Oxford Bus Company has listed a number of reasons why its services have become slower as MP Layla Moran weighs in over the disruption.
The MP wrote to the transport company’s managing director Luke Marion after “many” of her constituents shared their poor experiences of bus services in her Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.
She highlighted that high quality, affordable bus services are a vital part of making sure everyone in the county has faster, safer journeys.
READ MORE: Hundreds take on Santa Fun Ruin to raise money for baby bank
In her letter, addressed to managing director Mr Marion, she wrote: “I have been contacted by a number of constituents whose journeys are being badly affected by poor bus services.
“This is in addition to the disruption caused by the long-overdue redevelopment of Oxford railway Station.
“Many bus routes across Oxfordshire have already been reduced or are under threat of being withdrawn due to low post-pandemic passenger numbers and chronic underfunding by government.
“People are telling me about extremely unreliable and poor service on several Oxford Bus Company routes.
“The experiences I hear about make me extremely worried that Oxford Bus Company is not sufficiently committed to making bus travel an appealing option for my constituents.”
In a letter of response, Mr Marion highlighted that Oxfordshire, and particularly Oxford, has seen an “extremely serious deterioration in bus journey times over the past 12 months.
He wrote: “This has bee caused by a combination of the Botley rail bridge closure, which has led to traffic being displaced onto other roads, notably the Oxford Ring Road and Abingdon Road.
“Currently we are seeing bus speeds on Abingdon Road being on average 17 per cent slower than they were in 2019, and the resilience and reliability of the Strategic Road Network approaching the city from the south has worsened significantly as a result of these traffic conditions.”
Mr Marion continued: “The implementation of LTNs in East Oxford by Oxfordshire County Council, without the implementation of a corresponding level of bus priority to mitigate the impact of these on bus journey times.
“This has caused serious increases in congestion around the Plain Roundabout and on the approaching arterial roads at certain times of day.”
The managing director also stated that the implementation of large sections of 20mph zones on bus routes by the county council, has “unnecessarily slowed buses further.”
He added: “While we are supportive of the implementation of 20mph zones in busy areas where there is planned and frequent mixing between vulnerable road users and motor traffic, Oxfordshire County Council’s deployment of these schemes goes well beyond this and has led to unnecessarily severe impacts on bus journey times, relative to the benefits achieved for walking and cycling.”
This is what the county council said
"We have been working closely with the bus companies around the implementation of 20mph roads and have been taking their concerns into consideration where possible.
"Several schemes have been amended as a result of feedback from the bus companies and the situation is being reviewed regularly.
"Oxford’s LTNs are intended to make residential streets safer and more comfortable for walking, wheeling, and cycling.
"They are designed to work together with other measures to reduce traffic, improve bus services and clean the air we breathe.
"One significant related measure is the traffic filters trial that is expected to considerably reduce congestion but has been delayed due to Network’s Rail’s works to improve Oxford rail station.
"The county council will be trialling traffic filters on six streets in Oxford to alleviate congestion, make bus journeys faster and more reliable, and to enable new and improved bus routes.
"The trial will begin after Network Rail’s work is complete, expected to be autumn 2024."
Read more from this author
This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel