One-way Streets.

Sat 10 Jan 2009, 10:29

yes it is i thourght that talking about past times and funny storys like my grandad go so fast on his bike and not stopping for anyone would be on intrest. a proper charlbury man who was in the fire service and worked for wesley barrows for years never mind im sure it will upset someone but thanks for talking about him john.

Fri 9 Jan 2009, 22:01

Thanks Mandy - George Edgington was who I was talking about. I dare not say anymore about him as it would involve mentioning one way streets and speed limits and would obviously get my message deleted.

Isn't it a shame that one persons continuous postings result in other peoples very occasional postings with reminisences of past times in Charlbury being deleted!!

Fri 9 Jan 2009, 10:59

David's right. Apologies, I was going to make the warning more prominent but haven't had time this week. John - I've deleted your message, nothing personal but I'm really trying to reduce the heat on this matter.

Fri 9 Jan 2009, 08:36

the fireman you are talking about is my grandad and his name is gerore edgington ive heard many storys of him on his bike going to a fire call.

Thu 8 Jan 2009, 23:00

I thank you David for your thrice repeated message but as I don't have the opportunity to read this forum that often or to spend a lot of time reading every message I think that I am entitled to at least add my thoughts when able to. If my posts are deleted then so be it.

Thu 8 Jan 2009, 22:40

On 2nd January Richard (Site Admin) stated:
"Any discussion of cycling, driving, 4x4 snowmobiles etc. for the next fortnight WILL be deleted."

This missive may not be apparent to all, as it is somewhat hidden in the subject "Insurance Increases"

Also Igor subsequently vowed to give this forum a 'wide berth' - so expect posts addressed to him personally to pass without response.

Thu 8 Jan 2009, 20:57

(removed, see above)

Thu 18 Dec 2008, 09:50

At a recent meeting of the Chipping Norton Neighbourhood Action Group (which brings together representatives from the Police, District Council, local Parish and Town Councils, and ordinary citizens), I relayed the concerns, in Charlbury, about vehicles driving up one-way streets the wrong way. This is viewed as a serious offence, and the advice given by the Police is to report any incident by calling 08458 505 505, stating the following details:
• Vehicle registration number
• Vehicle make
• Vehicle model
• Vehicle colour
• Date and time of incident.
The Police can then send letters to the owners of the offending vehicles and, by so doing, hopefully deter a majority of drivers from re-offending.

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 23:38

The parked cars on the bend of Dancers Hill do actually play a useful role in that they cause many motorists to slow down. Can you imagine the speed that some people would drive at if those cars were not parked there! It would be a similar situation if Dancers Hill and Pooles Lane were to be made one way - (a call I hear fairly regularly)in the knowledge that no one should be driving in the opposite direction, the speedsters would go even faster than they do at present.

Igor's suggestion about having a marked 'route' for pedestrians and cyclists on Pooles Lane may not be such a bad idea. There are roadsigns advising motorists in both directions on Pooles Lane that there is no pedestrian footway but these are often ignored. However, a continuous marked walkway/cycleway on the road surface would be a far stronger reminder of the need to drive with restraint - and speaking of restraint, the best way to slow the traffic is to drive slowly yourself. Most roads in Charlbury, if not all of them, should have a 20 mph limit imposed and I think the Charlbury Town Council should be pressed to get County approval for such measures. Until that happens I will drive slowly and be disappointed when there is no one racing behind me but enjoy the moments when I cause someone to reduce their speed. Eventually I'm hoping to be able to have a restraining influence on the builder's blue truck that is forever racing up and down Pooles Lane & Dancers Hill but I'll probably just give the details to the police and ask them to do something about it.

But we should all remember, if we don't want people to drive fast in our community, we should not expect to drive fast through Spelsbury, Finstock and elsewhere.

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 18:26

That would sound like it's the school (I assume you're talking about some kind of after-school club?) telling her she is not allowed to? So they don't get sued should anything happen to her. Or is it her parents?

I have a congenital problem which makes it difficult for me to judge speed and distance, and I have no problems crossing roads at night - you simply look for the car lights and then go or not as the case may be. Perhaps people without this problem never learn this? Whatever, crossing to the middle, standing on an island and then crossing further at night really shouldn't cause someone who moves at the average speed any problems. I also don't see why anyone would want to cycle to the primary school from the Slade, but never mind. As far as I see the problem with kids cycling to the school is not the speed of the traffic but the parked cars outside the school forcing them into the middle of the road.

