sensible discussion about traffic in charlbury ,in what richard is saying . it would only take a little from all sides to rectify what is wrong within charlbury.Lets once and for all get away from the one for cycling ,one for driving attitude and start to identify that we all do things as human beings that we should not instead of coming back at each other with less than helpful remarks.The first thing about charlbury that should be looked at is the yellow line marking ,to me there is a lot of places where they should be but are not and some places where they are but maybe should not be . Secondly i feel that there maybe should be no charge for parking at the station as this would encourage people to take their cars all the way to the station instead of some leaving them in browns lane and others parts of charlbury thus helping to congest the roads even further .But by far the best idea comes from Richard when he says about shared space ,if this could be achieved what a result this would be .But until it could be then ,we all wether it be driver,cyclist,bus driver or alien to abide by the laws of the highway and use the roads in charlbury and anywhere else for that matter as the law was intended.I as a driver try my utmost not to speed through charlbury and let it be noted that i do not readily accept anyone speeding through our town or any other area where there is a speed restriction .As for igors comments about my civic pride ,i am proud to live in charlbury ,but its little digs at people ,by some that as i have said come to live in charlbury and make issues about certain parts of charlbury that cause me to react .As i have said lets persue richards theory of what we would like charlbury to be rather than behaving in a manner likely to cause more harm than good.I will not hold my breath on that one though.COME ON IGOR -PROVE ME WRONG.

Fri 20 Jun 2008, 18:23

"Not too difficult" is absolutely true in isolation. But when you take the one-way system of Brown's Lane, no cycling through the churchyard, plus the speed at which some - not all, of course - people roar down Enstone Lane, day after day, you can understand that the cumulative effect…

Long post - click to read full text

Fri 20 Jun 2008, 17:55

Igor - You are getting rather boring with your anti-motorist theme. Most motorists drive both carefully and safely.

As a cyclist and motorist, I feel that contra-flow systems are particulary dangerous to pedestrians who do not expect bikes to be coming at them from either direction on a one way street.

I don't find it too difficult to get off my bike and walk up the 100m of Browns Lane. Hopefully this shouldn't pose a great problem for you either.

Fri 20 Jun 2008, 17:18

RE: Dark Cyclist Riding Against Traffic
No, it's not me but it is a problem because of the one way system in Charlbury intended to control automobile traffic flow. What's needed is a contre flow cycle lane going up the road to encourage direct route from the train station.

Fri 20 Jun 2008, 13:02

How did this ever turn into a motorist vs cyclist debate?
The original thread is about road safety on The Slade specifically and in Charlbury, in general.

Why any driver would feel defensive about bad driving is a mystery to me. But speeding and bad driving leads to fatalities and serious injuries in this county. We don't have an annual toll of fatalities caused by cyclists in Oxfordshire, but we do have one for driving fatalities.

I don't dislike drivers in general (my wife drives and I quite like her); I dislike bad drivers and I encounter alot of them both cycling and as a pedestrian. My daughter often has to cross The Slade and like Malcolm, I fear for her safety given what both she and I have observed.

When I've spoken to the Thames police what can be done about it, they and the highway police have confirmed that they are aware of a large incidence of speeding and unsafe driving in and around Charlbury. The Slade in particular has been identified as a problem road. But the police can't be everywhere all the time and turn to communities to address the matter by raising awareness of road safety concerns and organising traffic watches to discourage speeding and unsafe drivers.

I'm sorry if that hurts your civic pride, Roger; but if you're really as dedicated to defending and maintaining the good reputation of Charlbury, I would think you'd want to address the problems we do have by finding solutions, rather than lambasting those that point them out.

Fri 20 Jun 2008, 08:34

I agree with you roger, the cyclist must be the one I have met twice at night no lights coming up from the bull direction against the traffic, had very dark clothes on, Lucky i was not going FAST, if I had hit him I would now have been a Charlbury Speeding Motorist!

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 23:34

Derek and Richard . My point is simple RESPECT .it should come from both sides namely motorists and cyclists. I do not have the benefit of a prime education so i probably put things in a manner that does not come accross correctly. I narrowly missed a cyclist coming round by the bull this evening from market street ,thus riding against the traffic ,but then some will find that acceptable unless i had knocked him off his bike ,then it would have been my because i should have taken more care .The watchword must be that we all abide by the law or we do what we like and to hell with the consequences. Maybe my next experience with a cycle club will be a good one and then i can come back on here and heap praise instead of having to explain myself which of course i am quite happy to do.

