Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, said:
“This week’s congestion has caused real frustration for residents, businesses and bus passengers across the city, and particularly in East Oxford following the closure of Between Towns Road.
"Essential roadworks must happen, but this week has shown that when major road closures coincide with traffic filters and other restrictions, the network can quickly become overwhelmed. The result has been severe delays, gridlocked roads and significant disruption to bus services. A lot of the current work is being carried out by Oxfordshire County Council not utility companies.
"Residents expect a transport system that is responsive to changing conditions. We are asking the County Council to review this week’s disruption to better coordinate their roadworks, consider a more flexible approach in future taking greater account of school holidays and night work, and use all available tools at their disposal to reduce congestion and minimise the impact on local communities.
"Finally, Oxfordshire County Council has previously said that ANPR-enforced traffic restrictions can be used flexibly during exceptional circumstances. It may be that this will not make a huge difference, and there are downsides for cyclists using these safer routes. However, when major roadworks, accidents or other events put extraordinary pressure on the network, we expect the County Council to at least consider temporarily suspending relevant restrictions where that would help traffic flow and keep buses moving.”
