MAJOR proposals including traffic filters and a zero emission zone are among more than 20 transport schemes to be discussed by councillors.
A public consultation on Oxfordshire County Council’s Central Oxfordshire Travel Plan (COTP) launched today, and will run until October 3.
A decision on the draft plan, which has been developed as part of the county council’s Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP), is scheduled for the autumn.
READ AGAIN: Oxfordshire councillor blasts council for ‘unnecessary printing’
At a county council meeting last month, Conservative councillor David Bartholomew questioned why his own local authority ‘printed thousands of unnecessary pages’ during a discussion on the 491-page LTCP.
He said at the meeting: “Given that this administration is meant to have green loveliness at the heart of everything it does, why have they printed out 500 pages of the transport plan for all the councillors to have?”
The LTCP aims for a net zero transport system by 2040 and includes a ‘Vision Zero’ policy – that being the elimination of deaths and serious injuries from road traffic collisions.
Plans across the county are now being drawn up, with the COTP the first.
It covers the city and immediate areas including Botley, Cumnor, Eynsham, Kennington, Kidlington and Wheatley.
The draft plan aims to achieve a zero emission bus network, a safe cycle network to ‘rival the best in Europe’, and the promotion of ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’ where ‘everything people need for their daily lives can be found within a 20-minute walk’.
The county council is proposing 22 actions across central Oxfordshire, including three major proposals for Oxford – traffic filters, a workplace parking levy and zero emission zone.
Duncan Enright, the council’s cabinet member for travel and development strategy, said: “The draft Central Oxfordshire Travel Plan sets out our vision to develop a world-leading, innovative, inclusive and carbon neutral transport system with a focus on how people move quickly and safely around the area.
“In particular, we need to look at options that reallocate the limited road space we have to create a place where buses are fast, affordable, and reliable, where people can walk and cycle in pleasant and safe environments, and where those who have to use a car can do so on less congested roads, with more people using other means to get around.”
Andrew Gant, cabinet member for highway management, added: “Effective public transport is key to many of our priorities as a council and ensuring we provide options that are accessible, reliable, faster and greener is essential to providing our communities with real travel choices.
“But to make public transport, like taking the bus, an attractive option for people, we need to reduce congestion. Four full buses can remove half a mile of traffic from our roads.”
To take part in the consultation, visit: letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/central-oxfordshire-travel-plan
Read more from this author
This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice
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