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 22:24

Yes, speaking as a member of a cycle club myself perhaps Roger would care to expand on his comment because I confess I don't know what point he is trying to make.

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 19:14

didnt know we had a road safty policy you know more than me and i live here.

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 14:31

Roger - I think you'll find that was a tongue-in-cheek comment!

On the cycling club angle: most cyclists are not members of cycling clubs. Characterising cyclists by reference to racing cycling clubs is like characterising general standards of driving by the World Rally Championships. As it happens, I've found some groups of cyclists very happy to pull over to prevent a queue of cars forming, some less so. Wish I could say the same about HGVs on the A429...

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 14:18

What can i say, in some ways and in some things you are right Igor .I do however find that when you mention manuals for the way to behave and perhaps the council or chamber could issue one ,this i find offensive to the very people of charlbury that have been here a long time .We are not a load of oiks that stand at a farm gate sucking on straw waiting for people like yourself to come along with fine words and tell us how we should behave . All that is required is the respect for one anothers opinions whatever they be on any matter on this forum or spoken in public . As for the cyclists ,observe if you will if you are ever out on the open road, a cycle club and how they behave towards motorists .As for the point you make about drinking and driving ,it is obvious to anyone that this has not been stopped from happening and probably will not be entirely because like speeding motorists we do not have enough police officers on the streets to deal with eveything.Finally as far as igor differentiateing between safe drivers and speeding drivers ,i just happen to think that Igor does not like car drivers if it means we get in the way of him on his bike. I hope he never gets knocked in queen street or cornmarket oxford by a cyclist who cannot abide by the signs there.

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 11:46

"like Finstock who have a very active and vigilante road safety and traffic watch programmes"

Do we??

unless this is the 'offical' name for the dozen 'watch your speed' stickers on the bins along Witney Road.

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 09:07

Towards Consensus:
My previous post didn't sufficiently acknowledge Roger's closing assertion about stopping speeding everywhere in Charlbury nor the poignant eloquence of Malcolm's post. I believe we all basically agree.

The point of bringing attention to the subject in the first place is that perception is at the root of the issue. The kind of perception that sees everything and everyone on the other side of a windscreen as obstacles to ones "right" to the road. Or the perception that all speeding drivers are male teenage punks with no respect for the law.

The reason for bringing this issue up on this forum is that these perceptions are wrong.
The vast majority of those detained for speeding are people of all ages and both sexes who consider themselves law-abiding, conscientious members of the community. They believe that going over the speed limit is a minor misdemeanor, a 'white lie' against the highway code; and if nobody catches you, what's the harm?

This was exactly the same attitude towards drunk driving not 20 years ago: having a couple of drinks before jumping behind the wheel was once considered a bit of mischief at worst; and drunk drivers who caused fatalities were not us, but some OTHER group of irresponsibles.

It took years for hard facts and harder penalties to puncture those illusions and it will probably take as long to deflate the idea that speeding is not the cause of fatalities that wreck real people's lives.

Think twice before pressing down on the gas pedal:
Is your right to drive really worth the price someone else may be forced to pay simply because you don't think it's that big a deal?

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 08:14

Roger, I obviously think my opinion counts on this forum or why would I bother to contribute it in the first place? My disagreements are with those opinions that seem to think that speeding in a two ton slab of metal is some sort of inalienable right or that a child riding their bike on the pavement is somehow an equivalent threat to safety as a speeding SUV on a residential road while children are trying to cross to school.

And I see this every day in Charlbury.
And I encounter the arrogance of this attitude on this forum on a regular basis.

Along with idiot motorists who gun their engines right behind ones bike or narrowly overtake because they live under the mistaken assumption that our roads belong to drivers more than other users. Drivers should pay road tax, their vehicles cause much more wear and tear on the roads they're paying for.

As far as getting your goat goes Roger, I'm sorry if I don't conform to your idea of how a resident of Charlbury should comport or express themselves; perhaps the council or chamber could issue a residents manual?

In the meantime, I wlll continue to draw attention to speeding and reckless driving as it is a consistent problem in and around Charlbury, whether the fact of the matter is accepted by some residents or not.

