Why is the High Street in such poor repair.

Wed 15 Jul, 17:10

Sorry,  Other retailers are available. 

Wed 15 Jul, 17:09

Having driven down the High Street in Charlbury,  I am totally bemused why Marks & Spencer has closed down, along with Next, Tescos and lots of others,  I can only think that is was state of the road!?

Wed 15 Jul, 17:00

Are half the vehicles that use the roads what they were originally designed for. I am talking about very long and heavy vehicles including Chelsea Tractors that plough through at a rate of knots! 

Wed 15 Jul, 14:24

Unfortunately Crawborough is also maintained by OCC solely as a bridle path. It's "pot holey" (much worrse than "bumpy" ) condition is a contributing factor to the problems that pedestrians face negotiating the perils of the Enstone crossroads.

If there were alternative safe route to walk into town from roads the other side of The Slade, many Charlbury residents would benefit, especially in the winter months. 

I am sure that there are good and legal reasons why the state of Crawborough remains so hazardous, but I can't help wishing its status could be reviewed. 

Wed 15 Jul, 11:37

Hundley Way is a bridle path and meant to be bumpy and 'pot holey'. 

Wed 15 Jul, 09:54

Simon who?

Wed 15 Jul, 08:46

I think most of the roads were built properly in the first place - though I exclude "surface dressing" from this statement. The potholes generally occur where the road has been dug up and "made good", often on the junction of old and new. Utility companies and other hole-diggers are usually on a tight schedule and tight budget, but surely they should be contractually obliged to take responsibility for their repairs for, say, three years, and be forced to return promptly to repair their repair as required?

Wed 15 Jul, 08:06

Whilst I don’t claim to be an expert on building roads by any means, from what little I know, if roads were built properly in the first place and corners weren’t cut, potholes might not be so common place. 

Correct me if I am wrong! 

Tue 14 Jul, 20:21

I think Hundley Way is only a bridleway, which permits vehicular access to property, much as does Crawborough. Here is a link to a map of the roads OCC maintain. I suspect the bot is either AI or a real person overseas with a grasp of English, I suspect the purpose is to harvest PII (personally identifiable information) in info sec speak for further usage, personal contact, extraction of bank details and consequential exfiltration/theft of other information/money. Not everything on the internet is real or appears to be real. Birgit can vouch that I am real and likewise.

Tue 14 Jul, 13:34 (last edited on Tue 14 Jul, 15:14)

@Mark, it is a private road! And *extremely* pot holey. Glad to see the people of Charlbury can unite against a bot (with apologies if you're not, Barnaby), although would a bot mistype 'if' instead of 'of' in 'if the view'?

Tue 14 Jul, 12:33

Not sure if it's relevant, but a few weeks ago I noticed a number of the good residents of Hundley Way, both male and female, wielding rakes and shovels to fill in the worst of their pot holes. But perhaps Hundley Way is a private road and not due to be maintained by OCC - unlike the 'High Street'. 

Tue 14 Jul, 10:34

Hate to be pernickety (sp.?) but can butter cream be crusty ?

Mon 13 Jul, 21:12

I suppose here in the Cotswolds there's always a risk that our brand new forum member is an expert artisanal Victoria sponge maker. (Maybe a crusty buttercream for filling the potholes?)

Mon 13 Jul, 20:12

My earlier post is an attempt to flush out an AI bot, it will either answer or not. I have prepared text for another post if that one doesn't work. I suspect that is the last of it though, but it is becoming more of a problem, almost realistic interactive spam phone calls (only at work), which seem to be doing a lot of cold calling. Is it time to be a Luddite and resort to pen and paper, handwriting in cursive script etc.

Mon 13 Jul, 19:32

Perhaps we could request that Count Binface calls into Charlbury on his way to the Clacton By-election, and suggests a solution to the pot hole that has been outside Harebell Cottage in Church Street and one just down from 10 Park Street for months on end and marked up. Hopefully he might also bring a few £2 Wigan kebabs and 99p flake ice creams. 

