Businesses and householders have complained their MP has “failed” to engage with their concerns over Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and say they have been “completely forgotten”.
Cowley Road and St Clement’s business owners have said Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds “probably doesn’t know who we are” and claimed “she doesn’t seem particularly bothered about businesses”.
Ms Dodds has refuted the allegations and insists she has engaged with traders.
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Oxfordshire County Council – which is led by a Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green coalition – introduced experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in East Oxford in May last year to prevent drivers taking shortcuts through residential areas and create quieter and safer streets.
However, many traders in the area have complained of a catastrophic effect on their livelihoods.
Some traders in Cowley Road have reported a 40 per cent fall in business since the LTNs were installed.
Despite Cowley Road traders facing ongoing problems with deliveries, Ms Dodds has consistently argued LTNs are not her responsibility but an issue for Oxfordshire County Council.
Amir Steve Ali, a community activist and independent candidate in Oxford City Council’s May 2022 elections, called on Ms Dodds to resign for “being absent from local life”.
He said: “Since LTNs were put in place the main routes are congested.
“Ms Dodds is not active in the local area and does not appear to have made much effort to listen to East Oxford businesses who have concerns over LTNs and new traffic filters. Instead, she seems more interested in national issues.”
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Mr Ali said the LTNs were the “final nail in the coffin” for businesses, adding “Ms Dodds knows the impact of them but is choosing to ignore it”.
“She seems afraid to criticise LTNs and traffic filters as they are backed by her party, but too scared to support them knowing how unpopular they were with her constituents.”
Salman Hayat, owner of the Chicken Cottage takeaway in Cowley Road, said: “The LTNs have been an absolute nightmare but Anneliese has not come into our business.
"We aren’t getting any answers.”
Mr Hayat said traffic measures in East Oxford meant his business had seen “a lot less footfall”.
He added: “These measures are very little but have a massive impact on our overall profitability.”
Patrick Clacy, the owner of ‘And So to Bed’ in St Clement’s, said he no longer believed the Labour Party were “particularly bothered about business”.
He added: “I’ve always liked Oxford because of the variety of small businesses but none of that will exist if they continue on this path.”
Mr Clacy said increased congestion was “blamed on all sorts of things but it has simply been caused by LTNs”.
He added: “I have not had anything written through my door about LTNs. Not a single pamphlet.
“The only people I have had contact with are Amir Steve Ali and Peter West.”
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Mr West is a community activist and previously ran a campaign to save the Marston police base.
Mr Clacy said the greatest issue was the “Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats are happy to go on with their green agenda no matter what”.
Householders in Morrell Avenue said they have had “absolutely no contact” with Ms Dodds and believe their MP should be raising LTNs in parliament.
Mary Sareva, a Morrell Avenue householder, said she has struggled getting out of her drive since the LTNs were introduced.
She said: “I’ve had zero contact with Anneliese Dodds [on the topic of LTNs]. The LTNs have had an impact on my mental health and now I’m very anxious.
“The quality of life for people in these LTN areas is horrible. Ms Dodds could raise the issues LTNs are causing in the House of Commons if she wanted to.”
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In Ms Sareva’s road, receiving deliveries has been a “nightmare” since LTNs were installed as “there is nowhere for the delivery drivers to turn around”, she said.
Ms Sareva is registered disabled but has encountered issues parking in her street.
Another householder on Morrell Avenue, Maggie Brown, said the only time you see Ms Dodds was when “she wanted your vote”.
She added: “For all the problems in Morrell Avenue, Ms Dodds should be knocking on doors and asking people what they think.”
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Ms Brown has lived in the road for 70 years but said LTNs were “just wrecking our beautiful city and it breaks my heart”.
Ms Brown said Ms Dodds was guilty of “passing the buck” to the council every time she is questioned on the issue.
She said: “The reality is that we have just been completely forgotten”.
Anneliese Dodds has told the Oxford Mail that she met with the Morrell Avenue Area Residents Association in October 2022 to discuss their concerns.
In response, Ms Dodds said: “I regularly visit businesses on Cowley Road and speak with business owners, whether it’s about LTNs or the many other issues that matter to them, such as the cost of energy bills and the problems in our food supply chains.
“I am always happy to visit the many wonderful independent businesses on Cowley Road and across Oxford East and frequently do so both as an MP and a local resident.
“I will continue to make the views of residents and business owners clear to the county council, which holds responsibility for the implementations of LTNs.”
The county council has been contacted for a comment but failed to respond.
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