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 15:57

Well, Harriet, your 11 year old daughter's opinion is in a minority and if you recall, (please, pleas read what I post), I never suggested a pavement rather a painted demarkation for pedestrians and cyclists.

I'm glad that your 11 year old feels safe to cross the Slade at this dark time of year during the the rush hour traffic. My 9 year old daughter wasn't permitted to leave My Time at 5.30 pm on her own because she had to cross the road.

Likewise, my daughter is not the only child that doesn't feel safe cycling on the Slade to school in the mornings, that's why all the kids ride on the pavement. And more power to them. When you have a propensity of speeders who disdain cyclists on the main road, you go where it's safe to cycle.

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 15:00

Igor, you need to encourage your daughter to walk and cycle home from school by herself. My daughter is now 11 but she walks round Charlbury by herself, although admitedly she doesn't go to school here. In fact, I have to say that the crossing outside the primary school is one of the safest places to cross the B4022, but then I have lived in places other than Charlbury where the traffic levels are far higher and faster, although some of the places concerned were smaller.

You may like to know that her suggestion was that it is quite safe to walk up Pooles Lane, and she sees no need for a pavement.

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 07:57

Roger, no offence taken whatsoever....

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 07:09

Sorry I have no sympathy for posters who try and distract from the main topic of Road Safety (please read the subject before posting!) into some little Englander tirade about foreigners telling locals what to do.

I write about the appalling drivers in Charlbury because they are on my doorstep (not in the US or New York or France or Germany but here, in Charlbury), and I have a 9 year old daughter who cannot walk home from school on her own or cycle to and from school on her own precisely because of the speeding drivers on the Slade and the general hostility many drivers exhibit towards cyclists.

And I fear for her safety especially in a community that takes such strong objection to the idea of a permanent school crossing on the busiest road in the village because, oh dear, they might have to slow down their vehicles occasionally!

Just last night I had to caution yet another local motorist who was gunning his motor while tail gating me on Sheep Street because he obviously wanted to go faster than the 15 mph I was traveling. Why would you need to drive fast on Sheep Street, it's in the middle of an old village?

I don't really care if some lurker feels that I have some peculiar problem with negativity or doesn't like the accent the information is imparted in, but until the situation improves, I'm going to continue complaining about the poor drivers in (and around) Charlbury, because until you do something about it, that's all I can do.

Fri 5 Dec 2008, 00:20

Sitting as I am in New York, I rather agree with Roger's sentiments. Everyone here, as usual, is very pleasant and helpful. But looking into the forum and home territory from a great distance lends a slightly different perspective. Some of the ill-tempered bickering just sounds - well - just a little petty. Other members of the Forum and and least one habitual lurker are clearly exasperated by the endless noise and squabbling, which deters them - and frankly me - from bothering to post very often. And others, it seems to me, are so aggressive, intemperate, monothematic (and even monomaniacal) that they do more than they can possibly know to turn other people off the possibly perfectly good causes that it appears they want to promote.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 23:03

John M ,please accept my sincere apologies for my earlier posting about americans.Most americans i have met have been very nice and i admire on a regular basis the respect that they have for others.
There are exceptions just as there are everywhere in the world and i let a particular one get to me .So just to put the record straight ii have not met you ,so forgive me for getting frustrated in this instance.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 19:22

No problem: "The country of birth question in the 2001 Census had five tick box responses: one each for the four parts of the UK and one for the Republic of Ireland. Where there was no applicable tick box, people were asked to write in the present name of their country of birth. The written responses were coded using the ONS Geography Classification of Countries. Countries are classified geographically not politically. For example, the Canary Islands are classified as North Africa rather than Western Europe even though they belong to Spain." All of that and more on: neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Great fun to play with! More relevant to the topic (for example): 2,283 cars/vans in the ward - including 42 households with 4 or more cars/vans, 536 households with 2 cars/vans and a mere 260 households with no cars/vans.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 19:20

This thread has now become very tiresome with everyone trying to win their own point of view. I read Susies posting with great interest and give her the vote for common sense. What is your problem Igor? This is not a perfect world, everyone makes mistakes, not all road or environmental issues are perfect. Any person or official body with an ounce of common sense strives to make the world a better place, and that even applies to Charlbury. Please refrain from aportioning blame, which is very negative. Drivers, cyclists and pedestians are all human beings and are subject to making mistakes. It is not a perfect world that we live in. I wonder how perfect you are? Juist for the record, I am a silent reader of this forum and generally refrain from posting my feelings for fear of getting gobbed by the I know best posters.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 17:56

To be pedantic, do you know whether that means 27 actually born in the USA or 27 with American citizenship?

