4-minute read

Spoiler alert: There are no Cyclopes or nymphs in this tale. Yet it is a story of a hazardous journey home that involves a circular route and is almost ten years in the making. In our case, the Rodney House roundabout is the many-headed sea monster: danger at each of its many exits, all too often accompanied by the wails of sirens of a rather more modern variety as another traveller joins its list of victims.

OK, enough of that.

The last blog on the subject was back in December after a few meetings and walk-arounds with councillors and council officers [1]. Quite a bit has happened in the world since then, and I’m happy to say that there has also been developments with the roundabout, albeit these have come at a rather more sedate pace.

The good news is that this is no longer just a conversation about the problems. There is now both funding and a realistic route for delivering improvements. These improvements are being considered through OCC’s S106 Accelerated Delivery Programme [2]. As part of this work, the GHRA and Bicester Bike Group, represented respectively by myself and fellow resident Paul Troop, are working directly with a team from Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to help shape what happens next.

The roundabout is now part of a wider Bicester transport programme that brings together the previously separate Eastern Peripheral Route and Central Corridor redesign schemes [3]. This matters because it means improvements here are not considered in isolation, but as part of a coordinated package across Bicester. The overall scheme is expected to be delivered in 2027/28, although OCC hopes to deliver some elements sooner.

One such measure is the planned reduction in the speed limit to 30mph on all approaches to the roundabout. On its own, it won’t solve everything, but excessive speed is one of the reasons drivers misjudge the exits, particularly the one towards Aylesbury on the A41. Even a slight reduction in speed might be enough to prevent those mistakes becoming serious collisions. Before it can be implemented, this change has to go through a formal consultation process. This inevitably takes time, but that process is now underway, with a decision expected in early 2027.

What else might change? The short answer is that we don’t know yet, but OCC is commissioning a study to identify and assess the engineering options available. I’m pleased, though, that the report I submitted to OCC last summer has been used as the starting point for identifying potential improvements, demonstrating that residents’ voices are helping to shape the discussion [4].

Without going back over the detail in that report, all your old favourites make an appearance. Perhaps yours is the unintuitive merge as you turn right from Tesco, or the uneasy feeling that someone is about to drive into the back of you while you’re waiting at the final set of lights before Graven Hill. Or maybe you prefer the classic of simply not stopping at a red light.

Of course, it isn’t just motorists who use the roundabout. Paul Troop may already have secured a quick win by persuading OCC to look at improving the traffic light phasing, reducing the time pedestrians and cyclists spend waiting to cross. Work is also expected to begin over the summer on the planned cycle routes along London Road and eastwards on the A41 towards Ambrosden [5].

Safety isn’t the only challenge the roundabout faces. Separately, I also highlighted to OCC that recent analysis by GHVDC shows the roundabout will be operating over capacity by the end of Graven Hill’s development. Although that’s primarily an issue for the Stage 2 Planning Application, any future redesign will need to address both the capacity issues and the existing safety concerns.

Progress has been frustratingly slow. In fairness, OCC has rightly had to prioritise junctions where serious accidents have already occurred, and limited funding has followed those priorities. The hope now is that this new programme gives the Rodney House roundabout the attention it needs before something more serious happens, allowing residents to complete their epic and not-so-epic journeys just a little more safely [6].

Paul Davis

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Notes & Further Reading

[1] Davis, P. (2025) December dispatches: the ongoing discussion about our dangerous roundabout. Graven Hill Residents’ Association. Available at: https://gravenhillra.com/2025/12/30/december-dispatches-the-ongoing-discussion-about-our-dangerous-roundabout/ 

[2] Oxfordshire County Council (2025) Plan to speed up the use of developer contributions is approved. Available at: https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/plan-to-speed-up-the-use-of-developer-contributions-is-approved/ 

[3] Oxfordshire County Council (2026) Bicester and the Surrounding Villages Movement and Place Plan: Local Transport and Connectivity Plan – Supporting strategy (Annex A). Oxford: Oxfordshire County Council, pp. 27,32,41. Available at: https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/documents/s81149/Annex%20A%20-%20Movement%20and%20Place%20Plan%20-%20Bicester%20The%20Surrounding%20Villages.pdf 

[4] Davis, P. (2025) Safety of Rodney House Roundabout. Graven Hill Residents’ Association (GHRA). Available at: https://gravenhillra.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/rodney-house-roundabout.docx.pdf 

[5] Waterman Infrastructure & Environment Ltd (2026) Graven Hill, Bicester – Stage 2: Addendum Transport Assessment (Document Ref: 11386173-WAT-XX-XX-RP-H-800004_C02). Birmingham: Waterman Infrastructure & Environment Ltd. Available at: https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Document/Download?module=PLA&recordNumber=163667&planId=2467675&imageId=443&isPlan=False&fileName=11386173-WAT-XX-XX-RP-H800004_C02_Addendum%20Transport%20AssessmentPart-1.pdf 

[6] Oxfordshire County Council (2026) Bicester and the Surrounding Villages Movement and Place Plan: Local Transport and Connectivity Plan – Supporting strategy (Annex A), p. 36. Available at: https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/documents/s81149/Annex%20A%20-%20Movement%20and%20Place%20Plan%20-%20Bicester%20The%20Surrounding%20Villages.pdf#page=37