Why is there so much congestion in Oxford? Readers have their say

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet members left their cars at home on Wednesday to take part in World Car Free Day.

Readers took the opportunity to say what they thought was wrong with traffic systems in Oxford.

TARA CHESHIRE: “So they used public transport for one day, tomorrow they will be be back in their cars.”

PAM WALKER: “If they let traffic use the roads that are there instead of closing them off they wouldn’t be choking up the remaining roads by forcing all vehicles down the same roads.

“The eastern bypass never had the traffic jams until they started stopping cars going through town. Now it gets jams even earlier because of the LTNs! It’s madness. We have more cars than we did a decade ago and more roads closed off some of them are direct routes. Surely standing traffic is worse than moving traffic for pollution! As for using public transport. If you are in some parts of the city bus routes are poor.

“Public transport is expensive. Most trips to get to other areas of the city you have to get two buses which forces you into town and it takes twice as long. For example BBL to Cutteslowe have to bus into town walk across the city to get on a bus to travel back out of town which I didn’t want to go into in the first place. Or 30 minutes round the bypass.”

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BARRY JAMES: “Pam Walker the idea is to encourage more people out of their cars and to use other forms of transport.

“Removing all LTNs, just like building more roads, will not solve congestion. If you build more roads, more people will use cars and fill them up. Better investment in alternatives (good bus connections, proper cycling infrastructure) is what is needed to encourage people out of their cars.”

RICHARD RANSFORD: “Barry James that’s a very wrong saying if they build more roads. Same could be said for everything from hospitals to stores. No if they build things right and plan it would not be an issue. Taking away people’s freedom of movement is just wrong.”

KEVIN WEST: “Thanks Oxford Mail you have done something useful for once. Given us a list of councillors not to vote into office on election day.”

JUDE BELCHER: “We live on the southern edge of the city near Cuddesdon. We cannot use the bus as there are no buses to our area. The road is closed in Cuddesdon due to roadworks, there are roadworks on the hill into Wheatley, roadworks on the Watlington Road.”

ALISON CHESHIRE: “I’ve been commuting to Oxford for the past six years from Wantage. There has rarely been a time that it takes me less than 1.5 hours to travel in or out of Oxford (traffic, road works, accidents.....on it goes) I’ve worked from home during Covid and its been a revelation - seriously considering changing jobs now to avoid that hellish Oxford commute.”

MARK STEWART: “Alison Cheshire it would have been great if these planned works could have been done while you were working from home during lockdown wouldn’t it?

“Don’t forget, construction was one of the few trades which carried on during lockdown!”

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STEVe TYLER: “What a great idea. Ban cars from the whole of Oxford all the time.”

SHARON HAWKINS: “So the same people that cut bus services in rural villages are asking people to go car free? How does that work for villages with no public transport?”

MARTIN KERNAHAN: “Oh the irony - we should use a bus to alleviate the congestion on Botley Rd caused by works to reinforce a bus stop! Yet this is Oxford which owes much of its wealth to car manufacturing - petrol or otherwise.”

PAM WALKER: “I think there should be school buses like in the States Australia and New Zealand. Most of the early morning and mid afternoon road issues re: traffic and parking (anywhere regardless of the highway code!) happen around schools drop off and pick up. Stop the school run traffic would help a lot.”

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NOEL PRICE: “Cut pollution they say, climate change they say, electric cars they say, all a load of absolute rubbish I say.”

MARK STEWART: “It beats me why they couldn’t do all those roadworks they are doing at the moment last year when everyone was sitting at home on furlough instead of now when we are all trying to get back to work?”