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 17:40

According to 2001 census: 27 people born in the USA living in Charlbury/Finstock ward (and 9 Dutch born). And could I second the thought that one could actually do something about some of the traffic problems in Charlbury - without having to refer to anybody's country of birth? As what matters is a shared concern about the safety of some places, the lack of consideration of some road users, and a desire to do something about it BEFORE someone else gets hurt.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 17:04

As an aside, how many Americans are there in Charlbury?

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 17:03

We do drive on the 'correct' left hand side of the road when over here!

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 17:02

And what exactly do you have against 'us Americans'?

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 16:42

You Americans ,all guns and glory nought changes.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 14:19

"There are many places in Charlbury . . . where there are no pedestrian walkways - or only on one side of the road. This is a fact - and cannot be changed."

Why can't it be changed?
Isn't that the definition of 'improvements'?

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 14:11

Please don't let this thread denigrate into another pointless cyclist vs motorist vs pedestrian diversion. I've never said that cyclists are angelic and I spend allot of time in Oxford calling out to fellow cyclists who jump red lights, cycle badly etc.

I can't however, call out to motorists who blitz up Dancer's Hill in the middle of the road because their windows are rolled up and they have the advantage of being surrounded by two tons of armour.

Yes, everyone can behave badly, but the one with the loaded gun is the one you watch.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 13:26

Susie Finch ,the voice of reason .THANKYOU.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 12:39

I don't see any mileage (sorry for the pun) in comparing Charlbury to Oxford - whether in relation to cyclists' or drivers' behaviour. Oxford has countless buses and taxis, a very international community with thousands of visitors, inexperienced students cycling for the first time, very strict parking enforcement, and things like traffic lights, bus lanes, cycle lanes, and so on. Charlbury has none of those.

About the only thing in common, transport-wise, is that the trains aren't on time at either place...

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 12:17

Dancers Hill has never been one-way. The notice saying "No access to town centre" is there to discourage use of that route. There is another one at the entrance to Hixet Wood.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 12:11

I have been reading this thread with interest. I am neither a cyclist or a driver - just a pedestrian. There are many places in Charlbury, because of the nature of how the town has developed over many years, where there are no pedestrian walkways - or only on one side of the road. This is a fact - and cannot be changed.

I think you all have to acknowledge, both drivers and cyclists alike, that care needs to be taken when travelling around Charlbury, and look out for the pedestrians - both drivers and cyclists seem to think they lord it over the road, and do not consider pedestrians.

I dont know what the cyclists are like around Charlbury, but if Oxford is anything to go by, they often cause potential accidents in the City by not keeping to the cycle lanes, getting in the way of buses, swerving across the roads and not adhering to the Highway Code. Only last week, the bus I was on had to swerve out of the way of cyclist, who had no thought for anyone else but himself, and hence the bus crashed into a bollard. Did the cyclist stop? No. So I dont think that cyclists are the angels or the aggrieved parties they make out to be! Sorry Igor and other cyclists, but that it my experience.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 11:54

Oh no they're not! We hope.

Dancers Hill is a nightmare for cyclists (and not much fun for motorists either I understand). I can speak with some authority on this subject as I live right at the bottom of it and cycle up and down it several times a week. The problem is that it is a narrow road on a steep hill with a tight bend in it, i.e. three hazards in one. I don't enjoy cycling either up or down it. Going up is difficult if you meet a motorised vehicle coming down at the same time - there is very little room to pass. My biggest fear is cycling up the hill on a Tuesday afternoon when the dustbin lorry is trying to descend - we coincided on the bend once and I was going too slowly to have pulled my foot out of the pedal without falling off. I scraped jerkily past on the inside but it was a near miss. The only other option seemed to me to slither slowly and ignominiously back down the hill pursued by the trash lorry but fortunately I managed to avoid that. Descending is easier but some nice person has thoughtfully installed a large metallic drain cover just before the entrance to Tanners Court and conveniently positioned it some way out from the gutter to make it easier to detach cyclists from their mounts - if it is wet and you hit that drain cover at the wrong angle then you're going down (I've skidded badly on it at least once).

