Oxford Plain Roundabout traffic light trial 'not working'

Oxfordshire County Council initially set out plans for the Plain Roundabout in late January to install temporary lights on Iffley Road and Magdalen Bridge as “approach lanes" to the roundabout.

The trial which takes place from 3pm to 7pm on select days began in Iffley Road on Monday with the scheme continuing for Magdalen Bridge the following day. 

READ MORE: Oxford: The Plain Roundabout will have traffic light trial

Council bosses are testing to see whether the lights have an impact on congestion but the lights were removed two hours early in Iffley Road as there was deemed to be "little traffic". 

A worker on site, who was overseeing the Iffley Road experiment on Monday, told the Oxford Mail the traffic lights were not having the desired impact. 

The official, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is obviously not working."

Packing away for the day. (Image: Noor Qurashi.)

It comes as businesses near The Plain believe measures are needed to improve road safety and traffic at the roundabout. 

Joanne Parker, branch administrator at the Taylors sales and letting agents in St Clement's Road, said: "It's an absolute death trap.

"There is a lot of traffic and I've also been in the office when there have been numerous incidents.

"If there was a way that cyclists could not be on the roundabout such as through a widened footpath, that could be an option.

The roundabout is dangerous and congested. (Image: Noor Qurashi.)

"The road is not wide enough for all the vehicles there at the moment."

Ms Parker believes the traffic lights scheme "will make congestion worse". 

Another long-term trader, who wished to remain anonymous, said of the congestion: "It's appalling.

"It took me three quarters of an hour to come down here from Morrell Avenue.

"Three ambulances went past me in that time.

"Oxford will come to a standstill." 

Oxfordshire County Council said before the experiment that the lights would allow traffic from St Clement's and Cowley Road to flow more efficiently on The Plain.

The authority said this would be targeted at the afternoon peak time in particular.

A spokesman also added the traffic would be continually monitored and the trial would be suspended if the traffic clogged up. 

Speaking on Tuesday about Iffley Road, a council spokesman said: "It was packed up early yesterday, but that is emphatically not a sign that it was 'not working'.

"It was always designed as an experiment to evaluate the impact and react accordingly.

"We had seen what we needed to see from the test on the Iffley Road arm.

"It turned out that there was little traffic on Iffley Road so it was decided on operational grounds to remove the lights at about 5pm." 

Traffic on St Clement's captured shortly after the trial was halted. (Image: Noor Qurashi.)

Emily Kerr, Green Party city councillor for the St Mary's ward, said: "We know that traffic flow is different each day so I think officers will need a full week of data to be able to evaluate whether it’s having a positive effect."