A BUS STOP extension which caused a bottleneck in Oxford's High Street is now being reduced in size.

In February talks took place between the county council and the city's bus companies after the council widened the pavement alongside a bus stop close to the junction with Turl Street.

The plan was to create more space for shoppers following the opening of the £440m Westgate Centre in October.

But the unexpected result was to create a bottleneck for buses because they could no longer pass each other at that point.

Now council contractors are digging up the road so the extension, part of a £40,000 improvement scheme, can be partially removed. The additional work will cost about £20,000.

County council spokesman Martin Crabtree said: "In September 2017 the pavement at the bus stops on High Street was widened to accommodate anticipated extra passengers and amendments to bus services and routes generated by the opening of the new Westgate Centre.

"The wider footway allows passengers to wait while giving enough width for pedestrians to walk past without the need to enter the carriageway.

"However, on review, the popularity of the bus stops due to the services allocated to them has resulted in longer waiting times for buses picking up the number of passengers.

"This has resulted in traffic queues on High Street at peak times and bus companies and general feedback have resulted in proposals for work that will result in further adjustments to reduce the width of pavement at this point.

"The extra space for pedestrians and passengers on High Street has been welcomed but the increased demand for public transport there means that the waiting buses cause tailbacks for other vehicles."

Mr Crabtree said the local authority has decided to 'take the pavements in slightly', which will mean that a bus travelling in each direction on High Street can pass one that is waiting'.

Pedestrians and passengers will still benefit from having more space than they did before, he added.

However, reducing the pavement extension will remove the possibility in future of installing a full-sized bus shelter.

A design for a smaller shelter is now being considered.

The work is expected to be finished by Saturday.

Oxford Bus Company managing director Phil Southall said: “There’s been regular positive dialogue between county council officers and bus operators regarding this and we’re looking forward to seeing improvements in traffic flow once this work is completed.”

Hugh Jaeger, a spokesman for the Oxford branch of Bus Users UK, said: "This should never have been done in the first place and as a result of this misjudgement taxpayers' money has been wasted - the council officers should have seen this coming."