The new 2024 walking route we posted to our facebook page has proved quite popular so here it is for our website followers and friends who’re up for somewhere else to stroll nearby.
You can walk from any point on the map/route though the marked start (A) and finish point for this one is the postbox at the Peregrine Way and Shearwater Drive junction. Start with a walk down to Jubilee Lake then over to Graven Hill via the Rodney House roundabout and back through the tunnel beneath the A41 and over the London Road to return to Langford again.
To download and print off a copy of the map just click here
OR to download a gtx file for a navigation device or phone app click here
The full distance of the route is around 3.5 miles and so it will take between an hour or two to complete, longer if you choose to stop at one of the two coffee shops, the wine bar or the pub – all of which you’ll be passing. Why not let us know how you get on with a comment here?
Daffodils near the entrance to Graven Hill in late March 2024 (outside of the public access area)
Do you know of new people who’re moving onto Langford Village?
Langford Village Community Association and FLTR Coffee have recently worked together to produce a leaflet with essential local information to assist all Langford newcomers as they start to settle in here.
All our local Bicester estate agents and letting agencies now have supplies of the leaflet to hand out and there are also some in FLTR and at the Langford Village Community Centre Hall, in Nightingale Place, OX26 6XX.
Please ask any new residents if they’ve received a leaflet and, if they haven’t got one, encourage them to pick up a copy soon – or you could help out by dropping a copy to them.
Understanding the formal process for a solution to London Road Crossing
Every person on Langford Village should be involved with the process beginning in June regarding the EWR proposals for the solution to London Road Crossing.
OnMay 9th we all get a chance to understand this process before we see the proposals in the following month.
EWR are holding an event at Weyland Hall in Bicester from 2.00pm to 7.00pm on that day which is open to all.
This event is designed to help people understand the statutory consultation and Development Consent Order (DCO) processes. Members of the EWR DCO and engagement teams will attend to answer any questions and queries people might have.
These sessions are not formal consultation events and there will be no specific design information or proposals available to view, however that design information will of course be available at the statutory consultation, where there will then be the opportunity to share feedback about the proposals.
June will see the first phase of the statutory consultation and we will have sight of the first plans of the two proposed sites for a bridge for access to town to replace the London Road crossing at which people will be able to give feedback.
One of the proposals, as far as we know, is to have a bridge over the railway at Gavray Drive, anyone backing on to or near Gavray needs to be ready to comment as it would mean Gavray being turned into much busier road with an extra 7.000 vehicle journeys daily. it also means we have lost an access road into town as that would feed into Launton Road.
The other proposal, as far as we know, is a curved bridge alongside London Road cutting through the carparks near the ambulance building and coming down along Station Approach, a much more sensible option retaining an existing road into town.
Whatever happens will have a huge impact on everyone south of London Road Crossing.
This shows the level of water in Langford Brook in near real time. If you check back regularly through any day you’ll be able to see how water levels may be rising or falling.
To see a graph of how the Brook has been over the last few days please click here.
Here is the record for Sunday 18th to Saturday 24th February 2024.
Our image below is from Sunday 18th February 2023 (in ‘flooding possible’ status)
I thought it would be of interest to keep you updated about what the LVCA committee has been involved with over recent months and share our success stories.
✅ We have spent nearly three years battling with Thames Water regarding the state of the paths around Jubilee Lake. At long last they have repaired some of the damaged surfaces around the lake. Sadly, they ignored the pathway from Avocet Way to the lake, and the pathway from the post box opposite Shearwater Drive to the lake. They have been incredibly difficult to deal with.
✅ We hope you like the improvements to the play area in Langford Park, we worked with Bicester Town Council (BTC) and are delighted with the upgraded play equipment.
✅ We are loving the new signs erected to Langford Park, plus the information board, the two new seats, and the information posts to encourage children to find out information. Again, we have been involved with BTC on the improvements
✅ Over the next few weeks you will see some road name signs replaced, we have worked with Cherwell District Council to bring this about. We hope gradually to get all the old signs replaced however have concentrated on the worse ones.
✅ We have obtained another socket for the speed awareness device, which will be situated near the school. Once this has been installed, we will move the device to this location.
