TWO men claim to have found the solution for the chronic congestion on the A40 between Witney and Oxford – a monorail.

Andrew Sharp and David Leach have formed a limited company called WestOX Monorail Ltd to help make the idea of a light railway between Oxford and Witney a reality.

The pair met after attending one of the public meetings organised by Ian Hudspeth, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, to talk about the future of transport through the county. They estimate that an 8.5-mile monorail would cost in the region of £125m and think it has lots of advantages over other alternatives.

Mr Leach, 51, who works for Openreach, the infrastructure division of BT, said: “The cost of providing the guide way beam would be far cheaper than constructing rail or widening the carriageway for dedicated bus lanes or more cars.

Our top stories

“Existing road junctions would be easily negotiated without the need for signal controls of vehicles.

“Existing structures such as bridges and viaducts also pose little problem from an engineering point of view.

“Safety of monorail systems is unrivalled by other forms of transport, being virtually impossible to de-rail and separated from other road users.”

The large housing and business development known as the Northern Gateway being proposed at Pear Tree has fuelled concern from residents because of its impact on traffic levels.

Oxford Mail:

  • An artist's impression of the monorail

The company is promoting a Witney terminal being sited near Oxford Hill, within walking distance of the large housing estates of east Witney, including Cogges and Madley Park, while the Oxford terminal would be sited near Pear Tree park-and-ride.

Together with Mr Sharp, a land surveyor from Freeland, Mr Leach has been working closely with an American-based consultant.

The county council has secured about £35m towards tackling congestion along the A40 as part of the Local Growth Fund but this is not set to be used until at least 2017.

Mr Hudspeth said: “No one particular scheme or work has been identified, as a stakeholder group is due to be set up in order to assess the best course of action.

“Possible options include fixed bus lanes, tidal flow bus lanes, re-instating the rail line, guided busways, tramways and non-conventional rapid transit systems such as “people mover” systems, automatic light rail, monorail systems.

“A public consultation on the whole process is due to be held mid-2015.”

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.