Why are people allowed to park their cars on Dancers Hill? It narrows the road still further and makes an already hazardous part of town even worse. Presumably Dancers Hill was a one-way street at some point because there is still a sign on the approach from The Slade that says "No access to town centre" which is clearly untrue at the present time. Does anyone know anything about this?

I agree with Igor that some sort of walkway on Pooles Lane would be a good thing but I don't see how it could be done without banning motor vehicles from it entirely.

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 08:16

Are you two thinking of going on stage again and doing panto?

Thu 4 Dec 2008, 07:33

Roger, I'm not going to let this issue get dragged back down to a personal squabble again. The fact is that you, David and a select minority of others are in a state of denial about the state of driving in and around Charlbury. You denigrate those of us (yes, more than just me!) as being negative when what I'm pointing out is my recurring experience riding these roads.

Charlbury has got to be the most driver-friendly village in the Cotswolds, by the tenor of this forum. While surrounding villages enact traffic calming measures and put up go slow signs, our residents complain that there haven't been enough accidents to warrant saying there's a problem at all!

Absolutely incredible.

Wed 3 Dec 2008, 23:27

Igor ,I have to say that if you were on the extreme left side at the bend of Dancers hill then you were very lucky indeed .The fact is that there are very rarely no cars parked on that bend .As for the comment that i do not see any problems with drivers either you are short sighted or you use this as an excuse to keep chirping on about it ,to what end i do not know maybe you think if you keep on something will be done i don't know .Finally what the heck do you mean when you accuse me of caring more about appearances and negativity than as you call people reckless drivers .

Wed 3 Dec 2008, 16:30

I hope you took his number Igor and then Thames valley police will be able to do something about it.

Wed 3 Dec 2008, 15:33

BTW Roger, today was another near miss day as I was heading down Dancer's Hill towards the station at around 12.15. Slowing down to make the turn, I was on the extreme left of the road when I was confronted by yet another tank-like leisure vehicle speeding up the hill in the middle of the road.
I was forced to brake and skid off the road to avoid becoming a hood ornament.

And I was riding a bicycle, if I had been driving it would have been a head on collision.

I know you like to pretend there's no driving problem in Charlbury, but there have been quite a few accidents including a fatality in the past and far too many near misses.

I don't understand how you can care more about appearances and so called 'negativity' than you do about the reckless way people drive in our community.

Try riding a bike for a week and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Wed 3 Dec 2008, 14:00

AH igor ,now i know where you think you have the divine right to be as you are .

Wed 3 Dec 2008, 10:30

Re: "What would Jesus drive?"

A bicycle of course.

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 22:40

Well i see your point of veiw Richard ,but i still feel that at some point if the vicar allows cycling in the churchyard there will be the inevitable accident and just the same in browns lane.The way that drivers turn from pooles lane into browns lane not expecting to see cycles coming towards them and the speed which some drivers do indeed come down enstone road leaves a lot to be desired hence the reason that cyclists go onto the pavement with no thought to anybody coming out of the houses in browns lane.So in reality no one gives a second thought to anyone else it appears.

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 16:41

Dead Slow!

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 16:15

The churchyard: as I'm fairly often to be found popping in and out of the church door I can see both the advantages and disadvantages of any scheme.

Clearly giving unfettered access to this stretch of path alone, when sharing the path isn't the norm elsewhere in Charlbury, could be…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 15:04

Richard ,I agree with some things that you say. Maybe i do go too far the other way from what Igor thinks but it is a fact that there have not been many incidents in Charlbury over the years that constitute such change .
As a young man i was would not ride a bycycle through the churchyard out of respect ,but today it seems people should be able to cycle anywhere, ignoring pedestrians and causing confrontation without a second thought.
What would happen if you were allowed to cycle through the churchyard ,but met someone alighting from the church door it would be a shock to see a bike flashing past you .
Last but not least ,how would a cycle route work in Browns lane as even now you get people riding bikes up the path with no thought for others ,do we wait until someone is run into coming out of their front door as nearly happened to me on one occasion,i don't think so.

