THOUSANDS of prospective Oxford University students arrived in the city yesterday for the first of two open days but major traffic snarl-ups were avoided.

At least 7,000 applicants were expected in Oxford yesterday and today.

Before their arrival, university officials linked up with the county council’s traffic management team, the city council and local bus companies to keep traffic flowing and park-and-rides running smoothly.

Commuters were advised to avoid Seacourt park-and-ride and use other park-and-rides instead.

Oxford University spokeswoman Julia Paolitto said: “We did a lot of work in advance to try to make sure commuters were not disrupted.”

Labour city councillor Colin Cook, a chief technician at the university’s Medical Sciences Teaching Centre, said: “Botley Road was busier than usual but traffic still managed to get through and students got to where they needed to go on time.”