Latest news with #Eynsham
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Children will die walking to school - they have been thrown under the bus'
A council has been accused of "throwing children under the bus" after it said a bus route to and from school would be axed. Oxfordshire County Council will scrap the route taking pupils to and from Cassington and Bartholomew School in Eynsham this November following a review. A letter to parents seen by this newspaper says the council believes the journey to school – around two miles – is safely walkable. But parents have argued crossing the A40 and B449 - the recommended route - would be dangerous for children, citing dangers of speeding traffic and unsafe crossings with "extremely poor" visibility. Mum-of-two Catherine Chapman accused the council of 'throwing children under the bus on A40 whilst trying to save their own budget'. The damaged refuge (Image: Catherine Chapman) A lorry passes on the A40 (Image: Catherine Chapman) She said there have been instances of cars driving "at 70mph" through the village and added: "The route has no footpath and is actually a 30 mph zone (unlike the rest of Cassington and Eynsham). Mrs Chapman also criticised the refuge in the middle of the road not being up to standard, thanks to what appears to be a previous crash that has bent the railing. Assessments of the route, seen by this newspaper, were carried out in June, which Mrs Chapman argues would be at the lightest and sunniest time of the year. She said the council should look at what the crossing is like "at 8am on a foggy December morning". READ MORE: Mrs Chapman added: "The bottom line is: a child will die if this bus route goes, and that will be on the council. "Cassington is an incredible village; there was a previous attempt to get rid of this bus route, and that appeal won. Nothing has changed." Poor visibility (Image: Catherine Chapman) She said she is currently "pulling apart" the council's assessment, will be appealing the decision and accused the authority of "wasting money". Parents' concerns about safety were put to Oxfordshire County Council. A council spokesman said: "Oxfordshire County Council evaluates walking routes when it believes a safe alternative to home to school transport might be available. "The assessment of the route between Cassington and Bartholomew School found it to be safe for walking, a hard surface lane with minimal traffic. "Approximately 45 students will begin using the walking route from 3 November 2025 when existing home to school transport finishes. "Families of these children were sent a comprehensive report on 14 July detailing the assessments we made, including maps and photographs." This newspaper also asked about costs of running the service, but the council did not answer.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Eynsham park and ride to launch in 2027
An 850-space park and ride which has not been used since it was completed last year will be ready by 2027, it has been County Council said a planning application to connect the £32m Eynsham site to the A40 was submitted on include a new junction and bus lanes, and upgraded walking and cycling authority said the park and ride was completed on time and to budget because of a separate ring-fenced grant, though "cost pressures caused by high inflation" temporarily halted the rest of the A40 improvements scheme. However, in October the project moved forward after receiving £126m of funding from Homes England, with a public consultation on the plans following shortly planning consent is given construction of the junction is expected to start in early 2026 and be completed by 2027, enabling the park and ride to become operational. The council anticipates a completion date for the rest of the project in the summer of on the park and ride began in 2022, with £51m funding provided by the Department of Transport. The remaining £19m is going towards the remainder of the scheme. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
