CALLS to rid Queen Street of buses before there is a serious accident have been supported by scores of Oxford Mail readers.

A rise in numbers of people in Bonn Square due to the opening of the new Westgate Centre led shoppers, some of whom have had to dodge passing buses, to raise serious concerns about the area’s safety.

After a report appeared on the front page of the Oxford Mail yesterday, dozens of people have made contact with the paper to emphasise the need for change.

Brian Chadwick, 84, of Witney, was visiting the new centre when he saw a pushchair with a child inside nearly hit by a bus on Queen Street and had to shout ‘look out’ at the mother to get her to pull it out the way just in time.

He said: “It was inches away from hitting it. It would have taken it out. It was really frightening. I couldn’t sleep last night.

“Are we going to have to wait for somebody to get killed before the idiotic policy is reversed?”

Oxfordshire County Council wanted to pedestrianise Queen Street ahead of the new Westgate Centre opening, and hoped to impose an experimental traffic order banning buses before a potentially permanent move.

But Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire objected to the ban, claiming it would cause ‘absolute chaos’ in the city.

Their objections mean the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, still has to make a final ruling.

Until he does, the Department for Transport has advised that monitoring should take place, with the street open to buses – 29 each hour instead of the 55 allowed before the centre opened.

Many Oxford Mail readers took to social media to raise their concerns.

Christopher Benton, of Oxford, said: "Ban buses from Queen Street and have them drop off on Castle Street and go round. Reading is pedestrianised and it's a much better shopping experience, why can't Oxford do the same?"

Dermot Nolan, also of Oxford, added: "Saw some young girls dodge a bus on Wednesday there. It looks and feels like a pedestrian street. It needs to be."

Not all agree, with Sheila Elton adding: "What are the statistics of anyone getting killed or injured. Buses have been there for a long time without any problems."