David Henwood, city councillor for Cowley, talks about the challenges of more bus gates in Oxford and what residents think.

Central government is encouraging and funding ‘point closures’ in an attempt to reduce the number of cut-throughs and redirect traffic onto main roads to protect local communities.

This will mean the imminent introduction of temporary planters and bus gates located in Cowley to create Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) to further encourage cycling and alternative forms of transport.

Cowley News has conducted a poll to assess how behaviours in travel might or might not change.

The poll is by no means scientific but does provide a clue to current attitudes towards travelling to Oxford.

When asked the question, 'Will bus gates and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods change the way you travel in Oxford?', 17 per cent responded yes, and 32 per cent responded no.

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From one perspective, this news is encouraging as 17 per cent of those who responded to the poll indicated they would change the way they travel, meaning a significant number of people would consider an alternative means of travel than by car.

Cowley News also asked...

Would you travel to Oxford less? 28 per cent responded yes

Would you travel to Oxford on bus or bike more often? 23 per cent responded yes

These two responses are alarming.

Oxford Mail:

David Henwood. Picture: Ed Nix

Certainly, fewer journeys to the city centre will improve air quality in the city centre, but local businesses in the city may suffer due to the net loss of journeys to the city centre.

Shorter cycle journeys around Cowley will hopefully increase, but longer journeys to the city centre will be the subject of further research by Cowley News.

My concern as a local politician that has campaigned extensively for segregated cycle lanes at ‘pinch points’ and accident hotspots in Oxford for many years is that the volume of traffic on main roads will increase, resulting in diminished air quality, not really conducive to cycling journeys.

Apart from white lines, little has been done by Oxfordshire County Council to make the roads truly safer in the city for cyclists.

Alternative and exclusive routes along the River Thames for pedestrians and cyclists would provide faster and healthier alternatives, even the introduction of electric ferries should be considered.

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Now would be an excellent time to consider this solution seriously.

In principle I am in favour of LTNs, as they have worked well on Clive Road and Phipps Road in Cowley.

I also believe communities need local shops and businesses which form an integral part of any community that also facilitate shorter journeys.

Protecting local businesses is therefore important to the success of the scheme.

I must stress that the Cowley News poll isn’t conclusive, but clearly indicates businesses already hard hit by the pandemic need to be consulted properly to make the delivery LTNs and bus gates both deliverable and viable.

I have written to the county council to consider exemptions to the bus gate scheme in residential areas, which will be monitored by ANPR cameras; these should include those services related to the pandemic including food and pharmaceutical deliveries, carers and district nurses and Royal Mail parcel deliveries that include the delivery of Covid-19 testing kits.

The Oxford Academy continues to deliver food parcels by the volunteers of St Andrews Church in Summertown to 270 families across Oxford to those families on free school meals.

These journeys serve a vital service, should they also be exempt?