On behalf of named residents, Graham attended the Green Party-controlled East Area Parliament on April 21 to call on the committee in the Open Session to arrange with the relevant officers, in cooperation with the police, to review the effectiveness of the 20mph speed limit in Morrell Avenue, and to prepare a new submission to the City and County Councils for traffic calming measures, including first and foremost a lights-controlled pedestrian crossing. The request was treated as a question and he was not allowed to speak. One of the Green Party councillors was invited to speak on the subject at the start of the Open Session on behalf of a resident of Jeune Street and covered most of the same ground. The question was referred to another Green Party councillor whose advice to residents included the recommendation that they borrow a speed gun. The City Council elections are on May 6.

Here’s what Graham went prepared to say: 

Several residents of Morrell Avenue have raised with me their concern about road safety. It is obvious, from watching the traffic for just a few minutes, that the 20mph speed limit is not being generally observed, and we know that the police are not enforcing it. So great is residents’ concern, that a number turned out at short notice last Friday for a demonstration at the corner of Morrell Avenue and Parsons Drive. They want a lights-controlled pedestrian crossing, and are frankly angry that a previous request to the County Council was turned down and they have heard nothing since of any official effort to press the matter. 

Though the protest on Friday was organised by one of the residents, Mrs Sharon Freemire, and myself as the Liberal Democrat City Council candidate for St Clement’s ward, I want to commend previous support for a crossing by this committee and their willingness to contribute to its cost, which I am advised is about £7,000. This is an issue that transcends party lines. 

Indeed it is also by way of being a city-wide and even a national issue. Oxford is one of a group of cities, including Portsmouth, Leicester and Newcastle, pioneering 20mph limits in residential streets, and if we can not make our scheme work, other authorities will be discouraged. Clearly, however, the speed limit is not enough in Morrell Avenue. 

My advice from County Hall is that the County are reluctant to install lights-protected crossings other than on main roads, except in the event of death or serious injury. Nevertheless they can, I am told, be persuaded if public pressure is sufficient. I believe that that pressure exists and that it can be applied, if need be in a sustained campaign. 

Morrell Avenue is not a main road but is nevertheless a bus route, and therefore I would guess, subject to correction, that its maintenance is shared between the County and City. The residents are divided over the usefulness of other traffic calming methods. Only a lights-controlled crossing will bring vehicles to a halt, and do so whenever people need to cross. Nevertheless, humps, chicanes, and other measures could contribute and would be welcomed as part of a package of options. 

Vehicle speeds on Morrell Avenue are influenced by its width and gradient. A crossing might best be located half-way down the hill where speeds are greatest, and where the bend in the road, combined with the placing of the staggered parking bays, adds to the danger from weaving and sudden deceleration. A vehicle has already ended up in the garden of, I think, No. 80 or 82. 

Mrs Freemire is unable to be here tonight and has asked me to say that she believes that a crossing is the wish of the vast majority of residents. She has been a Footsteps coordinator for St Clement’s Church pre-school group in this building, working with the County to teach children as young as three how to stay safe near or crossing the road. She says ‘When we try to take the children to the park it is absolutely treacherous. It is easier to walk the three- to five-year-olds up Princes Street, to take the bus to the college sports ground opposite the Regal. This appears to be easier and safer than simply crossing Morrell Avenue to play in the park. How ridiculous is that? Our community needs and deserves a crossing.’ 

In summary, I would ask that the committee please arrange with the relevant officers, in cooperation with the police, to review the effectiveness of the 20mph speed limit in Morrell Avenue, and to prepare a new submission to the City and County Councils for traffic calming measures, including first and foremost a lights-controlled pedestrian crossing. Thank you.