If you’ve driven through the pretty little city of Oxford in recent years, you’ll probably have encountered the huge amount of traffic that currently chugs through its city centre.
Botley Road, the main road through the city, has been closed since 2023 while roadworks take place and Oxford Station undergoes an enormous £161 million makeover. And while that may be a good thing in the long-term, it’s been quite the inconvenience for people driving through the city for the past two years, with many saying that traffic congestion has been getting out of hand. But Oxford county council now thinks it has the solution.
The road is expected to stay shut for at least another year, so in an effort to ease traffic issues caused by the closure and address complaints by the Oxford Bus Company, the council has proposed a daily £5 congestion charge.
The charge would apply to seven different parts of the city. People driving through Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, Thames Street and St. Clement’s Street every day from 7am to 7pm would be subject to the fee, as well as those travelling through Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way on Monday to Saturday from 7am to 9am, and 3pm to 6pm.
Drivers would need to pay the charge by midnight on the day they drive through the zone, either online or over the phone. Exemptions would be applied to blue badge holders, unpaid carers, cars used by businesses to transport goods or equipment and emergency vehicles.
Andrew Gant, the local cabinet member for transport management, said: ‘We urgently need to see improvements to travel around the city, better bus services and less traffic overall, to help people get around.
‘We must take action for our residents, businesses and visitors while Botley Road remains closed.’
Of course, as is often the case with these things, not everyone is behind the idea. Lina Smith, the Labour city cabinet member for housing, called the prospect of charging residents £5 ‘ludicrous and obscene’.
Susan Brown, the Labour city council leader, added: ‘We are concerned that this scheme allows people who can afford to do so buy access to our streets. Those who can't will struggle to so.’
The proposals will be discussed further on June 17 and, if approved, a six-week public consultation would start later in the month. If, after all that, it goes ahead, the congestion charge could be implemented as soon as this autumn and would be in place until the Botley Road roadworks are complete, which is expected to be some time next year.
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