Eynsham park and ride will cut up to a third of peak traffic in each direction, claims county council

Oxfordshire County Council has informed residents and business owners in Eynsham that construction of the 850-space car park will start on October 17.

Initially there will be work to clear the site at Cuckoo Lane off the eastbound A40 and put up a perimeter fence.

There will be overnight road closures on a stretch of Cuckoo Lane from its junction with the A40 to the SSE substation from October 25 to November 7.

Diversions from Eynsham roundabout through Lower Road and Wroslyn Road will be signed.

Oxfordshire County Council says the facility will help improve congestion on the A40 and provide regular and reliable public transport services into Oxford.

A new roundabout will make the hub easy to access from either direction on the A40.

The park and ride will have 24-hour security, cycle storage, public toilets and electric vehicle parking bays.

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The site will be accessible 24 hours a day and is designed for easy use with dedicated access and exit routes, says the county council.

The A40 is one of the county's busiest roads and notorious for congestion.

The park and ride is part of the HIF2 upgrade scheme which will see dual carriageways from east of Witney to the Eynsham park and ride, improved shared cycle and footpaths, an integrated bus lane between the new park and ride and Duke’s Cut (Wolvercote roundabout) and works to the Duke’s Cut bridge.

Eynsham parish council and Witney Town Council have both questioned the choice of site, saying as it is intended to serve commuters to Oxford from Witney and Carterton it makes little sense to site it halfway along their journey.

Eynsham Parish Council said it has always maintained that to tackle the problem of congestion on the A40, the Park and Ride is the wrong solution in the wrong place with the wrong design.

Chair Ross Macken said: "Indeed, the County Council’s A40 consultation report in 2016 makes no mention about a Park and Ride.

"In that document,  a dual carriageway and a new train line were seen as potential solutions to tackle the congestion."

He added: "We welcome changes that have been made to preserve mature trees and more of the hedgerow on the site but believe a proposal that encouraged active transport – including cycling – and encouraged the development of a rail link between Oxford and Witney would have a been a better use of taxpayers' money."

In consultations Eynsham parish council said the facility should have been sited at Shores Green near Witney.

And Witney Town Council questioned whether drivers would terminate their journey at Eynsham to access public transport and not just continue into Oxford by car.

Oxfordshire County Council said the rationale for locating it at Eynsham is that it will be available to the widest catchment area, linking existing bus services from Eynsham, Witney and Carterton, as well as new services, to Oxford. 

"The location at Eynsham is appropriate as it offers the most cost-effective solution for all.  In comparison, siting the park and ride at Witney would require a greater number of buses to serve the network and would therefore be considerably more expensive to provide the same level of service."

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The county council said it is also sited before the most constrained and congested sections of the A40. 

Chair of Witney’s traffic advisory committee Cllr Andrew Coles said: "Personally speaking I broadly welcome a new park and ride at Eynsham as it could be made into an effective transport hub making public transport a much more attractive and viable option.

"It could also mean bus services from surrounding villages and communities could link up with direct buses heading to Hanborough rail station as well as into Oxford city, the John Radcliffe hospital, Witney, Carterton or Cheltenham."

The county council expects the park and ride to be used primarily during the morning peak period, less so throughout the day and empty through the evening peak.

"It is estimated the available capacity is sufficient to attract up to a third of current total peak vehicle per direction," it said. "This will reduce the current day general traffic volumes east of Eynsham significantly compared with no park and ride in place."

It is also hoped that cyclists and bikers, and on-demand and community transport services with link there with other means of onward travel.

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