THE county council has bid for an £835,000 ‘Cycle City Ambition’ grant from central Government, for a scheme at The Plain roundabout in the city centre.
We are opposed to this scheme as it will give longer, less-reliable bus journeys on most of the city’s busiest routes.
The scheme proposes making approach roads and the roundabout itself narrower, to slow traffic down. These approaches already run slowly at peak times and bus passengers have to wait some minutes to get through the junction.
The city centre is undergoing changes in the next few years, with many more people travelling to visit the new Westgate Centre.
A reliable high-capacity public transport system is essential to making this work while avoiding gridlock.
If the city’s busiest junction for buses is running more slowly, this reliability and capacity will be far harder to achieve.
We will be speaking against the scheme at the county council cabinet member for environment decision meeting at County Hall tomorrow, and we would encourage passengers to do the same.
NOAM BLEICHER Bus Users UK, Oxford Branch Marlborough Road Oxford
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