OXFORDSHIRE County Council is facing calls to delay the start of work on its plans to pedestrianise parts of Oxford city centre.

Labour councillor John Sanders has asked the authority’s Conservative leadership to postpone work on the Transform Oxford scheme by up to 18 months, to allow time for the city’s two main bus operators to introduce a joint ticketing system.

The council wants to begin the first phase of the scheme by removing bus stops from Queen Street in late June.

Mr Sanders’s request has been backed by the Oxford Bus Company, which two weeks ago announced it was working with Stagecoach on plans to co-ordinate their services and joint ticketing.

The bus companies claim co-ordinated timetables could reduce the number of buses in High Street by 25 per cent.

Mr Sanders said: “I think the council is rushing into the first phase of this. We need to introduce joint ticketing before we do anything.

“I haven’t got a degree in transport management but if that means there will not be so many buses in the city centre, surely that will mean we won’t need to re-place so many bus stops.

“Will all these works be necessary if we introduce joint timetabling?”

The bus operators have set out their own city centre transport agenda, claiming they could remove all buses from Queen Street as early as next year – two years ahead of the council’s own schedule. However, they want more time to develop the plans.

The county council’s pedestrianisation proposals have been broadly welcomed by councillors, however pensioners' groups are concerned that there could be longer walks to and from bus stops in the city centre.

Mr Sanders said: “I would very much like them to see the council have a go at pedestrianising Frideswide Square first.

“I know Queen Street is crowded but it works – let’s go fix what’s really broken and then go and do the other things.

“Traders are probably losing the will to live with all the roadworks they’ve had to put up with and the lack of passing trade. Let the businesses have time to recover before you hit them again with more disruption.”

Philip Kirk, the managing director of the Oxford Bus Company, said. “We think that Councillor Sanders’s proposal is sensible.

“We believe that a Quality Bus Partnership can be delivered in 12 to 18 months’ time.”

Ian Hudspeth, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Oxford Bus Company has admitted that changing just its ticketing system could take 18 months – doing so for both companies may be even more complicated.

“I’m far from convinced that they can bring about the changes quickly enough to justify putting off this year’s Queen Street scheme.

“The bus companies are suggesting that a Quality Bus Partnership will allow only a 25 per cent overall reduction in bus numbers during the quieter times.

“I think it lends even more weight to our argument that we need to do something in Queen Street now.”

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk