Oxford Road junction improvement work begins

The work began yesterday to upgrade the traffic lights and improve traffic flow.

New 'smart' traffic lights will be installed to work in harmony with pedestrian crossings along the A418 corridor, and will be responsive to the ebb and flow of traffic.

While the new lights are being installed, temporary lights replicating existing signals will control traffic.

Then, a week later, on Monday 6 July, work will start to widen the Churchill Avenue approach to the A418 junction to two lanes, to allow more vehicles to get through the lights on each green phase.

The road widening will require the Southcourt-bound lane of Churchill Avenue to be closed over the school summer holidays between Monday 23 July and 4 September, to allow a section of the grass verge to be used to widen the road. Diversions will be clearly signed and access to homes will be maintained throughout.

During the 15-week scheme, work will be done between 8am and 5pm Mondays to Fridays, although resurfacing and white-lining will be carried out overnight towards the end of the programme.

Nick Naylor, Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said Oxford Road was an important route into and out of Aylesbury, which normally attracted a high volume of traffic, causing congestion and delay at peak times. .

"None of us likes to sit in traffic jams, unsure about when we'll arrive," said Nick. "The aim of this scheme is to improve the reliability of journey times by reducing congestion and delay. That's got to be good for residents, businesses and commuters alike. I'm delighted our overall scheme encourages cycling and walking, and I hope it will make a contribution to improving air quality.

“My apologies in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause.”

This scheme is one of the final phases in a £3.19 million project that has seen improvements to the section of the A418 Oxford Road from Coldharbour Way roundabout to the roundabout at the junction with Friarage Road, including:

-Junction improvements

-Pedestrian crossing upgrades

-'Smart' traffic lights that adapt to traffic flows

-New stretches of cycleway and footway

-Real time passenger information

-New double-length bus shelter outside Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School

-Widening of the Fowler Road approach on the opposite side of the junction, to provide an extended left-turn lane into Oxford Road towards the town centre, was completed in March

And more recently, as part of the overall project, the central traffic island outside Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, was extended to prevent vehicles exiting right out of the school and causing delays.

The scheme budget is made up of a £2.19m bid from the Government's National Productivity Investment Fund, £500,000 from the Local Transport Board and developer funding of £500,000.