Will Oxford have cleaner, less polluted streets after lockdown ends?

That is the question being asked, as cities around the world including Milan in northern Italy, have announced ambitious plans to reduce the numbers of cars on the roads of their urban centres.

UK cities have begun to record massive falls in the levels of pollutants.

In Oxford, levels of nitrogen dioxide emitted by car exhausts halved from the same period last year as of the start of April.

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The recognition of this has led the city and county councils to remind people there are already two linked plans to reduce traffic and air pollution, whereas in Milan the 'Strade Aperte' plan is newly created.

What is Oxford doing already?

The traffic reduction scheme is Connecting Oxford, a partnership between Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council which would discourage drivers from using main roads into the city through fines, while boosting the number of buses on the roads.

The air pollution reduction scheme is the Zero Emissions Zone, where people driving fossil fuel emitting vehicles would need to pay to enter the centre of the city, while electric vehicles could drive in and out for free.

Broad Street in lockdown. Picture: Ed Nix

Alex Hollingsworth, cabinet member for planning and sustainable transport is responsible for Oxford City Council's contribution towards Connecting Oxford.

Mr Hollingsworth said: "I think there is a really urgent need and appetite to bring forward measures that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists as quickly and thoroughly as possible."

On the weekend transport secretary Grant Shapps suggested walking and cycling could be used by more commuters as the economy gets up and running again after lockdown.

This was because buses and trains are likely to not be able to take the full number of passengers due to social distancing measures.

Calls for more to be done

Oppositions members in Oxford City Council's green group have also called for 'radical action' after the lockdown.

Green councillor Dick Wolff has been working with a London-based traffic engineer on suggestions for how to transform the streets of his St Mary's Ward near Cowley Road to make it more friendly to cyclists after the lockdown.

Mr Wolff said: "Simple, inexpensive, measures to filter motorised thru-traffic down residential streets - whilst still allowing access to all properties - will transform the area leading to better air quality, less noise, fewer accidents and more cycling and walking. We should be using the tragedy of COVID-19 to carve out a better future."

Oxford's Green Party documenr of how to make streets in the city more cycle friendly.

And the city's Lib Dem group have pointed to the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, where 'pop up' cycle lanes have been drawn to give bikers more space.

Those outside the corridors of power also have suggestions for how to use the lockdown to speed up measures to make the air cleaner and the streets less crowded.

Oxford Lib Dems and keen cyclists, John Howson of Oxfordshire County Council, St Margaret’s Divisionand Andrew Gant, Oxford City Council, Summertown ward

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Alison Hill of Oxford cycling group Cyclox said the councils needed to prevent a 'rebound' of traffic after the lockdown, by creating low traffic neighbourhoods and giving more room on the roads to cyclists.

Sushila Dhall of the Oxford Pedestrians Association said pavements should be widened to give people walking around the city more room.

Her suggestions included reducing St Giles to only two lanes of traffic in a similar manner to Frideswide Square and widening pavements there for pedestrians.

Delays to schemes

Despite the appetite for change, some delays have occurred in plans to clean up Oxford's streets.

The already established timetables for the Zero Emissions Zone and Connecting Oxford have both been rolled back several months due to the lockdown.

A joint statement from the city and county councils said: "While the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic has required us to adjust our implementation timelines we continue work to progress these schemes.

"We would like to reassure residents that despite the challenges posed by COVID 19 to planning, both councils are committed to transparency on any proposed transport plans and the consultation processes involved remains essential. This will allow us to take full account of public opinion and to get any changes right for Oxford."

Cornmarket Street under lockdown. Picture: Ed Nix

Approximately 55 per cent of people in Milan use public transport to get to work, similar to the 50 per cent who use it in Oxford.

The Strade Aperte plan will see pavements widened, temporary cycle lanes introduced and speed limits reduced over 22 miles of the city's streets.

Alongside Milan, other cities across the world including have begun making changes to their roads to prepare for life after the lockdown.

In the UK, the London borough of Hackney has used the lockdown to close some roads to cars, leaving them open to only cyclists and pedestrians.