CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

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mumish2018
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:37 pm

CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by mumish2018 »

Please suggest some areas that are feasible for travel by car or walk to CCHSG in the morning/evening.

One of the factors that I thought of is the high traffic on Lexden road with vehicles from A12 OR is there any traffic on the other direction as well?

Is it advisable to stay very close to the school (less than a mile for walking) or any other places further away which are commutable by car from the opposite direction (near Colchester Town Station or any other direction)?
ToadMum
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Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by ToadMum »

I rather liked the look of Maldon Road when my satnav decided I wanted to take a detour home that way to avoid an a traffic jam caused by an accident (walking distance to both the school and the Town station, I would think, but I'm not a native of Colchester - I'm sure that someone with better local knowledge will be along soon, though :) ).
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KB
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Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by KB »

Do have a search back over previous threads as there has been quite a lot posted about this and its something where the information doesn't really go out of date.

The traffic in Colchester is pretty dreadful everywhere in the morning and then you get two afternoon peaks in the school areas - at the end of school and the general working rush hour. The Lexden Road queues are primarily from people taking children to school judging by the drop during school holidays.

If you decide to live beyond walking distance to the school then I'd make sure you are on a frequent bus route.

I'm not clear if you have adult commuting requirements as well as the school?

Maldon Road and its off shoots is indeed popular as its cheaper than a bit further over towards Lexden Road and its side roads.
Prettygate is an another area to consider.
These areas all merge together at the edges!

You could also look at St Mary's area which is closer to town & stations if thats an issue. It depends how far you consider acceptable walking distance.

If you go further out along Lexden Road it gets cheaper once you hit 'Lexden' & Stanway. There are regular buses in from here if its too far to walk. The traffic is bad for school rush hours but its not much better from anywhere in town and on nice days one might choose a longer walk. Its also the right side of town for access to A12 and Marks Tey station.
mumish2018
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:37 pm

Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by mumish2018 »

Sure, will have a look again at the previous threads.

So across Colchester, the traffic is there and not just Lexden road.

I'm just wondering if living beyond walking distance(may be a max of 1-1.2 miles), taking a bus/car will again be stuck in traffic.
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by KB »

In the mornings its bad everywhere. At school finish time its more concentrated on Lexden Road but Maldon Road also gets some of it.

One option in the morning is to drop off early especially if you use the Maldon Road option and let them walk a bit of the way.

Its not just about the core day though, there are advantages to being under their own steam for extra curricular and social events.

The pupils who live close by tend to become popular as a social base so it depends if you see this as a good thing!

If you decide on being beyond normal daily walking distance there are still advantages to being on a good bus route and /or a safe walk if necessary.
Colcmum
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Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by Colcmum »

The traffic is bad everywhere in Colchester, especially if you are trying to cross across it at peak time. The whole town is poorly planned, riddled with roundabouts and has had a massive expansion of people and cars in the last ten years. I'd recommend staying south of the town centre. In the immediate area around CCHSG there are several other schools - CRGS, St Benedicts, Phillip Morant, St Marys Girls school (private), Colchester High School (private), plus two nurseries and Oxford House.

Walking distance gives you quite a wide circle -

St Marys
New Town
Poets Corner, Straight Road and the top of Stanway
Shrub End Road and the estate off it
Prettygate
Maldon Road, Butt Road , Layer Road, Drury Road and all of their side roads. There is a whole estate around Abbey Fields.

If you are just dropping off then drop off on Shrub End Road or The Commons, much easier to get back out again once you know all the side roads and not quite as manic as Lexden Road. I'd look at dropping off at Winston Avenue or Boadicea Road to skip the traffic heading towards town.

The closer you live to town generally the more expensive the house and the more difficult it is to park. The area around Hamilton Primary attracts an extra premium price because of the school's catchment area. My recommendation for a house is always in Prettygate because it doesn't have parking restrictions, easy to get to town and schools, it has a nice range of houses, its quite a bit cheaper than the Maldon Road area but no less safe and leafy. Poets Corner is also lovely and has one of the best primary schools in Colchester. If you want to live closer to town I really like some of the Maldon Road side roads - Irvine Road, Victoria, Oxford, Cambridge, Honywood, Inglis, The Avenue, Queens Road. On the other side - Wavell, Gladwin, Rainsborowe.

If you add in buses you can get all the way to the outskirts, they are pretty regular and well used by CCHSG girls.
ToadMum
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Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by ToadMum »

A pothole in Oxford Rd did horrible things to one of my tyres and probably sounded the death knell for a bit of my suspension a couple of years ago :cry:. I haven't driven back down there since to check whether it's been filled in yet, but I do hope so :).
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
mumish2018
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:37 pm

Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by mumish2018 »

Colcmum wrote:The traffic is bad everywhere in Colchester, especially if you are trying to cross across it at peak time. The whole town is poorly planned, riddled with roundabouts and has had a massive expansion of people and cars in the last ten years. I'd recommend staying south of the town centre. In the immediate area around CCHSG there are several other schools - CRGS, St Benedicts, Phillip Morant, St Marys Girls school (private), Colchester High School (private), plus two nurseries and Oxford House.

Walking distance gives you quite a wide circle -

St Marys
New Town
Poets Corner, Straight Road and the top of Stanway
Shrub End Road and the estate off it
Prettygate
Maldon Road, Butt Road , Layer Road, Drury Road and all of their side roads. There is a whole estate around Abbey Fields.

If you are just dropping off then drop off on Shrub End Road or The Commons, much easier to get back out again once you know all the side roads and not quite as manic as Lexden Road. I'd look at dropping off at Winston Avenue or Boadicea Road to skip the traffic heading towards town.

The closer you live to town generally the more expensive the house and the more difficult it is to park. The area around Hamilton Primary attracts an extra premium price because of the school's catchment area. My recommendation for a house is always in Prettygate because it doesn't have parking restrictions, easy to get to town and schools, it has a nice range of houses, its quite a bit cheaper than the Maldon Road area but no less safe and leafy. Poets Corner is also lovely and has one of the best primary schools in Colchester. If you want to live closer to town I really like some of the Maldon Road side roads - Irvine Road, Victoria, Oxford, Cambridge, Honywood, Inglis, The Avenue, Queens Road. On the other side - Wavell, Gladwin, Rainsborowe.

If you add in buses you can get all the way to the outskirts, they are pretty regular and well used by CCHSG girls.
Thank you so much, that's a big bunch of very useful and precise information. I don't need to worry about Primary schools, its purely CCHSG and reaching the train station to travel to London.
Colcmum
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:58 pm

Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by Colcmum »

That pothole has now spread to most of the roads in Colchester like a fungus :lol:

Colchester is much more pleasant during the school holidays, Lexden Road area gets the brunt of it because of all those schools and nurseries.

There are a lot of London commuters in south Colchester - you can pick up a bus that takes you to the station from Lexden Road, or drive to the station and park. Poets Corner is right by the end of Cymbeline Road which is a twenty to thirty minute walk to the station (for me, but I am not fit!), and avoids the steep climb of Balkerne Hill in the morning and evening! There is also a footpath across Hilly Fields between Lexden Road and Cymbeline Road. There are also other stations on the line which you can drive to and park, sometimes it can take me the same time to get from Prettygate to Marks Tey station by car as it does to drive to Colchester North station at peak time.

New Town is next to Colchester Town station but there are fewer trains from there.
mumish2018
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:37 pm

Re: CCHSG - Easy to commute areas

Post by mumish2018 »

Thanks once again, will explore all the various options that you have mentioned.
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