Drivers and cyclists have criticised highways officers for making traffic grind to a halt by changing the layout of a busy main road into Oxford.

The Headington roundaboutA new lane for buses travelling down London Road, Headington, towards the Green Road Roundabout was recently installed.

But the bus lane into Oxford was removed, causing traffic congestion, and a cycle lane has been moved onto the pavement -- a move that has angered drivers and members of cycling action group Cyclox.

Jerry Bloomfield, 56, of Pound Lane, Stanton St John, drives down London Road to take his son Jonathan, nine, to St Andrew's Primary School, Headington.

Mr Bloomfield said: "Last week it was totally horren- dous. Traffic was queueing right down the A40. I have had to set off 20 minutes earlier than usual." Simon Banks, of Cyclox, said the group would be handing out pre-prepared protest letters to people to sign and send to the council, during the Green Fair at Oxford Town Hall tom- orrow.

The letter, which says the pavements are in poor condition, states: "I am writing to register my amazement that the county council has removed a cycle lane from the roadway and now expects cyclists to use the pavement, past an old persons' home and a bus stop."

Mr Banks said: "Cyclists are now either running the gauntlet on the road, and that is not a pleasant feeling at all, or using the pavement when they don't want to be there."

David Clough, assistant principal highways engineer, said the new layout was done to allow for the alterations at the Green Road Roundabout, work which is not scheduled to be carried out until the summer 2006.

The work will see a westbound A40 lane built through the centre of the roundabout, and traffic signals on four of the entries and exits.

He said: "We are, however, aware that in the busy pre Christmas period, traffic queues on the A40 and London Road have increased and that on occasion at 8.30am the city bound queue has reached the roundabout.

"This is arising from vehicles queuing behind the bus stop next to Northfield Road, which is no longer protected by an inbound bus lane."

He said London coaches were to be moved from that bus stop, to the one west of Gladstone Road, which is protected by a bus lane.

Mr Clough added: "On the subject of cycling, we are in discussions with Cyclox."