End of era on Stratton Way

From the Abingdon Herald, first published Thursday 28th Sep 2006.

A MAJOR one-way road in Abingdon will be opened to two-way traffic on Sunday.

Stratton Way has been a one-way dual-carriageway for more than 30 years but will be opened to two-way traffic as part of the £3.1m Abingdon Integrated Transport Strategy (AbITS).

As part of the scheme, right turns into and out of Bath Street at its junction with Stratton Way will be banned and new traffic signals at either end of Stratton Way are already operational.

The overall aim of AbITS is to increase traffic flow and improve facilities for pedestrians, shoppers and cyclists in the town centre.

Traffic planners hope to combat congestion in Stert Street and High Street by funnelling vehicles from Oxford Road along the redesigned Stratton Way.

This will allow pavements in Stert Street and High Street to be widened, with both roads open to single-file, 20mph limit traffic.

Loading bay areas will be constructed and new bus parking zones and shelters will go up in the High Street, set back to avoid buses clogging the road. The Stert Street and High Street phase is due to start next year, but the new bus waiting area in Stratton Way has already been completed.

The Oxfordshire County Council scheme is also supported by the Vale of White Horse District Council and Abingdon Town Council.

David Robertson, the county council's cabinet member for transport, said residents had been fully consulted about the changes.

He said: "Our aim is to manage traffic flow and make life more pleasant for every road user from pedestrians through to motorists.

"We will achieve that, but, in the short term, there has been disruption for people. We apologise for that and we are grateful for the understanding Abingdon people have shown.

"Obviously, any new arrangement takes time to bed down and for a short time the benefits will not be obvious as people get used to the layout. The new arrangement should be judged over the longer term."

Mr Robertson said the scheme had allowed the council to de-clutter streets of signs and street furniture where possible.

Once the Stratton Way project is complete, work will focus on the installation on traffic signals on the approach over Abingdon Bridge, near Hales Meadow car park.

Abingdon Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the changes to Stratton Way.

Chamber president Jill Carver said: "We do think this will be beneficial. It is a good move because it means traffic that just wants to go through Abingdon will not impact on the retail area.

"That will make the shopping experience in Abingdon better and hopefully increase footfall."

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said officers would keep watch on this weekend's changes.

He said: "As with anything that's new, we will pay attention to it, but we are not anticipating any problems."

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