Fast driving, Park St

Sat 27 Jun 2015, 11:54 (last edited on Sat 27 Jun 2015, 22:15)

Not sure about 20 mph? I did 55 mph up Park Street the other day and hardly hit anything.

Wed 24 Jun 2015, 23:18

If you think that's dangerous, how about the middle aged man who drove a Skoda Yeti slowly from left to right (no typo!) as I arrived at the town centre crossroads via Church Street!

Re speed bumps, they are incredibly damaging and dangerous. A low slung sports car has to slow to a crawl, only to be almost rear ended by a Chelsea tractor that can tackle speed bumps with impunity.

One also has to be realistic about current and future levels of police resources re speed enforcement in Charlbury or elsewhere.

Sat 6 Jun 2015, 22:18

I do not think that it matters how many rules you introduce, a sizeable proportion of motorists will think that they are exempt from them. I wonder what result you would get if you did a spot check monitoring the proportion of vehicles which actually observe the STOP sign at Bull Corner. I drove along Market Street today and did not feel that it was safe to exceed 15mph as you can never be certain what may emerge from one of the concealed entrances or whether a pedestrian may step out between the cars which are parked along there.

Sat 6 Jun 2015, 12:36

Speed bumps?

Sat 6 Jun 2015, 09:05

I disagree that there's little point discussing speed limits without discussing how they will be enforced. The majority of drivers do stick to speed limits even where 30 mph may be inappropriately fast. Currently there's nothing to alert drivers of Pre-School's existence as they speed down Park Street. Its a miracle a child has never been hit by a car in the narrow part of Park Street where you have to breathe in as buses go past! Fortunately the primary school is now well flagged to motorists - why not the same for Pre-School, as increasing numbers of motorists use Park Street as a short cut at peak times? Not sure whether "Dead Slow" signs would work best or 20mph as, again, there are several places in charlbury where 20 would be too fast.

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 19:48

I think it would be a good idea to have a man with a red flag walking in front of the cars

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 19:43

I think it would be a good idea to have a man with a red flag walking in front of the cars

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 19:43 (last edited on Fri 5 Jun 2015, 19:44)

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 16:42

Hi James! I didn't have you down as a vigilante!

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 14:55

It seems to me that there is little point in discussing speed limits without discussing how they will be enforced. I'm all for a 20 MPH limit around town but see no point in changing or adding more ugly signs if they are going to be ignored.

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 13:53

If you wish this topic raised at the next Town Council meeting, then please send an email or letter to Roger Clarke, the Town Clerk. His details can be found on the Town Council page. Personally I think that the speed limit should be 20mph throughout the whole of Charlbury.

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 11:32 (last edited on Fri 5 Jun 2015, 11:33)

I have a speed gun - if anyone wants to use it, feel free to borrow it. (It's quite good fun.) It means you can check whether the speed you perceive as too fast is actually over the 30mph limit. Sadly in my experience, on narrow roads speeds are actually less than they feel. That is not to say it's OK to drive at 30mph, or accelerate, through the narrowings on Park St. Or Pooles Lane. That would be *crazy*! (Oh, no - grease pit?) Most of Charlbury should have a 20mph limit IMO, with the possible exceptions of Sturt and Woodstock Rds, and Grammar School Hill.

Fri 5 Jun 2015, 07:44

For the record, I actually support Diana and Brian's view about reasonable speeds for certain situations and driving down the narrow section of Park St is most definitely one where a lower speed is appropriate...my earlier comment was only in response to the prior comment by Lesley which said 'Driving over the speed limit....' which could give the impression that the driver was doing more than 30mph...

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 23:07

There are many places in Charlbury where 30 mph is too fast and there are far too many occasions when that speed is exceeded. I would like to see a 20 mph limit throughout the town and those who wish to see a lower limit should make their views known to the town council and approach the District Councillors asking them to take up the matter with the County. In the mean time, one way to bring down vehicle speeds is for you to drive at 15/20 mph, forcing those behind you to follow your example. Incidentally, 30 mph is a limit and should not be considered a 'target' and those of us wanting to see people stick to the limit here, must also observe the limit in other communities.