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 13:43

It's hardly a fair comparison. Places change during people's lifetimes: there were many fewer cars 60 years ago and they travelled more slowly. (Not that I know how old you are, Roger!)

What worked in 1948 may not necessarily work now - indeed, if Charlbury's roads were preserved as "the way they have been for so long" there wouldn't be a one-way system in the first place. (At a funeral in St Mary's the other week, we were reminded that there are people still alive who can remember Charlbury without mains electricity or water!)

Maybe we should set up a webcam to catch traffic going the wrong way down Market Street?

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 13:22

Well Igor i am sorry that it does not suit you that i was born in Charlbury,but the fact remains that we have coped for many years walking around Charlbury without the need for special areas set aside for cyclists and pedestrians.
Living in a place like Charlbury you choose to come here knowing what the place is like before you move here ,so then to obviously want to then change the structure of the place to what suits you are only going to alienate people who have liked it the way it has been for so long .
If there had been a lot of accidents in Charlbury ,i for one could understand the need for change ,but there has not so lets not take stupidity to far beyond the realms of fantasy saying what if.

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 11:23

Excuse me for not having been born and raised in Charlbury, Roger.
Mea culpa (evidently),

But I was referring to the part of Pool's Lane extending up Dancer's Hill that has no pedestrian pavement. A painted pedestrian/cycle path would solve that problem at very little cost or inconvenience as well as contributing to the traffic calming Charlbury so obviously needs.

There are a number of parents who have expressed their concerns about road safety on that route to school.

But I'm no going to get drawn into pedantry; there's a fairly obvious need for a rethink of a local road system that benefits motorists (both driving and parking), at the expense of both pedestrians and cyclists.

Before you can solve a problem you have to be willing to acknowledge that you have one.

Tue 2 Dec 2008, 10:30

Dismounting and walking through the churchyard seems infinitely preferable to cycling the wrong way down Market St. I would say that the one way system on Market St is a matter of necessity - too little space! Why can't we cycle though the churchyard anyway?

Mon 1 Dec 2008, 22:45

Dare i suggest you take a walk up or down dancers hill sometime soon ,as there has been a footpath on dancers hill since i was a boy and children have always walked safely to school primary and secondary .
Surely also the children do not have to walk up dancers hill to school ,in fact the ones that walk from that direction go up pooles lane and crawborough to avoid the traffic.
As for the ageing population of the town they have as much right to be protected from rally car drivers,rally bike riders and anyone else that may wish they were'nt there .

Mon 1 Dec 2008, 09:25

I doubt we're ever going to agree on priorities for Charlbury as your focus (as you've indicted), is on the needs of an aging, retirement population whereas my bias leans towards those residents who are still working and studying.

The latter would certainly benefit from a more sensible road layout and those pedestrians including the primary school kids, school who have to walk up Dancer's Hill to school without a pavement, often against downhill speeding drivers, would certainly from a safer journey.

Sun 30 Nov 2008, 18:51

Surely having a contraflow in sheep street and a cycle/pedestrian area on dancers hill could not possibly work.Due to the fact that fishers lane is one way ,how would a contraflow in sheep street improve things.Partially sighted people are finding it hard to negotiate the footpaths in the centre of town and if money need be spent then that is where it should be spent to make life easier for an ever ageing population .The fact that yellow lines also are ignored has a part to play in causing havoc sometimes with cyclists and pedestrians in the town centre.So all in all there is a lot to sort out .

Sun 30 Nov 2008, 11:02

The explanation lies in a decent bike route from the station thru the town that doesn't depend on the one way system, which is designed relegate motorised traffic flow.
A contraflow cycle lane up sheep street is an obvious answer. As well as a designated pedestrian and cycle lane up Dancer's Hill.

Sun 30 Nov 2008, 06:12

As a driver of a motorised vehicle i would like to be told what a direct route to and from the station would be please ,without the need to dismount for the churchyard.The obvious route that does not bear considering is to have cycles riding against these motorised vehicles along Sheep street .
If this were to be the case not only would drivers have to be careful (as they should for pedestrians)but also negotiate the space with cycles ,in which case i am glad i don't ride a bike because i feel you would have at best, a death wish with parked cars on one side and narrow footpaths on the other .So short of being like E.T. would someone like to explain.

