There will be 4 candidates standing for the local Cherwell District Council ward (Bicester South and Ambrosden) at the election on May 2nd.
Click here for details of the candidates as shown in the elections notice of April 5th.
We will also be asked to cast a vote to elect Thames Valley’s police and crime commissioner (PCC).
Click here to find some details about the candidates who’re standing for PCC.
The Langford Village polling stations will be open on May 2nd from 7am to 10pm.
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)
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
PLEASE ‘USE IT OR LOSE IT’
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.
Laurence Gray, LVCA Committee Member
Following on from the original set of data from our local speed sign, we thought it would be interesting to take a sample week in order to share some more insights. Specifically for the 7 days starting Monday 16th October, the following charts show:
Please note, the sign records vehicles one direction only, so the true number of vehicles passing the sign is doubled if you assume the same number of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction. Clicking on any of the charts makes them bigger and easier to read.
On a week day, approx. 1,700 pass the sign. If you double that to take into account vehicles traveling in the opposite direction, that is 3,400 vehicles – a surprisingly busy stretch of road.
The above chart shows the high volumes of vehicles per hour during the morning and early evening periods.
This is a complex chart, it does show that on average vehicles are traveling below 30 miles per hour. However, during peak times each day we have a considerable number of vehicles traveling at 35, 40, 45 and even 50 miles per hour down this stretch of road. Let’s all play our part in keeping this busy road safe for all residents of our estate.
You’re welcome to leave a comment on this post here or to join in the conversations about this same topic on the Langford Life facebook page.
Laurence Gray, LVCA Committee Member
We now have the first set of statistics from Langford Village’s very own Speed Sign. For clarity, this is not a speed camera, it does not record any number plate details. It simply records for each vehicle passing it, its maximum speed along with a time and date stamp.
It is all too easy to accidentally speed, the primary objective of the speed sign is to actively draw each drivers attention to their speed. It has been noted that drivers are slowing down when the speed sign has indicated they are travelling above 30 miles per hour, so the impact has been positive.
The sign is mobile, with two ’sockets’ already in place on Peregrine Way, with one socket near Kestrel Way and one near Avocet Way. At each of these locations the sign can be positioned to measure traffic speed in either direction. A third socket will shortly be installed along the section of Peregrine Way containing the shops and school.
The first set of data we have is for cars traveling from the Osprey Close/Falcon Mead roundabout down Peregrine Way towards the Shearwater Drive/Avocet Way junctions – basically leaving the estate. Over a period of one month, 44,167 vehicles passed the speed sign. The chart below puts traffic into 5 mile per hour buckets. So for example, 19,347 vehicles passed the sign traveling between 25 and 30 miles per hour.
The data indicates that we do have a surprising number of cars travelling down this section of road above the speed limit. Just over 12% of vehicles are speeding – that is 5,612 speeding vehicles over a period of 1 month (October 2023).
In response to some requests to publish a more detailed breakdown of the instances of over 30mph speeds the LVCA can also provide this additional chart/data table. This shows that there were 688 times when a vehicle was recorded as speeding between 36mph and 55mph.
The sign has now been moved to record data for cars traveling from the Goldcrest Way/Pipits Croft roundabout towards Ravencroft and Kestrel Way junctions, we will publish this data when available.
The primary objective of the Speed Sign is to encourage us all to drive at a safe speed on our roads, on our estate. The secondary objective is provide actual data to determine if we have a problem with speeding on Langford. If we do, we can provide this information to the relevant authorities who can in turn decide if they want to carry out any enforcement actions.
Let’s work together to make Langford a safe place to live.
Laurence Gray, LVCA Committee Member
There’s another of our popular tasting events very soon at the Hall.
On Saturday 28th October at 5.30pm you can join us to learn about and sample different types of Port chosen by Langford’s own specialist – Sandra Davies. There’ll be plenty to choose from – tawny, ruby, white, crusted, aged, colheita, late bottled vintage and vintage.
This event is FREE but you must REGISTER TO ATTEND IN ADVANCE. Please do not turn up on the evening without doing so. It takes only a moment to register and you can do so here.
Just click on the button below to book your place immediately.
If you prefer to book over the phone then please call 07869 797030
The information statement below is supplied by Pat Clissold, of Gavray Meadows News. LVCA is sharing it to help update more Langford residents via its own website and social media.
“We now have reached an agreement with L&Q that will allow the Gavray Meadows (Local Wildlife Site (LWS) to become a Local Green Space. The designation still has to be passed by the Cherwell District Council but it should be a formality as it fulfils Bicester Policy 13.
“Two hundred houses will be built on the west side of Langford Brook and fifty along Gavray Drive at the ring-road (A4421) end, along Footpath 129/4.
“The flooding that was on the footpath was an overflow from Thames Water pipes. With the help of L&Q hydrologists this flooding (which was also present along the ridge and furrows in the field bordering the A4421) has been stopped, which benefits the community. The footpath is once again (after 5 years of being under dirty water) a pleasant walk leading to Launton.
“There will not be any development in the LWS or 90% of the Conservation Target Area (CTA) inside Bicester Policy 13. We have been through twelve years when the land belonged to Gallagher Estates. The last three years with L&Q have been one of steady progress towards agreement. It shows what negotiations can achieve!”
Pat Clissold, Gavray Meadows News
(17th October 2023)
Please ‘Save the Date’ now and simply add it to your phone or device calendar so you don’t forget. It’s Tuesday 17th October at 7.30 in the Hall. Just click on the button provided here.
Add to Calendar