Charlbury and Hanborough Stations - service improvements and car parking

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

I took a trip down the Cotswold Line yesterday and noticed that Hanborough's new car park appears to be coming along nicely - though as it's raised up from the level of the platform it's difficult to see too much.  At Charlbury it also looked as if some of the disabled spaces had been removed and replaced with normal parking to create about 10 extra spaces - was I seeing things?  If so, has disabled parking been moved somewhere else or just reduced?  There were comments that there were far too many spaces for disabled parking only.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Further to II's post today, I understand that a possible opening date for use of the new car park is 10 June. However this date has slipped regularly back every few weeks. As II points out the new car park is at a higher level than the actual station area and a ramp has to be built (crossing some of the bus museum currently controlled land) to enable car park users to have only a short walk from their cars to the platform. For reasons not altogether clear (a costs overun has been mentioned) this ramp will not be completed until the end of July (or from the usual rail experience, later). In the mean time car park users will have a 5 to 10 minute walk back from their parked car to the vehicular entrance and then along the public highway to the existing drive.
With regard to disabled parking spaces I am advised that the 10 spaces to be allowed has been fixed according to a national formula based on the total number of spaces being provided. I am further advised that if after a period of 6 months or so and not all of these are found to be used, the number can be reduced to a figure perceived to be adequate. However I do not expect this to happen until growth in use of the station results in all the other new spaces being used thus creating further parking problems. Some of the existing parking along the drive will be reserved for residents of nearby Station Terrace who will find problems in parking in front of their homes because yellow waiting limit lines will be installed on the roads around the station. This will be necessary as a daily ^3.00 all day parking charge will be imposed for the first time and many rail users will object to this and continue to park on the nearby public highway instead of using the new car park to avoid paying. In the area just around the existing platform gate, the existing 2 disabled spaces will be increased to 10 as mentioned above and there will be a short term pickup and set down zone in this area as well. It is understood that enforcement of parking fee payment will be made with the installation of ANPR equipment "Automatic Number Plate Recognition" somewhat similar to that used by the police to track down uninsured and unlicenced vehicles on the highway. Whilst thenumber of spaces in the new car park is said to be 191, the net increase of spaces available to normal rail users will be less for the reasons explained above. However with up to 130 vehicles having been counted currently parking in and around the station, the new car park should be able to accomodate another 60 additional rail users to Hanborough station although we are aware that some people from the Charlbury area now use Hanborough as parking has been free and the fares for eastward travel are lower. Some of these may revert to Charlbury thus possibly increasing parking problems there. We will just have to wait and see!

[IndustryInsider]

For reasons not altogether clear (a costs overun has been mentioned) this ramp will not be completed until the end of July (or from the usual rail experience, later). In the mean time car park users will have a 5 to 10 minute walk back from their parked car to the vehicular entrance and then along the public highway to the existing drive.

Although not ideal, as long as the reasons for this (and the fact that it is a temporary arrangement) are clearly explained on posters at the station, then hopefully that won't be too big an issue.

With regard to disabled parking spaces I am advised that the 10 spaces to be allowed has been fixed according to a national formula based on the total number of spaces being provided. I am further advised that if after a period of 6 months or so and not all of these are found to be used, the number can be reduced to a figure perceived to be adequate.

Ah, that explains what has happened at Charlbury then!  The additional half dozen or so spaces there will be very handy.

This will be necessary as a daily ^3.00 all day parking charge will be imposed for the first time and many rail users will object to this and continue to park on the nearby public highway instead of using the new car park to avoid paying.

Radley's new car park is actually less full than before it was extended due to the imposition of parking charges, probably only half full on a typical weekday now, with a mad scramble for legitimate free street parking spaces at the top of the approach road and surrounding streets.  I wonder whether the double-yellow paint truck will be paying a visit there any time soon... 

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Hanborough's new car park is now nearing completion with lighting columns being erected yesterday. Apparantly there has been some delay in getting the lanterns that must comply with NR^» (Network Rail - home page) standards and national rural standards that minimise light pollution. The standards look not quite right just now with tempory tiny halogen floodlights on top but these are to be replaced when the correct ones arrive.
Pay and Display machines have now been installed and I understand that APNR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) equipemnt will not be installed just yet. I suspect that this may have something to do with the fact that the Oxford Bus Museum has access rights of way over the present car park to their premises just east of the station for both members and visitors, (incidentally now well worth a visit for an hour or two since it has been developed with millions of Lottery Heritage funds). However I am not sure how the planning requirement to have a "Spaces/Full" board visible from the outside highway could be made to work without the APNR kit being connected to collect the data.
It looks as though not much more than the necessary notices need to be erected before it can be opened for public use and the highway authority can get on with painting yellow no waiting lines on the surrounding highways