What do they say at AA? You have to accept that you have a problem first before you can solve it.

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 07:14

Hi ,I apologise to anyone that i have seemed to have offended .It was unforgivable of me to trivialise motoring offences and it was certainly not my intention to do so.The issues that really get my goat with Igor ,is that he seems to think that only his opinions count in anything that is written in any thread on the forum .I like many others have lived in Charlbury all my life and have seen people come to live here that have taken over from local people that have run clubs and orginisations in charlbury for many years ,only to very quickly get fged up shall we say and then things close down and we get many parents saying THERE IS NOTHING TO DO IN CHARLBURY.So please forgive me if seemed to have lost my way as it was never my intention to make light of anyone and certainly not a mother losing her life to some idiot causing her life to end in a tragic way ,like it did.I would just like Igor to appreciate all of charlbury and speeding drivers in all parts of Charlbury and lets find some way of making this town safe for all to live in .I did notice a speed net in the slade the other day ,but i have not seen in 27 years a speed net in nineacres lane ,which i believe to be as fast if not faster than the Slade .Cmon make my day lets stop ALL speeding in CHARLBURY. FULL STOP

Thu 19 Jun 2008, 00:42

Roger: Igor has always been careful to differentiate between "speeding drivers" and "safe drivers". It would be appreciated if you could extend the same courtesy to cyclists rather than dealing in sweeping assertions. Thanks.

Richard (driver, cyclist and railway passenger)

Wed 18 Jun 2008, 23:59

Oh come on Roger, do some basic statistics on road incident levels and impacts! If the levels caused by "personal transport systems" were caused by personal violence on the streets then Medellin is a mountain paradise.

Have people forgotten we buried a few months ago the mother of two young…

Long post - click to read full text

Wed 18 Jun 2008, 23:31

P.S. if you cycle up a farm track you should be safe as tractors do not speed.

Wed 18 Jun 2008, 23:27

The fact that you dislike criminals is to be admired ,i think the majority of us do .The part that motorists pay for the priviledge of driving at the pumps is a little misleading i think .We drivers pay tax to drive on the roads unlike cyclists who think they have a special dispensation to block up the roads when riding as a group.And furthermore who do you think pays for all the cycle lanes on the roads ,it is sure not the cyclists. I wish that they would have a little more common sense in groups and not hold up us poor drivers .As for the special road strategy that they have in finstock ,why do not you start such a group in charlbury and see how many helpers you might get.

Wed 18 Jun 2008, 13:44

P.S. I tend to enjoy things more when they're not threatened.

Wed 18 Jun 2008, 13:42

Speeding is not a freedom.
It's a crime and a life threatening and that.

And pardon me for disliking criminals. I've got no beef with safe drivers who obey the residential speed limits. Drivers pay their dues for their PRIVLEDGE to drive at the petrol pump.

The authorities do agree with me; at least the highway authorities do and they wish there were more community responsiveness to road safety in Charlbury as in adjacent communities like Finstock who have a very active and vigilante road safety and traffic watch programmes.

Mon 16 Jun 2008, 12:41

Whilst i take your point about gun,knife and drugs crime,they wreck more lives than the motorist that you seem to dislike so much.The fact that we have freedom for a lot of things in this country including driving ,i might add not at speed where you should not and freedom of speech which we all enjoy why is it that you have to pick on the things that matter a lot to a community like ours . Surely your energy would be better spent enjoying what is around you than finding fault when no one in authority real gives a hoot what you think. Enjoy life

Mon 16 Jun 2008, 10:22

According to the Department of Transport in 2006, 31,845 people were killed or seriously injured nationwide out of 258,404 road casualties.
The number of children killed or seriously injured in 2006 was 3,294 . Of those, 2,025 were pedestrians.

If these stats were associated with guns, knives or taking drugs, we'd be calling it a national epidemic, clamouring at our politicians to do something. And yet somehow we are willing to accept that this is a necessary price to pay in order to retain our freedom to drive, when we want,where we want and as fast as we want.

My "minority opinion" is that there's something wrong with this logic.

