Connecting Oxfordshire

The Leader of the County Council is arranging a consultation on his vision for transport in Oxfordshire with a series of meetings around the county.  Last night, I attended the one for the Wantage area at The Beacon (formerly Civic Hall) where a number of residents expressed their views. 

There was a lot of support for the re-opening of Grove station, but unfortunately the Leader seems to have given up on the idea because he claims Network Rail do not have it in their investment plans.  Well, it would be helpful if the leadership at County Hall actually showed some enthusiasm for the project.  Residents will know that I have campaigned for many years for this to happen, especially in view of the extra housing numbers projected for the area,  but there does not appear to be the political will to move this on.

There was also concern expressed about the lack of buses in the area, particularly serving the employment sites at Harwell, Didcot and Milton Park, and we were told that we have to wait for the commercial market to pick this up, rather than pump-priming services ahead of future housing development.  

Cycling was mentioned several times, and the lack of a good cycling network - again between Harwell and Wantage, and despite housing developments being approved, no money appears to have been put aside to improve this for our area.

This is an opportunity to make sure you have your say as it is important that residents' views are listened to.  You can do this online at this link, but it must be done by 1st August.