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Further update - even more delay in opening!
This project upon which work started last October after a local authority planning consent in early September and with a projected completion date of 21 December 2012 will not now open until July 2013. A project taking 3 times as long as first announced.
The latest delay has arisen because FGW^▸ (First Great Western) says the funds to complete it have run out. It seems that there was a condition in the original planning consent that some highway improvements had to be done by FGW as project manager (by its contractor) and that the car park cannot be opened for use before this work has been completed even though the car park has been completed for more than a week now and the contractor has departed from the site.
Oxon County Council has now stepped in and will carry out the work at council taxpayers expense. The deputy leader has written to me after I have complained at yet further delay saying:  "We at OCC have bent over backwards to ensure that this project did not get cancelled (it could have happened), and have also put our money where our "mouth" is. The current status quo has operated through dark and dank winters in the past, so let us all accept another month in summertime, and open the car park when all is safely ready. We are doing all we can to do this as soon as possible."
I have heard that this work will take 7 to 10 days starting next Monday with an opening date of either 1st or 8th July. However the county contractor has erected advance notice boards at the site warning of road works to widen the road starting 17 June for 3 weeks. Someone is being optimistic or someone is pessimistic. The reference to road widening suggests that a centre turn right lane will be built for vehicles coming from the west to turn right into the car park and thus avoiding traffic behind held up if the right turning traffic cannot turn right because of on-coming traffic. This is something most sensible as at peak morning times, the road is just one long queue of traffic using the A4095 as a rat run to Oxford or the M40 at Wendlebury for London because the main A40 will be bumper to bumper and stationary for much of the time from the outskirts of Witney to Oxford for 10 miles.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

After far too many delays the new Hanborough Car park is now scheduled to open next Monday, 8 July, delayed further by a week from 1 July because the work on the highway (necessary as a planning condition) has not been completed, but don't blame the highway authority. It has picked up this job, and the costs, because FGW^▸ (First Great Western) said its funds to do the work had run out very blate in the process.
Unfortunately notices were erected at the new and existing car park advising that charges would be impolemented from 1 July so very few rail users were aware of the postponement to 8 July. New parking rules were also to be introduced that would reduce the number of general parking spaces in the existing car park by about half. This has been postponed but no notices have been put up to advise rail users. As a result there has been much confusion with some of the very honest rail users buying season tickets to start from last Monday when the charging regieme will not start until next Monday, Other people parking and putting notes on their car windscreen saying, that the single pay machine is not working and that the phone number shown to be rung for telephone payment is unavailable. All in all - a great deal of traveller confusion. What a way to run a railway!

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

The pay machine at the existing Hanborough car park has now been unveiled for when charging starts on 8 July. I have tried to attach a photo - njot sure how successful so this is what it states: "Car Parking Charges Monday to Friday before 10.00 am ^3.00" - perfectly Ok. It then goes on to read as "Weekends after 10.00 am and all day Saturday - ^1.80" What does this mean? I think "Weekends" should read "Weekdays" as otherwise there is no indication of a reduced charge for parking after 10.00 on weekdays. It also states "Sundays - Free". I thought Weekends usually included Sunday.
I think the simple answer is that noone at5 APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) proof read the notice but is very confusing for the casual rail user to read.

[Busboy W1]

Hanborough's new car park seemed to be open today but only 10 or 15 cars actually parked in it ! Meanwhile on the grass verges on the road opposite there was about 20 to 30 cars looking some what abandoned by their owners ! All of which received a Penalty Notice by the looks of things ! Personally I would pay the ^3 in the car park but is this a fair deal ?

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

There were 5 cars in the new car park this morning ar around 09.15, I am informed that 36 were counted later today.
Yesterday there were some 25 cars on the verges and all received warning notices. This had fallen to about 20 this morning.
The WODC warden will be visiting daily and attaching notices to cars parked on the verges. However parking fines will not start until after 22 July. Unfortunately the start date of fines is mentioned on the warning so it is likely that those cars already parking on the vergewill continue to do so until this date  - not a very good idea to put the date on!
Whereas only few weekis ago I counted around 130 cars parked both in and out of the station, that has now fallen by about 50. Where have they gone to?

[Btline]

Haddenham and Thame Parkway!

[IndustryInsider]

Haddenham and Thame Parkway!

More expensive to park there...

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Today's observations were that only 4 vehicles were parked on the grass verges outside the station but the number of cars in the new car park had risen to about 50. The freely available spaces in the old car park, now much reduced due mainly to parking on the drive being "resident permit holders only" was almost full. In total I think there are still about 40 - 50 cars fewer in and around the station. A few of these missing cars can now be identified as people from Hanborough itself who formerly drove down early for the London trains and are now either walking, cycling or getting a lift rather than paying the parking fee. The number of blue badge spaces are to be increased from the recently advised 5 to 12, i.e. as quoted in the planning application for which it is understood no variation has been agreed by the planning authority. In the mean time what do the parking boards above the row of spaces along side the platform reading as "Permit Holders Only" No one seems to know any of a number of interpretations could be put on such a vague notice. Just not good! What was good to see was a party of 30+ teachers, parents and schoolchidren arriving at around 09.30 for a train excursion.

[Btline]

Not if there are 3 of them in a car.

When parking was free at Hanborough, 2 people used to park there, get into a third car and drive to Thame Parkway to park for free!

[Busboy W1]

There's some good shade at Haddenham & Thame Parkway in their multi-storey car park.

Interesting this year at Charlbury for the Wilderness festival is there is more room to use for the buses and for the 14,000 festival goers expected with the use of the *Lower* Car Park as 12 months ago this was not available for use to my memory.

[IndustryInsider]

Anybody know when the construction of the new walking route from the new car park to the station at Hanborough will commence?