Mon 16 Jun 2008, 10:09

I don't understand: how can the number of road casualties caused by speeding drivers be a matter of opinion? To Quote from the Guardian:

"But the number of child pedestrian deaths shows England has a poor record. Ten countries have fewer child deaths, and among the worst are Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The countries with the lowest rate of child casualties tend to have more speed reduction measures, light-controlled crossings and play areas."

Last time I checked the laws of physics weren't determined by popular vote.

Sun 15 Jun 2008, 18:19

Igor ,at the chance of being boring if no one else can see your point of view then that must put you in the minority. Lets just leave it that there are rights and wrongs on both sides and lets just learn to respect each others views.

Sun 15 Jun 2008, 14:32

A speeding driver is always dangerous when they speed in a residential area. I can't be the only one to register the difference a vehicle traveling 30 mph makes on a pedestrian compared to 40 mph.

Sun 15 Jun 2008, 08:07

Well sharyn that does just show you how some people will not walk at all ,unless there was some other good reason as to why they felt the need to do that, must have been some good reason ????

Sat 14 Jun 2008, 22:28

i can remember a family who took there child to school in the car dropped them off then returned home and they only lived up the road in ticknell piece

Sat 14 Jun 2008, 20:19

Igor there is no need for an apology i assure you as i quite enjoy our disagreements as you call them. But it begs the question namely why you feel people want to put you in your place as you put it .Could it be that people find you a little forceful in your argument on all things charlbury. The fact is that charlbury has mostly been a safe place for a very long time in fact ever since i can remember. When charlbury was changed to a one way system it was obvious that it would increase traffic in the slade . The fact that us drivers have gone from being speeding drivers to dangerous as well makes me this we should adopt a pedestrian strategy and ban cars from charlbury altogether. And bikes.

Thu 12 Jun 2008, 14:12

Roger: I don't harbour any personal feelings in our points of disagreement and I apologise if I've given you that impression. But what's amazing to me are the number of posters on this site who claim they agree with the substance of my points: the need for a safe crossing for the primary school, too many speeding and dangerous drivers around Charlbury and FGW's lack of punctuality and yet feel obligated to 'put me in my place' regardless.

Personally, I don't want to wait for another 9 year old to be killed by a driver before there's the will to install a permanent crossing in front of the primary school.

Wed 11 Jun 2008, 20:59

i and most of the children and parents in finstock walk to school the ones that dont are from out of the village and cant. and its not people living in finstock that drive fast through its lorrys and vans that are making deliverys.

Tue 10 Jun 2008, 12:41

igor a few days back asked 'Why do you think so many parent drive their kids to and from school?' and pointed out 'The rush hours congestion on The Slade is enough to dissuade even cycling to school.'
well firstly i think parents are lazy and can't be bothered to walk with their children to school, now i have to say there are quite a few that do walk (and these parents clearly feel comfortable enough in doing so as they allow their children to walk in front of them and indeed run down the hill on their own)but the ones that insist on driving then contribute to the 'congestion' that Igor points out is the reason why children don't cycle to school. clearly nobody can ever 'win' against Igor's opinions - he has a valid point in wanting to ensure all the children walk to school and can cross safely but surely encouragement to use ones own feet would provide an instant and free solution. then with the added number of children requiring a permanent crossing solution the expense is more understandable.

As for Finstock, when residents stop speeding through the village themselves then we can complain about others. but again it would do no harm for more parents to endure a bit of exercise in the morning and afternoons.

Tue 10 Jun 2008, 08:13

i think and i maybe wrong but the crossing put in near londis was after a yong boy was knocked of his bike there. its not only charlbury that cars drive fast through in finstock along school road they fly past there and we have no crossing or lolliepop lady.i know we are smaller than charlbury but alot of people cut through the village just to get to the main road quicker.

Tue 10 Jun 2008, 05:35

Thankyou richard for giving us our own heading ,it was encroaching on what is an important issue for charlbury namely the railway . Anyway getting back to the debate about the slade ,i do not see that there is any need to stop traffic as igor says to cross the road as when we brought our children up we were with them crossing any main roads in charlbury,given then there was a lot less traffic.Whilst I agree that the traffic does sometimes go to fast through the whole of charlbury, is it not suicidal or maybe silly to try and stop traffic surely patience is the order of the day .My grandaughter often says to me when i get impatient ,grandad chill out .Maybe they are wiser than we think and we should take a lead from them on road safety

Mon 9 Jun 2008, 20:15

(Postings moved from the Cotswold Line thread --Richard)

Mon 9 Jun 2008, 13:30

Not you though frank ??

