THE pedestrianisation of Kidlington High Street moved one step closer after shoppers and traders overwhelmingly backed the plans.

Cherwell District Council said a six-week consultation revealed 84 per cent of people believed pedestrianisation would improve the village’s main shopping street.

Although the High Street is technically a pedestrian area apart from delivery and residential access, there is little enforcement of the traffic regulations.

A recent survey recorded 106 cars passing along the street in an hour.

Of 361 people who filled in questionnaires about the proposals, 326 said there were too many vehicles in the High Street.

More than 300 said they wanted the road pedestrianised between Watts Way and Oxford Road, and more than a quarter said they would visit the High Street more often if cars were banned.

Eleven of the 14 traders who took part in the consultation backed the proposal.

The chairman of the Kidlington Village Centre Management Board, Chris Pack, said: “Lack of control over vehicles in the High Street is bad for shoppers, bad for business, bad for the environment and bad for Kidlington.

“It is clear that a majority of those who work in and who visit the High Street share deep concerns about this situation and see the pedestrianisation proposals as the way forward to a safer, cleaner and more welcoming shopping experience.”

A public consultation on a new traffic regulation order, which would ban cars from driving along the High Street between 10am and 4.30pm, is due to be completed by mid-July.

Councillors must decide whether to enforce restrictions by installing a rising bollard, and the earliest cars could be removed from the streets would be the autumn.

Residents were told by the district council the money was not available to repave the High Street, despite many complaining that the surface was uneven and dangerous.

A summary of the consultation’s findings said: “The scheme unfortunately does not have the budget to repave any of the High Street.

“The money available for his project covers the legal expenses associated with a new order and any new signage required too.”

The budget for the project is £20,000.

Residents also called for better security on the road, which has been blighted by youngsters causing trouble, and for the village’s markets to be improved.