We are currently trying to obtain grants to undertake the refurb of the ladies’ toilets in the summer holidays plus a grant for loft insulation which is needed.
We hope you approve of the things we are tackling to improve Langford Village and the Community Centre for us all to enjoy.
Kind Regards,
Carole
Carole Hetherington
Chairman, Langford Village Community Association (LVCA)
Do you know that there are often LVCA e-newsletters for all Langford’s residents? Hundreds of people are already signed up to receive them but if you haven’t yet done so it’s easy to join in by using the link here ➡️ https://bit.ly/lvca_eNews
OPEN CRAFTING SESSIONS – NEW AT LANGFORD VILLAGE HALL – STARTING SOON
Do you have crafts projects that you’re working on and that you’d enjoy completing in the company of others? If so you’re warmly invited to come along to the first of our open crafting sessions at the Hall on Wednesday 21st February from 2pm to 4pm.
Just bring your knitting, sewing, cross stitch jigsaws, painting or other crafty things into our warm and social setting where tea and coffee is also provided.
Perhaps the new sessions, to be held of the third Wednesday of each month, are just what you need to help finish projects started long ago and the place for you to ask questions or pick up hints and tips from like minded people living on Langford.
There’s no need to book and the cost is just £3 per person for each session.
These sessions are organised by the Langford Village Community Association which will expect all crafters to ensure that all areas are left clean at the end of the afternoon.
If you’ve any further questions about this activity please contact Sandra by email addressed to bookings@lvca.org.uk
Langford Village now has a Monday to Saturday bus service on a restricted timetable. It would be wonderful to get a more comprehensive timetable, however it all depends on usage. This is the number 108 bus.
You can catch a bus into Bicester town centre at 11.00am and 14.10pm and there are returns from the town centre at 11.20am and 14.30pm – far from perfect however it’s a start.
I am concerned that there are people living on Langford Village who may still be unaware of this service. Please would you let any neighbours know who may not be on social media. Although the service exists it’s not being well used currently.
Many thanks, Carole – Chairman Langford Village Community Association ( LVCA)
(Please see the timetable posted here and please address any questions or enquires about the service direct to the Oxford Bus Company, which runs it.)
To PRINT OFF a timetable just click here for a pdf version that’s handy to keep with you.
We now have our second set of statistics from our speed sign, stating again for clarity, this is NOT a speed camera. It does not record any number plate details. Also, for the avoidance of doubt, the LVCA does not have an objective of getting a 20mph speed limit on Langford, it simply wants to raise speed awareness on our estate.
This set of data is for vehicles traveling from the Pipits Croft roundabout towards Ravencroft and Kestrel junctions, so when exiting the estate. The statics are for a four week period starting Monday 13th November and ending Sunday 10th December. During this time some 58,462 vehicles passed the sign in one direction, which averages 2,000 per day, or 4,000 per day if you assume an equal number of vehicles in the opposite direction.
The chart below puts traffic in 5 mph buckets, so for example 28,220 vehicles passed the sign doing 25mph to 30mph. A total of 13,167 vehicles travelled past the sign above the 30mph speed limit, which equates to 22.5% of all vehicles, compared with the 12% that exceeded the speed limit when the sign was located near Shearwater and Avocet junctions. For context, nationally 50% of drivers break the 30mph speed limit, which was somewhat surprising to me.
(Clicking on any chart will make it larger and more easy to read on your device)
The chart below is complex, it shows that on average that vehicles are traveling below 30mph, however we do have a considerable number of vehicles traveling at 35,40, 45mph etc, with one vehicle hitting 60mph.
The chart below provides the daily volumes for a single week.
The final chart, shows the flow of traffic through the day, highlighting a considerable morning peak in traffic flow.
The primary objective of the speed sign is to encourage us all to drive at a safe speed on our roads on our estate. We hope you find these insights useful. The speed sign has now been positioned to monitor vehicles entering our estate from the Kestrel Way and Ravencroft direction. In the New Year a new socket will be installed near the school, and enable us to provide statics on vehicles using this stretch of road.
In the meantime, from us all at the LVCA, have a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.
