A member of staff at a coffee shop on George Street has said the council’s decision not to pedestrianise it this summer will “definitely” impact business.
On Thursday, Oxford City Council said it had chosen not to pedestrianise the street this year because it “has been steadfastly backing buses”. READ MORE about this here>>>
The member of staff at Black Sheep Coffee, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “It will make harder for us to have more tables available for customers which we would have normally had in the past. Especially in the summer most people want to be outside, so it leads to more takeaway drinks for us.
The staff member added that because the Government has said “Covid is done” councils have reverted to their pre-pandemic attitudes.
“They have just reverted straight back to 2018/2019 and have that ideology that it does not matter now, ‘do not put anything on our pavements that should not be there’,” they said.
The employee told the Oxford Mail that if they could have their way they would “100 per cent” have tables outside in the summer months.
A spokesperson for the city council said: “The City Council is committed to the pedestrianisation of George Street and, indeed, as much of the city centre as possible. A repeat of the pedestrianisation of George Street has not happened for a simple reason: the City Council has been steadfastly backing buses to recover from the toughest times that we’ll know.
Two years ago, we closed George Street to back businesses and give people a chance to enjoy great food, great company, and great times. This City Council is proud that we gave George Street back to the people by emptying it of vehicles.
“Our 2020 part-pedestrianisation was a trial run and we looked into a repeat in 2021. Unfortunately, due to high levels of congestion in the City Centre the closure of George Street to buses in 2020 had a negative impact on bus services that use George Street as a key public transport route.
“Therefore, a difference between 2020 and 2021 was that buses required use of George Street in 2021. We worked with the County Council to explore alternatives to keeping buses alongside seating but had to conclude that George Street was not wide enough to accommodate outdoor seating bus use safely. To support our buses to run services efficiently and without hindrance, we took the decision to back the bus.
“We will be looking at any future scheme on George Street as part of a City Centre Movement and Public Realm Strategy in the context of reduced congestion and the expansion of the Zero Emission Zone. This is set out within the City Centre Action Plan which the City Council recently ran a public consultation on and restated plans for the introduction of traffic filters and a citywide workplace parking levy as part of core transport schemes previously known as “Connecting Oxford”.
“Our objective is to pedestrianise as much of the city centre as possible to improve vibrancy to support businesses and attract visits by residents and tourists. We want to decarbonise our transportation system, which can also help to clean up our air, and reductions in vehicle use and congestion can help to achieve both”.
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