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 22:18

While the speed limit in the whole of Charlbury is 30 MPH, there are various places where 30MPH is not appropriate. Particularly where other road users have little space to be safe: a car driving by at 30 MPH within one meter is very scary and dangerous. Particularly when you are with erratic children or animals. In an ideal world drivers should be so sensible and considerate to adjust their speed to accommodate the actual situation and respect the impact they have on others. As with others in this thread, I have experienced several occasions where drivers have not done this. While they may not have been speeding in the sense of going faster than 30, they were going faster than was safe. According to Gov.uk: "The speed limit is the absolute maximum - it doesn't mean it's safe to drive at this speed in all conditions." And also: "You should drive slowly and carefully on streets where there are likely to be pedestrians, cyclists and parked cars." I would be glad to see more signage for drivers to slow down - it would make Charlbury more pleasant and safer.

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 20:58

Not sure I want to get involved in the detail of this particular situation, but the implication appears to be that the driver was actually breaking the speed limit and driving at more than 30 mph. Is there any proof that this was the case?

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 19:12

I met such a person in a car on Tuesday, whilst walking a dog down Pooles Lane, as I was trying to get into the side. She did not slow down, in fact she seemed to go faster towards us and just missed us, it was a green car not very new and by the time I had turned round they had disappeared down the hill.

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 18:40

When I read "crazy" in the title of the thread, I took it to mean 'almost or completely out of control' and it conjured up an image of someone driving too fast. "Fast driving" , I think, is no less derogatory or subjective as "crazy driving"!

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 17:11

Driving over the speed limit down a narrow road is not normal or acceptable, especially when you have been signalled to slow down. I am sure if there had been small children in the car instead of dogs, people wouldn't be getting so upset over the word "crazy."

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 15:42

[I've edited the thread title -- Richard]

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 10:52

I'm fairly sure that "Crazy lady driver" qualifies as name-calling.

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 09:41 (last edited on Thu 4 Jun 2015, 09:45)

Thank you Liz, that is a super idea. Laura, why so upset? Not name calling at all. I think you might think differently if you were there and experienced the erratic driving. I would be more than happy to discuss if you, or the said driver have any issues with my thread. I rather like my neighbours.. Best wishes.R

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 08:40

Road signs are provided by Oxfordshire County |Council. But they will only provide them if the speed limit can be monitored. We might look at putting up a notice saying please watch your speed, as some villages do.

Thu 4 Jun 2015, 07:35

Looking at title of this piece

Wed 3 Jun 2015, 23:12

Where is the name-calling?

Wed 3 Jun 2015, 22:38

Not sure that it is acceptable or respectful to call your neighbour names for what is surely a subjective judgement. Deal with the speed limit or road layout rather than resort to insults.

Wed 3 Jun 2015, 22:38

Not sure that it is acceptable or respectful to call your neighbour names for what is surely a subjective judgement. Deal with the speed limit or road layout rather than resort to insults.

Wed 3 Jun 2015, 22:29

Hi Suzy, A Slow, 20mph or warning children sign would be a super idea. I live on the narrow bit and we experience cars, vans and buses zooming past us & other pedestrians every single day mainly during peak rush hour. Is this a matter for our town council or WODC?

Wed 3 Jun 2015, 21:29

I was coincidentally thinking today (hearing rush hour traffic zooming down park street) that maybe a "warning children" or 20 mph sign is really needed. Drivers seem to forget it's 30 mph - though that would be too fast for the narrow bit which is incredibly dangerous for young children/dogs/pedestrians unsteady on their feet.

Wed 3 Jun 2015, 18:24 (last edited on Wed 3 Jun 2015, 22:29)

To the woman (lives in Shilson Lane area) who was driving the VW Tiguan OY13 at an inappropriate speed down the narrow bit of Park Street - do you think it is acceptable, or respectful to your neighbours to INCREASE your speed whilst my husband was gesturing the universal 'slow down' signal when we were unloading our dogs to get access to our house in Park Street? Many of our neighbours in Park Street have small children and pets so please drive appropriately in future.