Sat 29 Nov 2008, 20:51

If you must know, personally it's quite physically difficult for me to keep dismounting and remounting my bike.

There could be a much more sensible route for cyclists living in Charlbury to and from the train station that doesn't involve so much adherence to the oneway system that's so obviously intended to control motorised traffic.

But that's somewhat distracting from the general point that when a motorist breaks goes the wrong way up a road, the consequences are usually much greater.

Sat 29 Nov 2008, 12:07

Why not cycle upto the churchyard, walk through the church then up Church Street - Hey presto you are in the town centre without breaking the law!!!!

Sat 29 Nov 2008, 09:42

Until Charlbury can accomodate a decent cycle route from the station through the centre or even enact the shared space initiative suggested by Richard, I'm not surprised that some cyclists take the most direct route to their destination.

But such misdemeanors are in no way comparable to the danger posed by automobile traveling up the wrong way up a one way system.

I think you'll find that laws of physics and the police agree on this one.

Fri 28 Nov 2008, 13:25

Occasionally people drive the wrong way up Market Street, but this is usually a genuine mistake, and they get horribly flustered half way up when they realise what they've done.

And by the way, Igor, cyclists are much more regularly to be seen going the wrong way up Market St, and I don't believe that this is an accident; they are using it as a shortcut.

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 23:54

I think that Thames Valley Police probably do take reports of 'wrong way' driving seriously but maybe don't always respond in the way we might wish. I can understand why we might question their interest; when today I reported the same 'Integra' van on Fishers Lane, the police operator who took the details gave me the impression that she wasn't interested and maybe would do nothing. She was probably very busy and needed to get on to the next call. However, last week when I reported a car on Fishers Lane, the police operator checked the vehicle reg number and make/model and said that a call would be put out to all officers to stop the offending car. Presumably one operator simply recorded the incident whilst last week the operator was clearly pro-active. Hopefully the car (and maybe the Integra van) was stopped and the driver received a shock and a lesson. Do as Shelagh says, take the number and vehicle description and report it - to the police and to any business concerned.

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 18:12

On a serious note ,does anyone know if the thames valley police take reports like this seriously if they are reported.I have reported things like this in the past but been left feeling that they do nothing about it.

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 17:26

I see igors finally got his reverse physcology degree .Well done you .

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 17:13

There was a silver car, with a young dark haired man who drove down Hixet Wood road too fast, baring east - this afternoon at around 3pm. Reg something like OV58...I think it was Renult?

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 15:31

Hey, stop complaining you tree-hugging motorist abusers! Us drivers have the right to drive anywhere and anyway we want and we're certainly not going to pay attention to something as inane as a one way or non entry sign. I pay road tax so that I can execute my divine right to drive. Just get out of my way! etc. etc. etc.

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 12:01

(putting my OpenStreetMap hat on) They're certainly programmed to comply, but the source data is pretty rubbish. A good guide is to look at Google Maps and zoom right in, as this uses the same source data. If you don't see the little arrows indicating a one-way street, it's probably not in the satnav.

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 11:57

...and I've just seen an Ocado van drive down Hixet Wood, past the end of Fishers Lane, through two No Entry signs and proceed the wrong way up Sheep Street. I was too far away to get the registration number. I like this "name and shame" idea though, it appeals to my vindictive nature! Is it sat navs that are fault then? I don't know much about them - are they not programmed to comply with one-way streets and No Entry signs?

Thu 27 Nov 2008, 10:09

I have just watched a white van, WG 56 AKN, company name Integral, drive very fast the wrong way down Fishers Lane and turn right at the bottom end onto another one way street. From the desk where I work I look down Fishers Lane and see this happening a couple of times every day, although it has eased somewhat since the small no entry signs were replaced by larger ones, and "no entry" was painted on the road. Some drivers seem oblivious of the no entry signs, blindly following their sat-navs, others (usually white-van-man) know exactly what they are doing and go fast to get through before someone comes the other way. This is very dangerous for residents of Fishers Lane driving out onto the road, so I urge everyone seeing this happen to note the time, and vehicle number and report these to our local police.