No more cash for yellow lines (From The Oxford Times)

No more cash for yellow lines

10:30am Friday 16th March 2012 in News By Oliver Evans , covering Banbury. Call me on 01865 425271

TRANSPORT bosses have run out of cash to fund new double yellow lines.

Oxfordshire County Council says the transport department is out of money because of a squeeze on finances.

It comes after residents in Headington hit out at a string of “confusing” double yellow lines painted across junctions.

The council has to approve a traffic regulation order for lines to go down, costing about £2,500 in legal fees and advertising each time. But costs can spiral if residents object as proposals have to be re-advertised and consulted on.

Mike Horton, the council’s principal traffic engineer, said: “Because of budget cuts, OCC no longer has any budget to fund new waiting restrictions. We are wholly dependant upon external funding.”

He said the council would be dependent on cash given by developers as part of deals to get planning permission for schemes.

Rodney Rose, the county council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “It is a matter of priorities.

“With reduced funding, I want to spend the money on maintaining the highway rather than the secondary bits like double yellow lines.”

He said because of the national deficit, there would be no cash for new yellow lines funded by the council until at least 2013.

Mr Rose added: “We have to get beyond this, otherwise it becomes another Greece.”

The council is cutting £119m out of its £950m-a-year budget from 2011 to 2015 because of a drop in the grant it gets from Government.

Headington resident Dominic Francis, of Stephen Road, said: “It’s a bit sad.

“Perhaps if they hadn’t been so speedy and thought about painting the yellow lines in Headington, they might have had some more money.”

Mr Rose was unable to say how much painting and then removing the controversial lines in Headington cost.

But he added they did not cost £2,500 a time as other yellow lines were already in place, meaning consultation was not needed.

Residents fighting for restrictions in Nursery Drive, Banbury, also hit out.

The council had approved plans for yellow lines, to include nearby Nursery Lane, but scrapped it amid cuts and a “severe reduction” in resources.

John French, who got 91 out of 104 homes to sign a petition calling for the lines, said: “It would cost 50p a metre.

“It seems odd after the three years we have been trying. There must be some money.

“You can’t get by if there is a car coming your way.”

oevans@oxfordmail.co.uk