Six new bus gates costing £3m are being planned for Oxford and it will now cost drivers more if they get fined.

Oxfordshire County Council is to consult on proposals for six new bus gates, including those in Thames Street, Hythe Bridge Street, and St Cross Road.

Camera-enforced bus gates ban ordinary traffic from certain streets like the High Street during the day and have been operational in the city for many years.

Read again: New bus gates will cost £3m

But the price of a getting a camera fine has just gone up - from £60 to £70.

Up to and including May 30, the fine was £60 but it rose to £70 on May 31, although the fine is reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.

A city-wide workplace parking levy, the new bus gates and a wider zero-emission zone are being proposed by the county council to create a 'sustainable and reliable transport system' in the city.

The council says the proposals will reallocate road space for pedestrians, cyclists and buses, and make travelling without a car 'an easier choice for everyone' but leading hotelier Jeremy Mogford says the bus gates - which ban ordinary traffic during the day - will harm businesses like his, which runs the Old Bank Hotel in High Street, the Old Parsonage Hotel and Gees restaurant.

Read more: High Street bus gate fines top £6m

There is already a network of bus gates protecting bus lanes across the city.

They are located at: 

  • High Street - Eastbound and Westbound, between Queens Lane and Catte Street
  • Castle Street - both directions, between Paradise Street and Speedwell Street
  • George Street - Eastbound, between New Inn Hall Street and Gloucester Street
  • Magdalen Street East - Southbound, between St Giles and Beaumont Street
  • Abingdon Road - inbound between Redbridge park and ride and property numbers 386/388
  • Folly Bridge - inbound between Thames Street and Abingdon Road
  • Barton Fields Road and A40 - Northeast Bound and Southwest Bound
  • Cornwallis Road – Eastbound and Westbound, between Cornwallis Close and Campbell Road.
  • Bartholomew Road – Eastbound and Westbound, between Liddell Road and Rahere Road.

Referring to the proposal to create six new bus gates, a county council spokesman said earlier: "Traffic filters are expected to improve bus journey times in the city and will lead to the introduction of 159 new electric buses in Oxford. 

"The projected cost is currently estimated to be £3m and will be largely funded by the bus service improvement plan grant.”

One Oxford Mail reader said: "No need for bus gates. No need for LTNs.

"Simply remove all on street parking, and charge a Workplace Parking Levy across the whole city (current plans leave out central, southern, and western parts which include a County Council car park)."

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF