CONGESTION in and around the city could become a permanent sight if roadworks are not done now, Oxfordshire County Council has warned.

It comes as Oxford Bus Company said the disruption has had a “devastating” impact on its services and has seen nearly a million fewer passengers than this time last year.

Oxford Bus Company told the Oxford Mail yesterday passenger numbers in the city had dropped by about five per cent, or nearly a million people.

Finance director Luke Marion said: “It’s clear the constant and continuing series of roadworks have had a major impact on our passengers and our services.

“The relentless roadworks have hit us twice, with extra running costs and fewer passengers.

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“We have seen a greatly-increased wage bill for overtime as drivers have been forced to work longer to complete delayed journeys.

“Many journeys have to take much longer on diversionary routes, or they just have to tough it out in traffic queues where there is no viable alternative.”

But Oxfordshire County Council said the city’s “historic lack of capacity for modern traffic” was well-known.

Deputy commercial director at the council Mark Kemp said: “Without the work that the county council is doing now, and has planned for the future, congestion will increase over time and the kind of temporary delays you see now will become a permanent feature of life in and around the city.

“The city and county will see a great deal of growth in the coming months and years and it is vital that we build the infrastructure before the growth takes place.”

Most of Frideswide Square is fenced off as the council is working to redesign the area into a boulevard with three roundabouts.

The resurfacing and road-widening work on London Road in Headington is also causing “major hold-ups” of up to an hour during rush hour.

Last night the 300 and 400 Park & Ride services only ran towards the city centre in an attempt to reduce delays.

While the work on the A420 westbound towards Cumnor does not directly impact Oxford Bus Company routes, the firm has said it has felt the knock-on effect on the city.

Mr Marion said there were delays of up to an hour and 20 minutes on Botley Road on Thursday ((29.4)).

He said as well as impacting the company, the roadworks have had a wider impact on Oxford’s businesses: “Our experiences are also borne out by the business community in Oxford city centre.

“They have told us that they are suffering as a result of the disruption.

“We realise that these roadworks have to be done but we just want everyone to be aware of the impact they are having on the viability of our services and the economy of the city.”

Bus Users Oxford chairman Hugh Jaeger said: “My heart goes out to the bus operators, they are struggling.”

Taxi driver Colin Dobson said: “I do everything I can to avoid the traffic jams and so far I’ve been lucky. But the traffic is obviously because of the sheer number of roadworks around the city.”

Driving instructor Pat O’Sullivan added: “It’s about knowing where the traffic is going to hit and avoiding it.”

Oxford city councillor and chairman of the Local Economy Scrutiny Panel James Fry said: “It’s inevitable. Maybe the county council could have staggered them rather than doing it all in one swoop. Business owners around the city are talking about a massive drop in their customer numbers. It’s very depressing.”

Mr Kemp said: “There is a great deal of work being done on the roads because we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place so that the road network functions properly in the future.

“We have already completed major improvement work creating ‘hamburger’ roundabouts on the ring road at A40 Green Road, Heyford Hill and A423 Kennington.

“London Road will also be finished in the next few weeks and the Plain improvement scheme is also substantially complete, meaning that another major route into the city has been improved for the long-term benefit of all road users,” he added.

“Planning the work the way we have means that we will complete important work before other non-council schemes begin or have an impact on traffic. It is vital that the county council builds capacity and makes these improvements now for the long-term benefit of the city.

“It is also important to recognise that situations such as the landslip on the A420, the fire at the Randolph and accidents or blockages on strategic roads like the A34, as well as work by utility companies, also happen and need to be dealt with and managed.

“Our aim is always to ensure that much-needed improvements are made and essential work is done while ensuring the city is accessible at all times.”