Vandals not Oxford's low-traffic zone blamed for 999 delays

Vandalism is to blame for delays to emergency services not a controversial traffic-calming scheme itself, councillors have been told.

Oxford has been trialling Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), and a decision on one trial will be made next week.

LTNs are designed to restrict traffic on residential roads, but some have been vandalised.

The issue was raised at an Oxfordshire County Council meeting after two petitions were submitted.

LTNs enable giant plant pots and bollards to close off side roads to through traffic, limiting the volume and speed of motorised vehicles, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

But the Cowley trial, which started in May, has not gone smoothly, with some being damaged and even a report of an assault.

Speaking after the two petitions carrying almost 6,000 signatures were handed in to County Hall in Oxford, councillor Jenny Hannaby was asked how many minutes had been lost by the emergency services due to LTN restrictions.

The query came after Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service had to chop down a damaged LTN bollard having been unable to unlock it and lay it down en-route to an incident in Clive Road last month, LDRS said. 

Ms Hannaby said she had been told by the county's chief fire officer "there is no data on that", adding: "He assures me that all the tenders have keys, however, if the bollards are criminally damaged - I say again, criminally damaged - then they have no alternative but to cut bollards which is what happened in that instance. 

"I asked him again whether there was anything I could bring here today and he said his comments still stand."

Councillors had to walk through a protest on Tuesday to access County Hall and heard a public address from petition organiser Fazal Hussain.

He said life had become "miserable for the local residents" and that East Oxford was becoming a "modern-time ghetto".

A decision on the future of LTNs in Church Cowley, Temple Cowley and Florence Park will be made at a cabinet meeting next week.

The trial for Divinity Road, St Clement's and St Mary's will continue.

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