ASK any Oxfordshire resident about the A40 and you are likely to find they have their own idea of how to ‘fix’ the notorious route.

For years, motorists travelling to Oxford from the west have been dogged by rush-hour jams as two eastbound lanes converge into one that snakes its way to Wolvercote roundabout.

Most would say making the road a dual carriageway all the way would be the easiest way to ease their congestion woes.

But a new consultation revealed by Oxfordshire County Council shows it would cost £120m and is not the only option on the table.

Five radical options include a £50m bus lane, a £120m dual carriageway with a possible £100m ‘North Oxford Bypass’, a £165m guided busway, a £240m tram, or a £285m railway.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said he hoped funding could be sought from the Government so the local authority can “look at more than the cheapest option”.

He said: “People know the A40 is a major issue, but we do have to be pragmatic about how much we can afford.”

Some ideas being considered may also look familiar to readers.

Proposals for a ‘North Oxford Bypass’ are almost identical to those for a ‘Tin Hat’ road, dropped in the 90s after opposition, and the building of a railway to reverse the axed service between Witney and Oxford in the 1960s.

“People are always looking for a radical solution, but it is back to basics almost”, Mr Hudspeth added.

The consultation rund until November 8. To comment on visit oxfordshire.gov.uk/A40

THE OXFORD VIEW

The county council’s £240m double-tracked tramway was Oxford City Council leader Bob Price’s preferred option if the money was there.

Mr Price also supported the cheaper option of dualling the carriageway.

He said: “I have long been a supporter of a tram option, because it encourages people to think about public transport and is more reliable than bus services.

“It can also take larger numbers of people and is not affected by weather, or accidents.

“But dualling the carriageway does also seem to be an obvious thing to do.”

The dual carriageway option could also include a possible £100m ‘North Oxford Bypass’ to ensure traffic does not bottleneck at junctions in North Oxford.

The council’s consultation also said the widening required could encroach on protected land close to Port Meadow.

Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum chairman Chris Hardman said a link road was needed to divert traffic away from suburban areas of Oxford but that other measures were also needed to reduce the number of commuters travelling by car.

He said: “If we built more key worker homes, for instance, then fewer people will be commuting in because they have been forced to live elsewhere.

“A big concern is always air pollution, because a dual carriageway could actually make that worse.

“I would also wonder whether it will really reduce the journey time between Witney and Oxford.”

He added: “There would also be quite a lot of intensive work on some significant sites – like Port Meadow – and they would need to be careful of that.

“There are no straightforward answers, because it is not a straightforward problem.”

THE TRANSPORT CONSULTANT’S VIEW

Mark McArthur-Christie, inset, said making the A40 a dual carriageway was the best option.

He said: “The council has a record of ideological transport policies and this is the time to forget ideologies and be practical.

“Asking people to stop using their cars is like asking people to stop using their washing machine and go to the launderette – it’s not going to work. It needs to be the decision of the traveller and not those behind a desk.”

But he said a combination of options would give people the choice of how to travel.

He said: “We need something that gives people as much flexibility as possible and offers different modes of transport. If you dual the road and keep the bus lane and cycle path then you are doing that.

“I could happily cycle on the A40 to Oxford but for example some days I might think it’s too cold or I have too much stuff – people need all the options available to them.”

The former chairman of Oxford group of Advanced Motorists regularly uses his motorcycle to travel on the A40 from Bampton to Oxford.

He said more could be done to encourage motorcyclists in particular by providing more spaces to park in the city centre.

Oxford Mail:

  • ‘So frustrating’: Paul Mills

THE MOTORIST'S VIEW

Paul Mills, from Witney, works in Eynsham and regularly uses the A40.

The renewable energy advisor’s proposals for a third lane on the road were considered by Oxfordshire County Council.

The 33-year-old said all other options than dualling the road were a waste of time.

He said: “The council want to push this public transport thing but it’s just a nice soundbite.

“Are we really going to see the railway line option happen in the next 20 years – I don’t think so.

“Most people sat in the traffic every morning could not get on the bus so the bus lane would not solve the problem.”

Mr Mills said the consultation was a good thing but feared it merely gave off the impression the council were doing something about the problem.

The road has not undergone any major changes since the 1970s and Mr Mills said a recent trip up north confirmed it was one of the worst in the country.

He said: “The other day I travelled from Witney to Edinburgh and the only time I was stuck in traffic was on the A40. When I came off the A34 I was stuck in it for about an hour – it’s so frustrating. All the other roads up and down the country were fine because money has been put into them.”

THE CAMPAIGN GROUP’S VIEW

Oxford Mail:

Witney and Oxford Transport Group said it was disappointed by the proposals and favoured the railway option.

The group has championed the re-opening of the old railway line and was unhappy with the council’s £285m estimate for the work.

Spokesman Maurizio Fantato, right, said: “There’s been a lot of talk of dualling the A40 but we remain committed to a public transport solution. We support the partial or full resurrection of the railway link but are suspicious of the estimate for it.

“If you compare it to the re-opening of the line on the Scottish border, it was over that and that had to be built from scratch.

He said restoring the old railway route from Ducklington, via Eynsham, to Oxford would be sustainable and prove popular for commuters.

He added: “It’s time the council started looking beyond the end of its nose. We need to be looking 30-50 years ahead, not just five to 10 years.

“We are somewhat disconcerted to say the least.”

THE WITNEY AND EYNSHAM VIEW

Witney mayor Jim King, right, said the A40 was decades behind and some long-term planning was needed to solve the problem.

He said: “We are a long way behind. This really should have been 20 years ago and whatever we do we still won’t catch up.

“With thousands more houses expected in the area, we need to future-proof the A40 and not just go with the financial option for the short term.”

He added: “I was pleased to see the dualling of the A40 but I would also favour a tram system like in Manchester or Sheffield that goes beyond Witney to Carterton.”

Eynsham parish councillor Tricia Cowley, far right, was concerned at the cost of the options put forward but said: “I’m obviously very happy something is being done and the community of Eynsham requires a number of different solutions.

“The parish council will listen to the villagers’ views on a public consultation and come up with our response.”