THE debate over whether Oxford should have more 'bus gates' has raged in recent weeks, with thousands of people taking part in a questionnaire on the plans.

The routes, where private cars are banned from driving, already operate at six points around Oxford.

But at least two more are on the way, and others still are being suggested, which could mean a total of 10 bus gates throughout the city in total.

ALSO READ: Post office manager convicted of swindling £36,000 from his branch is fighting back

While some public officials have championed the bus gates as a means of reducing congestion and air pollution, some business owners are worried they will kill off shops which rely on people travelling by car.

Where are the current bus gates?

In the map above, the six current bus gates in the city are shown, highlighted in red.

These are: the High Street bus gate, which has operated in the city since 1999, which bans cars between 7.30am and 6.30pm; as well as bus gates at Castle Street, Magdalen Street and George Street which operate 24 hours a day.

A bus gate at Folly Bridge also operates 24 hours a day and prevents cars from travelling north onto St Aldates: instead they can only turn left along Thames Street.

The sixth provides bus-only access to the new Barton Park housing estate.

Where are the new bus gates?

On the verge of being added to the mix are a further two bus gates, pictured above in blue.

These two have recently been proposed by Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, and have been the subject of a consultation on the future of transport in the city which received 7,200 replies.

One of the gates would be at South Parks Road or St Cross Road, while the other would be somewhere between Hythe Bridge Street and Beaumont Street.

ALSO READ: ‘Spare a thought for nature' says resident of housing plans for Redbridge Paddock

Both of them would be run on a temporary basis, as an experiment.

If they came into force, most of Oxford city centre would be a no-go zone for drivers, at least during the day.

A third bus gate (also in blue) was also proposed as part of the experiment on either Thames Street or Oxpens Road, but its future is yet to be decided.

A decision on whether the experimental bus gates will be put in place in expected in October.

What do people think of the new bus gates?

It is very rare for so many people to take part in a council consultation, but there is a great strength of feeling about the plans.

Oxford City Council's deputy leader Tom Hayes has argued that the new gates would prevent drivers from using the middle of Oxford as a shortcut, freeing up more space for locals.

Writing in the Oxford Mail, Mr Hayes said: "What these vehicles do instead is clog up narrow city centre streets in our medieval city centre, taking space away from businesses and slowing down buses."

Because of this he argued the bus gates are actually helping local businesses.

Oxford Mail:

Worcester Street, where a new bus gate could be built

But others disagree with him, including businessman Jeremy Mogford, owner of the Old Bank Hotel featuring Quod restaurant, Gee’s and the Old Parsonage.

Mr Mogford, also chairman of the Oxford High Street Association, has argued the new gates could prevent businesses in the city from recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, he told the Oxford Mail: “Bus gates are an unintelligent and crude tool, a sledgehammer, which completely disregards the commercial wellbeing of Oxford.

“They will absolutely not aid a Covid recovery, they will do the opposite.”

ALSO READ: Oxford's George Street goes car free for outdoor dining

Even more bus gates are planned

Also on the cards are a further two gates, one of which is marked in purple on the map above.

This would be placed at the northern end of Cowley Road, and another would be on Warneford Lane, south of the Oxford Brookes' campus in Headington.

The future of these two gates is dependent on a £2.4m grant from the Department for Transport, which Oxfordshire County Council applied for earlier this month.

An announcement on whether the council will receive this money is expected in September.

Bus gate punishment

If a driver disobeys the warning signs placed at a bus gates, they can expect a fine of £60, reduced to £30 if it is paid within two weeks.

The bus gates are monitored by cameras which use automatic number plate recognition.