BUS company bosses have criticised proposals which could see new bus gates in Oxford delayed, and have called for a full timetable of when the measures might be rolled out.

The heads of Stagecoach Oxford and the Oxford Bus Company Travel have penned a joint letter to Oxfordshire County Council, following its announcement that two new city centre bus gates are to be shelved for the foreseeable future.

The experimental bus gates were originally due to be rolled out on a temporary basis at the end of summer between Hythe Bridge Street and Worcester Street, and between South Parks Road and St Cross Road.

But then they faced delays after a survey found many residents were against them or unsure about them.

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The county council’s cabinet, its most senior councillors, are due to discuss whether the new bus gates should be scrapped at a meeting next Tuesday (October 13).

The thinking behind this is that if rolled out on their own, they could jeopardise a larger traffic busting scheme the council has planned called Connecting Oxford, in which bus gates play an important part.

But ahead of this meeting, bus company bosses have written to the council’s cabinet member for the Environment and Transport, Yvonne Constance, calling for clarity on the timetable for Connecting Oxford.

In the letter, seen by the Oxford Mail, Phil Southall Managing Director at the Oxford Bus Company and Chris Coleman MD of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, have said they are ‘disappointed’ the two bus gates will not go ahead.

Oxford Mail:

Phil Southall of Oxford Bus Company

Oxford Mail:

Chris Coleman (right) of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire

The bosses said buses had been able to operate in ‘free flow’ during lockdown due to fewer cars on the city’s roads, and they had supported recent measures to give more road space to cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the closure of George Street to give restaurants space for outside dining.

But they added that shelving the two bus gates meant there was now no extra measures to help out buses, and could lead to less passengers using public transport if journey times slow down.

This could also have a negative impact on a bid to make Oxford the first all-electric bus city in the UK, as it is dependent on a ‘ten percent improvement in revenue, delivered through a ten per cent improvement in bus journey times’, according to the busmen.

The bosses called on the council to provide a ‘roadmap’ for Connecting Oxford, laying out:

  • When a business case for the proposals might be ready to submit to the Government
  • How the five bus gates which are part of Connecting Oxford can be ‘sold’ to the public and what evidence there is to support them
  • A route for the Eastern Arc Rapid Transit: A quick route for buses through East Oxford
  • Details on a proposed workplace parking levy
  • Overall plans to increase the speed of bus journeys in Oxford

The two bosses also called for more information about two extra bus gates, which are planned at Cowley Road and Warneford Lane, and are aimed at creating Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in the area.

Speaking to this newspaper, the two bus company bosses said they would continue to work with the county council on any measures to make bus journeys quicker in Oxford.

READ AGAIN about the coming debate which could see the bus gates shelved

Chris Coleman of Stagecoach said: “There are clear benefits from the introduction of the proposed bus gates, with reduced congestion, improved air quality and better ‘free flow’ conditions that will help to improve reliability and punctuality of the bus services.

“However, we recognise that challenges faced by the county council and the request for better evidence to support the proposals, including traffic modelling.  In the longer term we recognise that any short terms measures cannot jeopardise or undermine support for important sustainable transport schemes such as Connecting Oxford and the Zero Emission Zone.”

Oxford Mail:

Picture: Oxford Bus Company

And Phil Southall of Oxford Bus Company said: ““The delay is disappointing as our buses were able to operate in ‘free flow’ conditions during lockdown and bus gates would have allowed us to retain this. On some services this saw journey times reduced from 45 minutes to 25 minutes.

“However, we want to get the delivery of the bus gates right and ensure concerns are addressed as far as possible.

“We welcome the fact Oxfordshire County Council is committed to the gates as a medium to longer term strategic intervention as part of its wider transport strategy rather than a COVID-19 response that is rushed through.”

He added: “We believe making Park and Ride free would be a quick win to help reduce congestion and improve air quality. What’s clear is the status quo is not an option.”