BUS Users Oxford welcomes the county council cabinet’s decision to add a bus lane to the A40 westbound from Duke’s Cut to Eynsham.
It had already decided to build an eastbound one from Eynsham to Duke’s Cut. They could be two of the longest bus lanes in Oxfordshire.
But two mistakes bar the lanes from total success. One is the county council’s failure to continue them from Duke’s Cut to Wolvercote Roundabout.
The other is its decision to dual three miles of A40 between Eynsham and Shores Green.
Duke’s Cut to Wovercote Roundabout is only half a mile but would require widening the A40 bridges over the railway and canal, which Oxfordshire County Council rejects as “too expensive”.
Yet the county council considers £42m to dual Eynsham to Shores Green as justified, despite costing twice as much per mile as bus lanes.
Bus Users Oxford recommends bus lanes all the way between Wolvercote Roundabout and Shores Green.
Cancelling the Eynsham to Shores Green dualling would save more than enough money to fund this, including widening the bridges at Duke’s Cut.
Oxfordshire County Council refuses to see that dualling Eynsham to Shores Green would increase road traffic.
It claims it would only help access to the park and ride planned at Eynsham. In reality, dualling would encourage more people to drive as far as Eynsham and take whichever road looked least congested at the time.
More drivers would rat-run through Farmoor or Cassington and Yarnton.
Dualling always increases traffic, creating demand for yet more dualling. We want less traffic, not more roads.
HUGH JAEGER Chairman, Bus Users Oxford
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