The county council has been forced to remove bike locks from Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) bollards in East Oxford, after concerns they could “impede” emergency vehicle access.

Photographs shared with this newspaper showed ‘road closed’ signs placed over the LTN bollards in Divinity Road, with bike locks attached to prevent them being removed.

While the traffic filters stop cars being able drive down the roads, emergency service vehicles are able to ‘drop’ the bollards when needed in order to gain access.

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Oxford Mail:

The bike locks added to the filter in Divinity Road were described as by the council as an “obstacle” which has now been removed.

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “We are responding to a number of reports of tampering with traffic filters for the trial east Oxford LTNs.  

“We are focusing on replacing bollards where they have been damaged or removed, including on Divinity Road.

Oxford Mail:

“The damage is obviously something we take very seriously, as it presents a significant safety risk to road users, pedestrians and cyclists alike, and can impede emergency services access. We remain committed to making safe and reinstating damaged filters, each time at significant cost to the tax payer.

“We would once again encourage everyone who wishes to express an opinion on the measures to do so by responding to the council's public consultation at letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/east-oxford-ltns-2022 which is open until 30 November.”

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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