Oxford 'climate lockdowns' and '15-minute city' - can anyone local explain their views on this?

[unsureatthispoint]

This news has been published in several media outlets and being talked about ATM.

Road blocks stopping most motorists from driving through Oxford city centre will divide the city into six "15 minute" neighbourhoods, a county council travel chief has said.

And he insisted the controversial plan would go ahead whether people liked it or not.

Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for travel and development strategy, explained the authority's traffic filter proposals in an interview in The Sunday Times.

He said the filters would turn Oxford into "a 15-minute city" with local services within a small walking radius.

Mr Enright said: "It is about making sure you have the community centre which has all of those essential needs, the bottle of milk, pharmacy, GP, schools which you need to have a 15-minute neighbourhood."

The aim is to reduce traffic in the city centre and make city living more pleasant, but critics say the plans will negatively affect businesses and the city centre's economy.

Here's the link

www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23073992.traffic-filters-will-divide-city-six-15-minute-neighbourhoods-agrees-highways-councillor/

Are local people aware of this and what's their take on it?

@antelopevalley There also used to be more direct deliveries from small shops - and indeed we get our fruit/veg delivered by a box scheme and it is more or less as you say, my DCs get very excited with the blueberries we have about twice a year!
It's not so much the shopping locally that bothers me, as the fact that couples very rarely work in the same place/can both live 15 minutes from work. We live nearer the train station (DH commutes) than my work, but my work is more than 15 minutes away. Not everyone who works at my employer could live within 15 minutes (and the same is true of large high schools, hospitals, universities, heavy industry, and indeed most light industry).

Do you and your DH both work within 15 minutes of home? If one of you needed to move job, would you move to the new area and move schools and the other one give up work? If one gave up work, which would it be?

And now Streatham

twitter.com/JohnJohnStewart/status/1600755035226660864

Most people I know either don't care or they like the LTNs - while having no experience of buses. Heartening to see a response starting.

antelopevalley, my DC are in secondary school now so can get there independently. When the DC were younger, we had bikes kitted out with baby seats, tagalong bikes and so on. DH or I would cycle them to school and then cycle on to our work on the other side of the city. The DC had their own bikes as soon as they were old enough and cycled alongside us.

I know this isn't possible for everyone but many parents in my neighbourhood do this. Our family isn't unusual.

What is different now is that because there's less traffic on the streets, there are fewer close passes by cars and cycling with small DC feels a lot safer.

For people asking why don’t they improve public transport before these measures I assume it’s because the heavy traffic is what’s driving it to be so shit now.

Like where I live my bus is supposed to be every 20 minutes but from 4-6pm I’ve waited an hour because the get snarled up in traffic. Then you get 3 at once (which is lucky because normally the first one drives past as it’s full) .

people who are saying that those living in villages couldn’t vote for this - isn’t that the idea? This benefits people who live in Oxford who want their neighbourhoods to be greener, it’s not intended to help commuters.

I’ve seen the restrictions in Sheffield get mentioned a few times. There is a lot of complaints about the LTNs but for one of the roads it was driven by people driving to a particular high school. Most of these kids live less than two miles away. They should be walking.

So jobs with flexible working and a workplace to store bikes and have a shower or change.

@Greblegable It benefits well-off people who can afford to live in Oxford and disadvantages poorer people who commit in for work.

Does your place of work have a place to store a car if you drive to work?

@jgw1 There is a car park and parking on the road.
Bicycles get stolen all the time here.

A dd lives in Oxford, a 10 minute (non rush hour) drive from the centre. Rush hour traffic is almost invariably a nightmare.

One thing I’ve noticed when occasionally using their buses - though last time was quite a while ago - is that they take forever at bus stops, because of irritating people searching for purses, fumbling for change, etc. High time, surely, that they changed to some cashless system to make the whole business a quicker - and presumably more popular.

Hasn't the centre of Oxford been pedestrianised for decades?

Anyway
"PIt is about making sure you have the community centre which has all of those essential needs, the bottle of milk, pharmacy, GP, schools which you need to have a 15-minute neighbourhood.

Blocking roads people need for accessing their work and

That's a good idea. Local councils should actively support local services. They should sort out schools admissions (especially primary) for those that don't prioritise local kids.

Blocking roads so that a lot of people will have longer journeys makes little sense.

What if you can’t find a nursery or primary school place in your 15 minute neighborhood? Free public transport in no way replaces free or reasonably priced parking when shopping and you have many packages to carry. There are fit adults who can’t learn to ride bicycles. The restriction on movement sound like ChiComs nonsense. A free people won’t accept this.

I find it very interesting that many of the people commenting on this thread don't live in Oxford, don't have to put up with the awful councillors and aren't in danger of having their movement restricted just, for what seems to be, an almighty ego boost.
Personally, I find it sickening that a city that has had a long history with the motor trade, and, for years, relied on many of those people employed by the motor industry to provide a huge chunk of its economy, is now so intent on restricting our lives and won't be happy until they've basically banished the motor vehicle.

100 days of being able to use a pass? Shocking and sickening in equal measures.
Knowing Oxford City Council (I've lived here my entire 48 years on this earth) - they won't back down, residents will end up footing the bill, and the majority of us will end up even unhappier than we are. But, you know, as long as a small percentage of people approve, it's all good, right?

This^. I doubt these 15 minute cities will ever apply to the rich and powerful. I don't see Tony Blair and Bill Gates being confined to bicycles and banned from using their private jets. It will only apply to the plebs of course.

These councillors you speak of, are they elected by the people who live in Oxford?

I agree. The well-off will all be getting taxis so will be exempt. And cycling when it suits them.

A few people have mentioned that 93% were against, but I cba to find a source. Does Duncan have figures?

twitter.com/OxfordshireCC/status/1600546946854289414

in Haringey, I think it was 63% against and they did it anyway. Of course, most people won't be aware there was a consultation at all.

This is unusual. Is it because of the number of foreign tourist?

@jgw1 Well, obviously they're elected by 'some' of the people of Oxford. Doesn't mean that they were elected with this in mind, does it? You seem to think that this was a democratic decision, it was not.
They basically want to keep us trapped in our own part of the city and not to make a word of complaint. Plus, even if we do complain, they've decided they're going ahead, anyway.
Well, you only have to look at the comments on the local newspaper articles, to see that people are not happy about it.
You seem to think that an elected council should just be allowed to dictate what happens in a city, where, it has to be said, an awful lot of the councillors don't even come from in the first place.

It's fucking insane and people need to stand up and fight against it. Drive where you want and refuse to pay the fines. They can't put a whole city in jail.

And you can bet the councillors won't have to abide by these rules.

We certainly didn't get any letters informing us of a consultation. That surely should have been our first hint at what was being suggested?

It’s the up to 100 days and up to 25 days that is most unnerving. It implies journeys will be more limited over time.

London has plenty of tourists, antelopevalley, and it evidently works there - umpteen outlets where you can buy an Oyster card and/or top it up - or just use a debit card.

I can see that the initial cost of installing such a system would be hefty, but surely worth it in the long run.

they did a similar thing in my area. They closed loads of residential roads and blocked them with big planters and people have seats and benches on the road. It makes it easier to ride bikes and walk

Some people hate it (drivers)
some love it (non drivers) but we can't carry on as we are.
We need radical ideas to change the world

Good on you Oxford!