Urgent action by Oxfordshire County Council to alleviate Oxford’s congestion problem has been called for by managing director of the Oxford Bus Company, Luke Marion.
Marion called for “urgent measures” to combat “emergency levels” of congestion in a post to the Oxford Bus Company website in March. He pointed to the closure of Botley Road for improvements at Oxford Station as a particularly important cause.
Marion told Cherwell: “Our own data tells us journey times on the Abingdon Road have increased by an average of 17% since the closure of Botley Road. Furthermore, services between Blackbird Leys and Oxford City Centre have slowed by 33% in the last decade, and journey times from Wood Farm into the city have worsened by 15% since 2019.”
Botley Road was first shut in April 2023 to allow for improvement work at Oxford Station. The road was originally scheduled to re-open in October 2024, but delays to construction have meant that it is currently set to re-open in August 2026.
Oxfordshire County Council told Cherwell: “As highways authority, throughout this period we have done all we can to minimise the impact on the rest of the road network by working closely with Network Rail and our other partners, such as the bus companies, to keep the city moving.”
The County Council had planned to tackle congestion in Oxford in 2024 by establishing a system of traffic filters, which would have fined motorists in the centre of the city without a permit.
The County Council told Cherwell that the filters would reduce traffic flow in the city centre by around 35% during “morning and evening peak periods” and “improve average bus journey times during the day by 6.5% across the Oxford SmartZone, which includes Oxford and surrounding areas.” However, the Botley Road closure has meant that the traffic filters will only take effect in autumn 2026. Marion has urged the council to find a “plan B” in the meantime.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management at Oxfordshire County Council, responded to calls for urgent congestion management, saying: “The county council’s cabinet takes these calls for action seriously. We need faster, more regular, cheaper bus services, and we need them now.
“The way to do that is to tackle congestion, which will of course also deliver safer, quieter, cleaner streets, and help key workers and businesses delivering vital services on our roads. We acknowledge the calls from our partners in the bus companies to act now, and I look forward to engaging on proposals soon.”
Labour MP Sean Woodcock and Labour county councillor Brad Baines have called on the Liberal Democrat-led Council to take advantage of new powers set to be granted to local transport authorities in the government’s Bus Services Bill.
The bill will give local authorities new powers over fares, routes, and timetables, with private companies bidding for contracts to operate. Woodcock said: “I urge Oxfordshire County Council to seriously consider what steps are available to them, and I look forward to their response.”
Baines said: “Public transport is a key public service and cannot just be about profit. The government is giving us the powers, let’s take back control of routes, fares and timetables to improve services for passengers.”
Labour councillors were challenged by Green County and City councillor Emily Kerr, who said: “whilst Labour and the Tory Alliance say they want [decreased bus journey times], they’ve opposed the policy suggestions which will deliver it, such as traffic filters.”
Improvements to the local transport system are set to be discussed by the County cabinet, elected last month.
