The Tories’ ‘Transform Oxford’ leaflet, which has been produced with an eye to next June’s County Elections, is actually a mixture of ideas emanating from several hard-working Oxford bodies.

The proposal to re-route some buses from Queen Street down Norfolk Street is already on the cards, as part of the West End plans formulated over the past years by all political parties, as a sop to those who thought the Westgate land could be used to provide a complete alternative bus route.

All the other Transform Oxford proposals have not been particularly worked up, apart from a commitment to ‘easing’ the traffic flow at the station site.

The Tories want to re-route rather than reduce traffic, in effect emphasising the unofficial ‘inner ring route’ that is the station site, Hythe Bridge Street, Worcester Street, Beaumont Street, St Giles and the University, High Street and The Plain area. The ‘easing traffic flows’ means lots of traffic moving steadily around this route.

I am convinced we could expand pedestrianisation of the city centre, but not at the cost of the surrounding streets, which, like the city centre streets already suffer high levels of traffic-related air pollution.

I am also perturbed by the lack of reference to cyclists in Transform Oxford.

It is a pretty vision, but if it is to really work, the nettle of traffic reduction will have to be firmly grasped.

Sushila Dhall City and County Councillor Oxfordshire Green Party