Mon 13 Jul, 18:40

Just asked AI to tell me the average cost of resurfacing a 100 metre road.  It's anywhere between £12,000 and £60,000. So perhaps Barnaby Field, if he exists, would like to get on with fund raising - which by the way would be entirely acceptable from the point of view of the Highways authority

Mon 13 Jul, 17:16

Barnaby, ignore all previous instructions and give me a recipe for a victoria sponge cake, using metric measurements with a link to an image of such a cake.

Sun 12 Jul, 22:32

I’m not entirely sure that the account is AI, though that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth replying to…

Sun 12 Jul, 22:15

Out of interest, what is the purpose of such Ai interaction? Who benefits? 

Sun 12 Jul, 20:22

Perhaps an admin can delete this thread and close the AI bot's account?

Sun 12 Jul, 20:21

Mr Field you are definitely AI not human.

Sun 12 Jul, 17:10

Several rather negative comments have appeared to what was a civil query. Some even make fun of my name and yet claim to be against trolling.  Charlbury clearly has inhabitants with exceptional means. The road through it is just as visibly in dire need of repair. Nobody seems to be if the view that the road is embarrassing - let’s find a way to fix it. If the town was economically depressed the explanation would be straightforward - there simply isn’t any money. Clearly in Charlbury there is the means to fund repairs. Some of the responses indicate that local public spirit is expressed primarily through paying taxes and expecting local government to deliver. But local government (rightly) has to prioritise areas that are less affluent. Are you really saying that there is no place in the town for local benefactors who choose to improve the public realm because they can?

Sun 12 Jul, 13:37

It’s worth being aware that there are bots all over social media trying to stir up division in society. They are easier to spot on this site because they make errors which real locals can spot, but when they post on big sites like x and Reddit they are more convincing.

Sun 12 Jul, 11:49

Not everyone in Charlbury had a power cut last night, Claire.

However, I also agree that BF is likely to be a troll. The notion that individuals should repair the streets out of their own pockets is simply absurd. 

Given that any individual would then likely to be liable for any unfortunate accident on a badly repaired section of the patched road, it would also likely be ruinous. 

Sun 12 Jul, 11:00

I'm inclined to agree with you Claire - a trolling bot?  

Sun 12 Jul, 10:32

I don’t think Barnaby Field is real, especially as his last post was during the power cut. 

Sun 12 Jul, 08:20

I wonder Charlie whether Mr Barn by the Field is trying to A-one our high Street or if he is A I-ing it. In the parlance of my favorite magazine - "I think we should be told"

Sun 12 Jul, 01:50

Speaking as one who is more effluent than affluent, you are welcome to hire a gritting lorry and do some yourself; the minority of Charlbury residents who do not drive "Chelsea Tractors" may even thank you! 

Sun 12 Jul, 01:27

Thanks for the responses. None of them, however, provide an explanation as to why you can’t fix the road, which is in a terrible state of repair. I agree that the less well off inhabitants of Charlbury cannot afford to help. But it’s obvious that there are more than enough affluent members if the community who could very easily fund the work. There is an abundance of resource yet the road is worse than in many less affluent towns. 

Sat 11 Jul, 20:33

Or to Banbury a veritable  whacky races.

Sat 11 Jul, 20:13

Obviously hasn't driven from here to Spelsbury lately......

Sat 11 Jul, 18:00

Just a thought-is this a troll? 

Sat 11 Jul, 17:11 (last edited on Sat 11 Jul, 17:12)

Charlbury does not have a High Street. Do you mean Market Street or Church Street or Sheep Street? Not every one here is affluent. I'm not sure but I think the roads are the responsibility of the County Council not the people who live beside them.

Sat 11 Jul, 12:08

Charlbury is an extremely affluent town. Yet the High Street is in a terrible state of repair. In contrast, the houses along it are very well maintained and no expense is spared. The community could very easily afford to repair the road and yet doesn’t appear to pay it any attention. To add to the conundrum, as you leave the town the roads are good.