Calling out OBAG’s Dodgy Survey
CoHSAT Press Release 31 March 2025 CoHSAT is calling out flaws in the method of Oxford Business Action Group’s (OBAG’s) survey of Oxford residents about the coming experimental Traffic Filters.“This one-sided survey from OBAG is another attempt at disinformation from people who mistakenly think that lots of traffic is good for a city. What their […]
Cowley LTN’s second year of halved road crashes
Low Traffic Neighbourhood Areas (LTNs) implemented in Cowley, Oxford in 2021 have halved the number of road crashes compared to pre-LTN levels. In addition, crashes on the boundary roads are reduced. This is based on Police road collision statistics released in September 2024. CoHSAT analysed the data in the 3 Cowley LTNs and their boundary […]
The rails ahead for Oxfordshire
Railways are essential for the future of transport because of their high capacity and potential to operate with low emissions and inclusivity. Rail developments can be slow, and as we know in Oxford, disruptive, but hold on – there are a lot of new services planned to arrive. There is a vision with Oxford as a […]
25 years of Bus Gates in Oxford
On 1st June 1999, Oxford’s bus gates became operational. They tamed central traffic and despite fears, the city did not become a ‘ghost town’.
Cowley Road retail continues to outperform in early 2024
Our updated survey of shops on Cowley Road in Oxford shows shows the street continues to outperform the nation in retail vacancies, with more shops and restaurants open on Cowley Road since last year, contrasting with increasing closures across the UK. Cowley Road has a vacancy rate of 5.2% compared to the national average of […]
Better bus services coming to Oxford
Oxford’s decades-old traffic problems will be tackled by new Traffic Filters, planned since 2015, and due to be trialled once Network Rail complete their works on the Botley Road bridge, which themselves will open up a new range of rail services. These should reduce congestion to the free-flowing traffic we see in school holidays. The Traffic […]
Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2024
2nd May 2024 saw the elections for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Police. Matthew Barber was re-elected. The full results were: Matthew Barber (Conservative) – 144,092 votes Tim Starkey (Labour) – 141,749 votes Tim Bearder (Liberal Democrat) – 84,341 votes Ben Holden-Crowther (More Police Officers for Thames Valley) – 46,853 votes Russel Fowler (Independent) – 31,460 […]
Road casualties halved in Cowley LTN
A study of Police data released in September 2023 shows that road casualties in the Cowley Low Traffic Neighbourhood Areas (LTNs) have reduced by about half from their pre-LTN levels. CoHSAT analysed the data in the 3 Cowley LTNs and their boundary roads for 2022 compared to the pre-LTN and pre-Covid period of 2015-2019. They […]
CoHSAT / Abingdon Liveable Streets guide to shared cars and Co-Wheels
Abingdon, like most Oxfordshire towns, has a car sharing scheme. For the individual, car sharing allows you to use a car when you need it, without the hassle and cost of owning one. For the wider community, car sharing with electric cars reduces the number of parked cars and reduces pollution and noise on the […]
Cowley Road retail shows its resilience in difficult times
No-one likes a high street with empty stores. The ‘vacancy rate’, the percentage of shops that are empty, or not open for business, is a standard indicator of retail health. In November 2018, Cowley Road had 12 retail vacancies. CoHSAT used Google StreetView and street surveys to find that in July 2023 there were 11 […]