Fri 6 Jun 2008, 10:27

I thought that this discussion was meant to be about the railway line. As so often happens on the Charlbury web site it has been taken over with ranting by a few individuals who seem to want to force their particular grievance onto any topic. I fear that one result of this is that many in Charlbury with something worthwhile to say are being put off from this site.

Fri 6 Jun 2008, 10:04

Again, my frustration with contributors to this forum is how quick some are to personalise an issue when they can no longer maintain their end of the debate on the basis of factual argument alone. I often cross the road when there is no traffic patrol person on duty, occasionally escorting children across when they are unable to cross themselves due to the traffic that refuses to stop except when there's the risk of getting a ticket. And I sometimes stop drivers when I or others need to cross. As far as honest law abiding drivers are concerned, that's only about 50% of the drivers using The Slade. When the great and good of Charlbury start driving safely and obeying the traffic laws, there won't be a need for a debate.

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 23:29

Elaine, If this is the case (And I have no reason to doubt you)then it puts honest law abiding drivers (Under 30 til Enstone road) at greater risk. I think this deserves a mass debate!!

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 18:11

igor correct me if i'm wrong but i can recall on more than one occasion i have seen YOU crossing the road rather than making use of the lollipop lady!

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 16:21

How anyone could think that the Pelican crossing at Londis half a mile away is a sufficiently safe route to school boggles the mind. Why do you think so many parent drive their kids to and from school? The rush hours congestion on The Slade is enough to dissuade even cycling to school.

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 14:48

My sentiments also. At the end of the day what chance have we got of a pelican crossing being put outside the school if we don't use the lollipop lady when she is there!

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 14:18

Elaine, Surely the crossing at the Londis and correct crossing with the Lollipop lady are the safest means of getting accross the Slade.
To wander accross willy nilly puts legitimate law abiding car drivers at risk.

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 14:15

Roger,
Well I'm glad you don't want to get personal; your comments about my "steaming away" on my bike to Oxford rather than drawing attention to FGW's service made me think otherwise. One of my biggest frustrations with this forum is how quickly some people get overly personal when they disagree with an opinion instead of articulating their differences.

I'm also glad that you don't support the 'entitlement by longevity' divisive position frequently asserted on this forum.

Back to the issues:
1. The traffic calming signs are ignored by more than half of the drivers on The Slade, which is why the police have had to introduce speed nets.
2. The crossing patrol lady is only there for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. The ever increasing traffic flow on The Slade (and common sense) would suggest that a permanent pelican style crossing for children would slow down the traffic and make crossing safer. The nearest such crossing is over half a mile away at Londis. I would think that if we make crossing a busy road in order to go shopping safer for pedestrians we could at least apply the same standard for children having to cross to and from their primary school.
3. In site of all the public meetings, assurances and pronouncements by FGW, the trains are still frequently and unacceptably late running in both directions. But the staff are friendlier now and more apologetic when the trains are late. The step backwards seems to be that the station staff no longer appear aware of precisely how late the trains are running and the electronic schedule seems to be permanently out of order. If train tickets were cheap or the trains nationally owned, I would say that you get what you pay for, but in this instance you most certainly don't.

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 13:18

Igor it has not been my intention to get but personal in this forum but i just find your manner brusque and rather holier than thou. In all the time that i have lived here ,i have never and would never look and anyone and state that you are a newcomer . As a resident of charlbury for years or arrived today you have every right to complain or do what you feel is right ,but it is the way you go about it that may be could do with some honing skills.As you say yourself ,you have had limited success with FGW so maybe let others help you to achieve better success rather than alienate people to get what want . As for the slade speed limit at least you have speed signs there and a wonderful lollypop lady who does a good job in all weathers ,so there you go two outa three aint bad as the song goes .Anyway chin up igor and good luck with FGW

Thu 5 Jun 2008, 12:16

We seem to be straying from the issue intended a bit, but whilst we are on the subject of the school crossing i have to disagree. The lollipop lady does a very good job, it's just a shame that although she is there some parents with children in tow still decide to cross The Slade further down the hill. What sort of an example is that setting the children!