Investigating
Bus stop needs a bay, cannot safely turn right out of Boulter Drive
Sent to Oxfordshire County Council and Vale of White Horse District Council 1 minute later
The new bus stops on the south side of Dunmore Road don't have bays although there is is space. This is not only going to hold up traffic but is a serious road safety issue. Yesterday a lorry was at the bus stop east of Boulter Drive, doing work on the bus stop, not to create a bay unfortunately but to alter the pavement. Drivers had to pull out blind from Boulter Drive to turn right (they could not see traffic coming from the right because the view of the road was blocked by the lorry). Buses are the same size, even red safety barriers recently, staked up near the road, it is on the bend can block the view. Even road markings prevent drivers from overtaking buses some vehicles eg emergency vehicles will be able to. It is not going to be safe turning right when there is a bus at the bus stop, and by that time you you are on the wrong side of the road to turn left. Drivers may make a decision to always turn left at the top of Boulter Drive and then use Tilsey Park to turn around. This will only increase traffic on the road. It has always been a difficult junction when Dunmore Road is busy. Please think further about the placing of this new bus stop, on the outside of a Dunmore Road bend too, and how buses will block the vision and cause irritation of drivers queuing to turn right out of Boulter Drive. The bus stop needs a bay.
Council ref: ENQ23966025
Updates
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Thank you for your enquiry. This issue has been passed onto the relevant team for investigation.
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Bay for the bus may not solve problem as a bus parked in it would still blocks vision of road when coming out Boulter Drive and turning right. Traffic would be able to drive past the bus also as there would be no restriction / stop in traffic flow. Today van parked on inside of bus stop and it blocked the view around the bend. Maybe the only safe answer is to have the long awaited traffic lights at the Dunmore Road - Boulter Drive junction - more heavily used than other south of Boulter Road road junctions because of school, GP surgery and community centre. Also early reduction of speed limit to 30 mph on Dunmore Road would may things safer
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This layout was fixed at the planning permission stage, so we suggest you raise your concerns with Transport Development Control, to clarify why an on-street bus stop instead of a bus layby was agreed. Their email address is transport.vowhminor@oxfordshire.gov.uk
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Yesterday, when I was at the junction, a bus was at the stop and 4 cars overtook it on the chevroned area. This chevroned area should protect cars turning right off Boulter Drive. There is no way drivers overtaking the bus would see a car exiting Boulter Drive given the bus blocked the view of the junction. Drivers are pulling out blind both to exit Boulter Drive and also to overtake parked buses. A SAFETY SURVEY is needed (reviewing at the busier times when bus stops along the west ward stretch of Dunmore Road are used, to see the real magnitude of this issue). Do we know when the speed limit is due to be reduced to 30 mph along Dunmore Road? (The inclusion of the new bus stops on the south side of the road has further decreased road safety - possibly the Boulter Drive turning is not the only south side junction made worse. So many use this junction though, to get to the GP surgery, primary school and community centre and park.) I had already decided to turn 'left to turn right'. It was not safe to do anything else. Unfortunately the first turning on the right into the new development with its elaborate divide, and sharply oblong in shape, was not that easy to use - so going west to Tilsey Park or even the Wootton Road roundabout may be what many going forwards chose to do. Those buying properties north of the road have junctions on the outside of the bend, as well as bus laybys - so all is fine for them. It feels it is all about selling houses, going green with the posh bus stops BUT IGNORING ROAD SAFETY ISSUES CREATED, AND THEREFORE LIVES. Very sad.
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Think that the issue is best solved by having traffic lights at the top of Boulter Drive. This would also help traffic leaving Boulter Drive as with more drivers using the road there are less breaks in traffic now. Crossings won't always be in use (particularly at night) even in the future, so there won't be sufficient breaks in the flow of traffic for drivers to turn right without waiting a long time.
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